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  • Reality Is Not What It Seems

  • The Journey to Quantum Gravity
  • By: Carlo Rovelli
  • Narrated by: Roy McMillan
  • Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (948 ratings)
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Reality Is Not What It Seems cover art

Reality Is Not What It Seems

By: Carlo Rovelli
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
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Summary

From the best-selling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics comes a new audiobook about the mind-bending nature of the universe.

Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli, read by Roy McMillan.

What are time and space made of? Where does matter come from? And what exactly is reality?

Scientist Carlo Rovelli has spent his whole life exploring these questions and pushing the boundaries of what we know. Here he explains how our image of the world has changed throughout centuries. From Aristotle to Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday to the Higgs boson, he takes us on a wondrous journey to show us that beyond our ever-changing idea of reality is a whole new world that has yet to be discovered.

©2016 Carlo Rovelli (P)2016 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about Reality Is Not What It Seems

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  • Overall
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Eye opening and mind expanding

This was the first audiobook that I listened to in one weekend and one of the very few that I will listen to again.
Put it on your list now.

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20 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of my favourites

This book is not only a mesmerising account of both the story and world of physics (that somehow manages to be both eloquently worded and yet still simple enough for a person of average intelligence to grasp) but is also read with all the passion and character I can imagine Rovelli penning it with.

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18 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nothing really new here.

Explained really well though and doesn't get bogged down, will listen again, to get a better grasp on the concepts covered, although author tends to ridicule anything spiritual, but at the same time explains how little we do know!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Heavy on Fluff and Hyperbole, Lacks Substance

The reason I got excited about this book is because I hoped someone would focus on breaking down complex concepts to make them accessible to non-physicists. Instead this author spends 80% of his time with fluffy hyperbole about how elegant this theory is or how magnificent some physicists insight was...then glances over the really interesting, abstract, hard-to-understand concepts - e.g. special relativity - with very little attention...and tells us "don't be upset if you don't understand it...it's really confusing." That's why I bought the book: to understand. If you want to explain something to a layperson, take the trouble to understand what is abstract and difficult to THEM. Put yourself in their shoes. And devote your full focus to simplifying the concept. Telling us how beautiful and elegant something is, without real explication, patronises and annoys.

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13 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Reaching out for understanding

Where does Reality Is Not What It Seems rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the very best.

What did you like best about this story?

Logical, clear and honest about this fascinating area of science.

Have you listened to any of Roy McMillan’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Content and performance combine to make this a memorable experience.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant book

Roy McMillan manages to convey the enthusiasm, wonder and clarity of Carlo Rovelli's staggering masterpiece

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Read this

A wonderful, almost poetic scientific exposition of quantum gravity and related developments which you will enjoy, I feel sure even as a non scientist.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding

This is the book I've been waiting for. Well reasoned, great structure and narrated beautifully.

I can't claim that I understood everything but that just means I'll be going back for a 2nd and maybe even 3rd listening!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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An absolutely outstanding book.

Great book for anyone, with very good narration! You will not be able to stop listening and you'll ask for more...

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Reality is not what it seems

Interesting book, its short but it took me a couple of days to get through, not for any particular reason, except that maybe most of the things in this book go right over my head. Regardless of that fact however, I still enjoyed the read. I imagine someone who has a greater knowledge of the subject matter, would enjoy it even more. Good narrator, and my most memorable part was about how time works differently in different places.

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3 people found this helpful