Charles and Emma

I did enjoy reading this book, but it took me awhile to get through it.  I didn't know what to expect when I started it, except that it would be more about Darwin's personal life.  I think the author did a good job of showing us how Charles and Emma felt, how they lived and what they thought about each other's views.  The way she mixed the personal details in with what was happening with Darwin's work was very interesting.  It made the story come to life for me, and I hadn't really ever given the whole thing much thought.  It was interesting to see the thought process that Darwin went through, and how hesitant he was to put his theories out there.  He was a real person, with real fears and insecurities, and we don't always think of historical figures that way.  I liked the quotes at the start of each chapters, and made a point to read them, as I tend to skip that sometimes.  The plot moved pretty well, for me, even though there were some parts that I had to read twice to understand what was happening, mainly due to the Victorian way of speaking.  I enjoyed reading about their family life, and the book gave insight into how Victorian England worked, and how people lived.  I liked the book overall, I don't know if the average teen would be as interested, or would stick with the whole book.  I could see them skipping around, which I did, some, to see how things ended up.  This is the kind of history I like, when there is a personal story that goes deeper than just the facts, that tells more about the people and what really went on.