General opinion of the book

I loved this book. I could not put it down. I too am married to a scientist and the author nailed it! There were many similarities between my life and Meridian, and I identified with her loneliness, and having to live with someone that has more intellect than emotion. Being married to someone that is always prepared, lives frugally, and does not like to socialize pretty much shapes everything in your life. It is a sacrificial way of living. Meridian's character portrayed someone that lived her whole life sacrificially, even when she didn't have to in the end. I would highly recommend this read.

In preparation for reading and discussing The Atomic Weight of Love, I looked up the meaning of Meridian and Alden's names. Meridian is a circle of constant through a given place and Alden is connected to "the alder", which is a tree of the birch family. I looked at the two of them this way, Meridian constantly connected to Alden the rooted tree. She was always coming back to him whether it was really what she wanted or not.
I also enjoyed the way she name her chapters after gatherings of birds and tried to find the significance of using that specific bird and the relation to what happened in the chapter. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book and I have many observations that I will continue to share.

I loved the book and have already recommended it to others. That said, there were a couple of VERY small places that weren't quite as good as the rest of the book,. I was surprised to read some negative reviews on other websites; one review criticized it for being a "linear story,"and I thought that I enjoyed that. I get tired of gimics: a book that changes narrator/point of iew in every chapter, where I have to stop and think-wait, who is talking? Is this a flasback? etc.

I enjoyed the book and it was an easy read. In certain parts i felt were more descriptive than necessary. The book was true to the 50's and was a mystery and romance novel combined with tough choices and a surprise toward the end.

This book was one of the best I have read in a long time. The descriptions of life in PA at the times she spoke about were dead on and the notations about the Vietnam War and Clay's anger at what happened to him and other soldiers and the government protests in DC and at Berkley were dead on. It showed a woman who went through young love to a much older man which ended up inn the end she still loved him but he treated her as a parent would treat a child forcing her to look outside of her marriage for someone who showed her what was missing in her life and gave her the courage to finally go after what was really missing.

I have already recommended this book to several women friends. Despite the mid-twentieth century setting, I think that many women still plan their lives around a man. People change and don't think there is anything strange about friendships that no longer work and drift apart for lack of common ground. This book helps to point out that this can apply to marriages/partnerships as well.