{"product_id":"half-life-a-novel-isbn-9780062969873","title":"Half Life: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eUSA Today \u003c\/em\u003ebestselling author of \u003cem\u003eIn\u003cbr\u003eAnother Time \u003c\/em\u003ereimagines the pioneering, passionate life of Marie Curie\u003cbr\u003eusing a parallel structure to create two alternative timelines, one that\u003cbr\u003emirrors her real life, one that explores the consequences for Marie and for\u003cbr\u003escience if she’d made a different choice.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Poland in 1891, Marie Curie\u003cbr\u003e(then Marya Sklodowska) was engaged to a budding mathematician, Kazimierz\u003cbr\u003eZorawski. But when his mother insisted she was too poor and not good enough, he\u003cbr\u003ebroke off the engagement. A heartbroken Marya left Poland for Paris, where she\u003cbr\u003ewould attend the Sorbonne to study chemistry and physics. Eventually Marie\u003cbr\u003eCurie would go on to change the course of science forever and be the first\u003cbr\u003ewoman to win a Nobel Prize.But what if she had made a\u003cbr\u003edifferent choice?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat if she had stayed in Poland,\u003cbr\u003emarried Kazimierz at the age of twenty-four, and never attended the Sorbonne or\u003cbr\u003ediscovered radium? What if she had chosen a life of domesticity with a constant\u003cbr\u003ehunger for knowledge in Russian Poland where education for women was restricted,\u003cbr\u003einstead of studying science in Paris and meeting Pierre Curie?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEntwining Marie Curie’s real story\u003cbr\u003ewith Marya Zorawska’s fictional one, \u003cem\u003eHalf Life \u003c\/em\u003eexplores loves lost and\u003cbr\u003edestinies unfulfilled—and probes issues of loyalty and identity, gender and\u003cbr\u003eclass, motherhood and sisterhood, fame and anonymity, scholarship and\u003cbr\u003eknowledge. Through parallel contrasting versions of Marya’s life, Jillian\u003cbr\u003eCantor’s unique historical novel asks what would have happened if a great\u003cbr\u003escientific mind was denied opportunity and access to education. It examines how\u003cbr\u003ethe lives of one remarkable woman and the people she loved – as well as the world\u003cbr\u003eat large and course of science and history—might have been irrevocably changed\u003cbr\u003ein ways both great and small.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"Jillian Cantor's beautifully written \u003cem\u003eHalf Life\u003c\/em\u003e is a poignant exploration of ambition, family, gender, and love. I couldn't put down this tender, nuanced, and inspiring novel. This is a book for anyone who's ever been torn by conflicting passions and loyalties; in other words, this is a book for all of us. A dazzling must-read.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Thought-provoking, skillfully written, and hard to put down.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cantor has created an absorbing biographical novel and performed an engaging riff on the “what if” ponderings we all experience.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cantor’s details of language, customs, and how people interact in those times and places are spot on.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHistorical Novel Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In a time when many of us are more tuned in to scientific advances than we've ever been before, this reimagining of what might happen if pioneering scientist Marie Curie had taken a different path is just what the doctor ordered.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGood Housekeeping\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A total page-turner.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York magazine on THE LOST LETTER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Inventive. . .Cantor’s ‘what-if’ story combines historical fiction with mounting suspense and romance, but above all, it is an ode to the adoration and competition between sisters.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eO, the Oprah Magazine on MARGOT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In her riveting new novel, \u003cem\u003eHalf Life\u003c\/em\u003e, Jillian Cantor explores not only the fascinating inner life of the famous scientist Marie Curie but also the life that might have been if she’d chosen love over science in her early years, a determination that would have irrevocably altered the face of science and history. This thoughtful, compelling story delves into issues faced by modern women, while inviting readers to ruminate on their own life choices and the domino-effect of those decisions.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMarie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of Lady Clementine and The Only Woman in the Room\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cantor elevates love as a powerful force that transcends tragedy and shows how music speaks to even the cruelest hearts. [\u003cem\u003eIn Another Time \u003c\/em\u003eis] a powerful story that exalts the strength of the human spirit.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus on IN ANOTHER TIME\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889431376101,"sku":"NP9780062969873","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062969873.jpg?v=1730231239","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/half-life-a-novel-isbn-9780062969873","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}