Customer Reviews

Reluctant Genius

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While we all know that Bell was responsible for the telephone and, indirectly, all the high tech gadgetry we use or bemoan today, I had no idea of the extent of his interests nor the foresight he had--for things that were commercialized well after he'd identified their possibilities. He clearly wanted to be and was far more than a "one-shot wonder".

I enjoyed the insight into his foibles and his marriage which clearly proved the maxim "beyond a great man is a great woman." As a former Bell employee I was familiar with the name "Mabel Hubbard" but had no idea of just how wonderful she was.

It was also interesting to read about his peers and to learn about their foibles.

I had a little bit of trouble with the technical parts of the book but was truly fascinated by the character analysis. Alec Bell was a complicated man who clearly suffered from a lack of focus. Today, he'd be described as ADD I'm sure.

I was also a little confused by the title. While he was clearly reluctant to pursue commercial avenues for his inventions I'd say he was anything but reluctant when it came to inventing or to pursuing his interests. He was driven by the kind of thirst for knowledge that few of us can ever appreciate or experience.

I learned an awful lot from this book. I think it should almost be required reading for Canadians who typically know so little about our legendary heroes.

Once again, Charlotte Gray has created a gem. Before page 10 of "Reluctant Genius", one is totally absorbed in the story (yes, it does feel like a novel). The wealth of detail about the life of Alexander Graham Bell is impressive, as are the descriptions of Edinburgh, London, Boston and Baddeck, to name but a few places. It is surprising that Alec Bell has not been more highly acclaimed - his passion for and dedication to his work, his futuristic ideas (e.g. "Correspondence between distant places will in future be carried on electrically instead of by mail.") and his successes are not as well known to the average person. Yes, he is the inventor of the telephone, but how many of us know of his extensive work with the deaf (which included Helen Keller), his "apparatus" used to detect bullets, his Silver Dart, and other numerous inventions? One must read the book to fully appreciate such an inquisitive mind. And of course, the devotion of his Mabel was instrumental in his success; a touching love story. We should be grateful to Charlotte Gray for providing this opportunity to get to know such a fascinating man. Thoroughly enjoyable and most highly recommended.

Charlotte Gray is a first rate Biographer, and she proves it once again in this outstanding biography of Alexander Graham Bell. Subtitled, "Reluctant Genius", Bell was just that. Best known for the invention of the telephone, Bell was widely known for his work with the deaf, including Helen Keller, and his work on the first engine powered flight. He could be tenacious when on the trail of something new, but thanks to his wonderful wife, Mabel, herself deaf, he remained grounded, for the most part, and made many contributions to the 20th century and beyond. Definitely one of the great men of the 19th century. And Charlotte Gray is one of the great Biographers of the 21st!!