This book is basically astrophysics for dummies. Hawking provides a comprehensive, plain language look at all the theories, formulas and breakthroughs contributing to our knowledge of the universe, creation and the supposed laws of nature. He carefully navigates subject matter with religious implications. While I certainly understood all the parts and pieces he described (in a voice geared towards a 5th grade classroom), I feel like he failed to put it all together in an understandable way. So the end fell flat for me, but maybe it would have been really exciting for someone smarter. Maybe a re-read would be beneficial, but that doesn’t interest me right now. You do have to think when reading the material, but it is told so simplistically that it doesn’t feel like homework. The subject matter certainly evoked homework as I realized once again how little I retained from my formal education. A nice break from fiction.