I have read and learned so much from all of Marie Benedict's books. So I was very excited to receive an ARc from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks in exchange for my honest review. I have been researching my family's genealogy for over thirty-years and have tested my DNA many times. Trying to decipher DNA matches often baffles me and I was hoping to gain a deeper understanding of this incredible scientific discovery reading Her Hidden Genius.

I had never heard of Rosalind Franklin, the woman who should have been credited with the discovery of DNA. Marie Benedict did some heavy duty research on this incredible, intelligent woman and her passion for scientific discovery. But the story is heavily focused on the science and I got lost in the explanations and the technical data. The book is in three parts - parts one and two were slow and did not hold my interest, so I wound up skimming through many of the chapters. Part three is more about Rosalind the person, then Rosalind the scientist, quick paced and riveting.

I liked Rosalind a lot. All of the women Benedict writes about have been strong, independent, intelligent women who, like Rosalind, were denied credit for their tenacity and accomplishments in a man’s world. Rosalind was driven by her passion to uncover the secrets of DNA. She had to fight for every acknowledgement, every honor she received.

The most frustrating part of reading this book was how so many of Rosalind’s fellow (and I do mean male) scientists treated her with disrespect, jealousy and disdain. Rosalind kept her feelings under tight control unless she was with people she trusted. She refused to let the naysayers stop her research or her determination to discover how DNA looked and functioned. Sadly, she was not given due credit or recognition for her discoveries until after she had passed away.

Fortunately, Rosalind found camaraderie with the scientists and her assistants who respected her intelligence, requested and earned inclusion in her small circle of trust and who valued her friendship. She was blessed with a loving and at times, overbearing, family; her friends adored her. She pursued her passions outside the laboratory but not often enough for a good life balance.

As always, Marie Benedict’s Author’s Notes at the end are well worth your time. I would have rated this book four stars had it not been so slow-paced and technical.

4.0 stars

I received a complimentary Kindle book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Marie Benedict, Sourcebooks Landmark. and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed this historical novel VERY much. I would agree with the title about "Her Hidden Genius" - she was beyond brilliant, dedicated, and borderline obsessive about her research. BUT, that is how gifted minds like hers work - she couldn't do anything differently if she wanted to.

First off, this book made me SO angry for Rosalind Franklin. We do not know for certain how her work was "shared", but knowing how anti-feminist, misogynist, and old-boy club that any science was back then, it is not surprising. I do think that if she was still alive, she would not have won a part of the Nobel Prize for her work - the scientific world was not ready for someone like her!

Interestingly, my daughter who is majoring in Physics and is a sophomore at college, knew EXACTLY who she was and what happened in Rosalind Franklin's life. I knew about her but didn't know all the details. Hopefully, things will be different for ALL women scientists going forward!!

I did think that the novel was a bit "scientific-heavy" in terminology and people, but that didn't bother me as I wanted to learn more about the processes, methods, and people involved in this groundbreaking work!

RECOMMEND

Her Hidden Genius, by Marie Benedict, is the historical fiction account of the life of Rosalind Franklin. Rosalind, like many of the spectacular women that Ms. Benedict writes about, is a woman working in a mans world. Rosalind begins her career as an X-ray Crystallographer studying the molecular structure of coal. She works in a laboratory in France, post WWII, 1947. Rosalind is dedicated scientist. Her work comes before all else including a marriage or family. She is unwed and has left her family behind in England. ​Braving it alone, ​Rosalind works hard, harder than anyone, and ​proves to be​ quite successful Unfortunately Rosalind becomes romantically involved with her laboratory manager, only to find he is married. Nonetheless, she remains in love with him. Her broken heart, spirit, and awkwardness force her to seek new employment.

Rosalind moves back to England, near her family, and accepts a position at King's College. This time her physical chemistry skills are combined with biological studies to develop the structure of the DNA molecule. She describes her work as "the study of life itself". Along with the acceptance of this project it is made known that she will be the sole project owner with funds and laboratory support at her disposal. Rosalind does not much care for her new work atmosphere and continues to miss her French lab and cohorts. Rosalind, soon finds herself in a delicate situation. Not only does she work with men entirely, who show little to no respect for her, but she works in a horrible environment of dishonesty and deceit . It doesn't take long before the men start to feel threatened and become slanderous in claiming Rosalind's work as their own.​ At first Rosalind is trusting, believing all is good in the name of science. Soon enough she finds all of her hard work is taken from her and claimed to be the work of her male counterparts. Rosalind decides that she is a scientist first, and not looking for fame. However she decides that this toxic environment is not for her. Sadly she decides it best to let this experience go and move on.

​Finally, Rosalind accepts a job with a smaller, lesser known laboratory. ​ ​ This time she is working and publishing on the subject of RNA. ​She has no fancy equipment, but finally feels her work is her own​. She is no longer pressured to report on papers for which she has not completed her testing. Her work is not hurried and ​reduced to a race for notoriety. Rosalind works as a collective part of the scientific community and is not berated by her male counterparts. Rosalind just may even find a new love interest. It is still not the French laboratory in which she once loved, but finds it adequately suits the purpose of her scientific endeavors.

I will not share the ending of the novel, as it is something one will want to read for themselves. Most interesting is the author's note explaining that Rosalind was not recognized as a contributor to science until long after her death. She is not recognized by in regard to the Nobel Prize awarded to Watson and Crick in 1962. If not for her friends who felt strongly for Rosalind and her tumultuous career, she may never have been recognized as the iconic woman of science that she was. In 1975, finally a book was released by the title of Rosalind Franklin and DNA. This book portrays her as the genius, with the due respect, in which she worked so hard to achieve.

Sincere thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict. Ms. Benedict had done a tremendous job in portraying Rosalind Franklin, her prominent part in history, and the sharing of her legacy.

#netgalley #herhiddengenius #mariebenedict

Marie Benedict never fails to teach me about a woman who had such an impact on our lives, but no one knows about her. Rosalind Franklin's story of research in DNA and viruses is not only so applicable to the times we are in now, but is a fantastic picture of the struggles women face and did face in a STEM based career. From her family to her coworkers, her battle against men in her field is so relatable and frustrating. While not a happy ending, it's honesty and truth are so compelling that I just needed to know how the story ended.

I received an advance digital copy of ”Her Hidden Genius” by Marie Benedict from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

Once again Marie Benedict has featured a woman we have known too little about for too many decades. This historic fiction offering about English scientist Dr. Rosalind Franklin is a great addition to Benedict’s goal to highlight women whose accomplishments have been overlooked throughout history.

Dr. Franklin was born in London to a wealthy British family whose life goals for Rosalind were marriage and a family, despite the educational opportunities they were able to provide for her and her exceptional academic ability. After earning her PHD from University of Cambridge in 1945 she moved to Paris in 1946 as a researcher learning to work with x-ray crystallography techniques in an effort to determine the structure of DNA. It was here that Rosalind met male colleagues who proved to be difficult to work with as they deemed her work as a woman invaluable. In 1950 she moved back to London to study DNA at a lab at King’s College. Eventually her work was sabotaged and compromised by men who refused to recognize her as Dr. Franklin, reducing her name to Rosy which they knew she detested. Her efforts were minimized as the men were pilfering her work and taking credit for it. Her research efforts were not recognized during her lifetime.

A very detailed “Author’s Note” is included to further present Benedict’s well researched information that enlightens the reader regarding the effects of Franklin’s research today. “A Conversation with the Author” also adds additional facts to this remarkable scientist’s unfortunate chronicle.

While I prefer other of Benedict’s many books more, I am glad I read it and discovered this overlooked female scientist who added so much to our knowledge of DNA. I did get lost in some of the scientific terminology, but was able to come through with a somewhat greater understanding of the results of her work.

With her latest book Marie Benedict has certainly proven herself worthy of the goal she created to highlight women’s accomplishments. Having read several of her recent historical fiction offerings I will most definitely be looking forward to reading her next!

I love historical fiction and have read almost every one of Marie Benedict's books. This one will not disappoint. Rosalind Franklin was an intelligent research doctor in the cutthroat male dominate world of research science. I had never heard of Ms Franklin nor her contribution to DNA and especially RNA research. It is a shame that her life was cut short. This book is well written and just enough scientific jargon as to not to confuse the non-science reader. This would be a very good book club book as there are many facets for discussion. The book does include a reader's guide to help facilitate. I highly recommend this book and look forward to Ms Benedict's next obre.

Thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy.

Her Hidden Genius is a historical fiction piece on Doctor Rosalind Franklin, an English scientist whose contributions went mostly unnoticed in her time. This book attempts to restore back some of the credit she was due. Her research involved taking X-Ray pictures of DNA in order to determine its structure, which found her in a race she didn’t want to compete in but was pressured to nonetheless.

The book is divided into three parts representing the three different highlights of her career. First she moves to Paris to work in a research lab where she learns X-Ray crystallography and engages in a relationship with a fellow researcher. Then she moves back to London to work at King’s college when that relationship turns south and begins her work on DNA. After being treated poorly by another researcher and being pressured to finish the race to build a model of DNA, she leaves to work in a smaller less prestigious lab, but one where she can work in peace with people who respect her.

Much of the book focuses on the struggles she faced as a woman scientist, something I can relate to. As a data scientist, I have often been the only female in the room throughout school and my career. Today is a different time than the 1950’s however, and I do not envy the difficulties she faced.

I love historical fiction because it gives me a chance to learn in an entertaining way. I was unfamiliar with the discoveries of DNA and the politics of the science world so I enjoyed reading about the life of a research scientist.

My only complaint was that the book felt a bit redundant and anti-climactic. Rosalind spends so much time on her research on DNA doing painstaking analysis but the big reveal in the end wasn’t very exciting. It felt like the entire second part of the book was just Rosalind in the lab getting rushed and insulted by everyone. I know that this is based off a real research so I’m sure Benedict tried to make it as captivating as possible but it felt too repetitive.

In the end I was still glad to have learned about this intelligent woman and I hope this book helps to reinforce some of the justice she deserves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of this book.

"The new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie!

She changed the world with her discovery. Three men took the credit.

Rosalind Franklin has always been an outsider - brilliant, but different. Whether working at the laboratory she adored in Paris or toiling at a university in London, she feels closest to the science, those unchanging laws of physics and chemistry that guide her experiments. When she is assigned to work on DNA, she believes she can unearth its secrets.

Rosalind knows if she just takes one more X-ray picture - one more after thousands - she can unlock the building blocks of life. Never again will she have to listen to her colleagues complain about her, especially Maurice Wilkins who'd rather conspire about genetics with James Watson and Francis Crick than work alongside her.

Then it finally happens - the double helix structure of DNA reveals itself to her with perfect clarity. But what unfolds next, Rosalind could have never predicted.

Marie Benedict's powerful new novel shines a light on a woman who sacrificed her life to discover the nature of our very DNA, a woman whose world-changing contributions were hidden by the men around her but whose relentless drive advanced our understanding of humankind."

I have been reading about Rosalind Franklin EVERYWHERE lately. She is the woman of the moment. So that makes this THE BOOK of the moment. Go read it!

I have read several of Marie Benedict's books and always love how she is able to bring to life a real life woman in a fictional format. She does an enormous amount of research which enables her to create dialogue that fits her characters.

Her Hidden Genius looks at the life of Dr. Rosalind Franklin a young woman at the forefront of research into DNA. The book picks up her life as she moves to Paris shortly after WWII to a research facility where the comradery amongst the scientists, both men and women, gives her hope that she can have a career as a female scientist. After being lured back to England she begins he study of DNA. The obstacles that Rosiland has to deal with aren't so much the science, which she excels at, but the personalities of some of the men that she encounters who aren't so happy about a woman doing the work they would like credit for.

Benedict delves into the science of DNA without having to make it too complicated for the average reader. Although from a personal standpoint, I think I would have enjoyed the book even more if I had a scientific brain and really cared and understood all the science. That being said, it's the personalities that make the book and I felt I got a very good understanding of the woman and those around her.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

I am a big fan of Marie Benedict's writing and her latest, Her Hidden Genius, did not disappoint. I found the text was difficult to read at times due to the technical terms used, but also thought they were necessary to realistically support the story being told. I was glad to have easy access via my KIndle to a dictionary to help me understand those parts. While the text was challenging, it was well worth reading. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

“I don’t typically read biographies, but I really enjoyed this one and I’m so glad I did. I highly recommend this book.”

If you have ever been in the middle of solving a problem and felt the tug of war within yourself of wanting to give yourself a break to come back to with new eyes and wanting to solve it right now, you will relate to Rosalind in Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict. The story of a brilliant scientist who fell in love with science and wanted to move it forward, whether she be seen or not, Her Hidden Genius is a beautiful book that reminds us of the presence of extraordinary people that history has forgotten.

Rosalind Franklin is a young scientist who studies matter using x-rays. She is good at her craft and knows how to work the equipment with a finesse that other scientists find it hard to ignore. There are those in her life who know she is like no other, and then others, like her family, who don’t quite understand what she does. There are many times in the story when people try to confine her by setting boundaries and expectations and every time, she proves them wrong and just keeps going, undeterred. She takes every challenge head on and continues to work on her life’s work which ultimately ends up being the structure of the DNA.

Her Hidden Genius comes at a good time. Vaccines have been an everyday topic in our lives for at least a year now and what better time to learn about an amazing woman who had something to do with it? Rosalind may not be a household name but as it happens with many biological discoveries over the years, the access to that knowledge advances us many times faster. If we did not know the structure of the DNA or the proteins that it comprises, how viruses attack it, how would we have the tools to combat diseases?

It is the passion of scientists like Rosalind Franklin and their thirst to know more that has helped us to get to where we are. She is a hidden genius though because while she did her best to protect her research and get credit for it, her primary goal was to find answers to the aspects of matter and life that she was investigating. She did not let politics affect her and she wasn’t one to take advantage of other people. In a post second world war world, we see the scientific community and its differences through Rosalind’s experiences in Paris and then London. What was the scientist pursuit and the search for answers has somehow become the race between countries and universities to be the first ones to discover something.

I found Her Hidden Genius to be very interesting in balancing these outside expectations to internal drive to know and learn and share. It is not possible to do that without a good support system and I loved the people that Rosalind surrounded herself with. When she could not find the community of scientists she wanted, she made one and was open to people working with her.

There are many things to learn from Rosalind’s life and while she may not have won the Nobel Prize in her short life, that does not make her work any less worthy. She sounds like an amazing role model and I am sure researchers would have been lucky to have her as their mentor. With this book I reminisced my days of being a graduate student and the daydreams of being a professor. Through Rosalind’s eyes, I glimpsed a life I almost could have had while at the same time realising that the world has changed for the better since her time and I would hopefully not face the same challenges she did with her colleagues.

Her Hidden Genius reminded me of Benedict’s earlier book, The Other Einstein, and I am so happy to have read about these wonderful women who had a role to play in shaping the world we live in. While men may have presented a greater challenge and stopped them from being known, the women still persevered and continued to use their brilliancy for moving humanity and its knowledge forward.

This autobiographical fiction rocked me to the core. It’s so satisfying to see Rosalind Franklin finally credited with her work and her ‘Hidden Genius’. 5-star read all the way!

The review of Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict is in the January 2022 issue of SFRevu and is exclusive to them until February 2022.

You may read the review at this link: <http://sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=19571>

This was an interesting read from a writer who specializes in historical fiction. Rosalind Franklin works as a chemistry researcher in Paris, where her contemporaries seem more amenable to working with a woman. Her work in France leads her to return to her native England where she begins mapping DNA. As this is a bourgeoning field of study, there is a race to be the first to discover how DNA works. This is a novel about what it means to be a woman working in a traditionally male discipline and what scientists sacrifice in order to make discoveries that benefit humanity. Informative, interesting and well-researched. Thank you. to Sourcebooks and to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Really enjoyed this historical novel of a woman I had not heard of prior to reading this book. I did not understand all the scientific details but wonderful read showcasing yet another unsung woman who made a great contribution to science.

Marie Benedict has a mission to research and write about women who are largely unknown and brings their stories to light. In his book, we learn of Dr. Rosalind Franklin, who was a brilliant female scientist struggling for fair treatment in the emerging field of DNA and RNA. She was unrecognized and several men took credit for her work. Marie Benedict illustrates how Dr Franklin sacrificed her life for science.

Marie Benedict’s latest novel, Her Hidden Genius shares the story of real-life scientist, Rosalind Franklin who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA. While Rosalind’s work was mostly hidden by the men, there were several of her male colleagues that were staunch supporters of her work. (It was the factor of her life, and also the fact that she would disregard her own personal safety with the amount of radiation that she was exposed to, that caused me as a reader much frustration as I read the book. Like several scientists in her field at that time, she ended up losing her life to cancer caused by radiation poisoning.)
It’s clear from the detail descriptions of Rosalind’s discoveries that the author did considerable research into Rosalind’s work prior to writing the novel, but it was the descriptions of her life outside of the lab with her friends that intrigued me the most. Whether your interests lay in the scientific world, or if you simply want to learn more about one of the most brilliant female scientists, this novel will be a delight to read!

Her Hidden Genius was just an okay read for me. It was mostly good but had some slower parts that made me want to skim over. Three stars.

Her Hidden Genius is another triumph for Marie Benedict. The story takes place in Europe, post WWII, and centers on Rosalind Frank who plays a major role in uncovering the scientific details of DNA. Frank challenges the norms of research labs as well as those of society. Historical fiction fans will learn a lot and will very much enjoy this book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC.