Not really an interesting or relevant read for the average person. Though the book is relatively short, it is not as brief as it promises, filled instead with a lot of tertiary information to the history of the Universe. Additionally, a lot of complex theoretical Physics is introduced. Though the descriptions are simplified, the concepts are still not terribly accessible. Would not recommend this book to anyone and will not retain much of it. ( )

I have always been deeply fascinated by theoretical physics, but my handle on ordinary physics and geometry is imperfect enough that I never really delved into the topic as much as I would have liked. While I still can't claim that I grok the finer points of the subject, this book deserves its place of honor in the genre of popular science. With careful reading and hazy memories of college astronomy, I was able to follow Hawking pretty well (although as with all popular writing on theoretical physics, I sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between analogy and reality in discussion of various models).

I really enjoyed Hawking's conclusion, in which he imagines a world where a unified theory can be taught to a school-age audience and everyone can understand the universe we live in and the metaphysical questions that arise out of it. It's the kind of book that makes you really excited about the possibilities of scientific inquiry.

The edition I picked up was published in the nineties, so I'm really looking forward to reading updated books on the topic! ( )

Needless to say Hawking is brilliant; but he takes it to another level by not only carefully explaining the areas of relativity and quantum mechanics in a way we can understand; he adds valuable yet humorous illustrations. While its not "Dr Suess does Cosmology" its far and away more approachable than other books on the topic. Personally I love learning new things and areas like String theory have been the most difficult. That said, I feel I have a far better grasp on these two areas after having read this book. ( )

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2018
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Stephen Hawking summarises the difficulty of his book right at the end. Science has become ever more complex and specialised. All the grand, universal theories of A Brief History are actually the work of experts who only have time to understand their small patch. This breaking down of knowledge into pieces has been going on for centuries, gathering pace after 1776 when, in his Wealth Of Nations, Adam Smith described the future of industry as the division of labour. Then in 1988 Stephen Hawking comes along and has a go at explaining the whole of modern physics, with all its specialised fields and competing experts, to a general reader.

Perhaps part of A Brief History Of Time’s remarkable success lies in a nostalgic reaction. People used to live in houses with one big room. Go to Anne Hathaway’s house in Stratford and you’ll see how a sixteenth century hall was split into the rooms of later centuries. Perhaps, in a figurative sense, we look into a tiny room in the attic - where the physicist has a study - and yearn to return to that big hall where everyone is in it together. ( )

I had heard that Hawking's earlier book "A Brief History of Time>" was considered the most purchased but least finished book in the past 30 years. I've had trouble digesting Hawking's writings in the past, so based on what I'd heard, I passed on Hawking's earlier book, but thought I'd try this "Briefer History of Time>". Much to my dismay, even this simpler book proved difficult to me, and I failed to comprehend much of content. Perhaps the audio book is the wrong format for me, and I need the print version of the book to allow me to go slower, look at the diagrams, and then be able to absorb more of his explanations.
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