Review: "Enchantress of Numbers" by Jennifer Chiaverini

Jennifer Chiaverini has a history of writing about strong, although somewhat obscure women and her newest novel is no exception. Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace, is a complicated intellectual woman. Her father is Lord Byron and although that could be her claim to fame, she tries to hide the relationship as much as possible. Ada is extremely knowledgeable and well-read in mathematics and the sciences. Her mother and then later her husband encouraged her to further her education as much as possible to tame the “wild” Byron blood. She became as renowned in her field as a woman could in her time and can be considered the first programmer of a computer.

As always, Ms. Chiaverini does an outstanding job of capturing the true essence of the countess. Ada’s parents were estranged from the time she was a tiny infant so she has no recollection of her father, other than what was told to her by her mother, who had a great animosity for him. All her life she battles the perceived evil that her extremely dominant mother drills into her head because of her father’s unconventional lifestyle. Although her mother is wealthy, Ada’s childhood is spent mainly with nurses and spinster friends of her mother who stifle any tendencies towards imagination. All these factors, combined with her natural inclination for mathematics, helped shape her into one of the great mathematical geniuses of the time.

I enjoyed this book for once again, bringing to light an obscure female figure from history that has been overlooked. It is packed full of many interesting details and situations that bring Ada to life. It can be enjoyed by teens to adults and makes an excellent book to read for those that enjoyed Jennifer Chiaverini’s previous novels.