Cover Image: Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry

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Member Reviews

Really loved this book. Feminism with intelligence charm and wit with just a touch of fantasy in the person of an extraordinary dog.

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Sets a High Bar!
It saddens me to think that I just read what will probably be my favorite book of the year and it's only February.

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Lessons in Chemistry is a great read for fans of The Rosie Project or Where'd You Go Bernadette. It packs a lot of emotions into one novel that keeps the story rolling and interesting. While I really liked the book, the part I couldn't get past was author, Gamus, had every character a complete unbeliever of God, even the priest. That was just a bit much for me. The story itself was a lot of fun and the characters (other than that part) were super likable. However, I just couldn't get past that point to give it more than 3 stars. That's such a shame, too, because it has great potential.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

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This story was funny and heartbreaking. Life isn't fair and it was interesting to read about Elizabeth's life. I will definitely recommend this one to others!

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Elizabeth Zott is very much like T.V. Food guru, Alton Browne. She dishes up delectable food along with introductory chemistry on her T.V. Show. But at heart she is a scientific researcher who has been passed over by the scientific patriarchal society. She has been sexually assaulted, had her research stolen and plagiarized, humiliated, and found her true soul mate in Calvin Evans. This book is about a brave woman who would not give in or give up. It is a feminist tour de force. I loved every page! The side characters are so well drawn you will think you have met them already. There is daughter Mad, neighbor Harriet, bad boss Donnetti, good boss Walter and a dog named six-thirty who is super intelligent but suffers from PTSD.
I laughed and had a few tears. Elizabeth and Calvin are not ordinary people they are each extraordinary in their own way. This is a best book of 2022.

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How to convey my thoughts on this one? The cover does not even scratch the surface as the book is fun but so much more! Is there tons of humor? Yes. Relationships? Yep. Chemistry? Sure. Religion? It is discussed. Women being undervalued or under appreciated? Oh so much. But here is the thing…this book is clever and deep but also feels juicy and fun. This book is fantastic and you will see it everywhere. It was absolute joy to read!! I hope Bonnie is typing away somewhere as I cannot wait for her next book!

*side note…teachers everywhere…DO NOT make kids do a family tree for goodness sake 🤦🏻‍♀️

Posted Instagram @carolinehoppereads and goodreads

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"Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus is a delightful debut novel!

Elizabeth Zott, a research chemist at Hastings Research Institute, believes in equality, not a popular opinion in 1952. The all male research team she works with talks down to her rather than appreciating her as the driving force behind their projects. She's weary of males talking over her when she presents her findings and taking credit for her work.

The one exception to this is Calvin Evans, a gifted research scientist at HRI, and a two time Nobel-prize nominee, who has fallen in love with Elizabeth and her brilliant mind. The attraction is real!

Elizabeth views herself as a scientist but knows, by experience, female scientists are virtually non-existent. Ten days before graduating with her master's degree from UCLA, the admissions committee rescinded her application to the doctoral program.

An 'unfortunate event' happened and Elizabeth actions were determined to be the cause. She knows that getting her PhD is no longer possible but she'll never give up her dream. Her only regret is not having more No. 2 pencils to use when the 'unfortunate event' took place!

Ten years later, Elizabeth is a single mother living with her adorable daughter, Madeline, their dog, Six-thirty, and hosting the daily TV cooking show, Supper at Six. The show is an instant hit and Elizabeth is the beautiful, but reluctant, star!

In front of a live audience, Elizabeth uses her platform to not only teach women about the chemistry of cooking, but about life being more important than cooking! It's about following your dream of having a family and a career just like men do!

What a delightful story with a mid 20th Century timeline. If I could spend time with a character, it would absolutely be Elizabeth. I applaud her resilience, resourcefulness, and unwavering belief that women are as worthy as men. If I was in her shoes, I would wear a No. 2 pencil behind my ear or in my hair, too!

A bit of a rebel, smart as a whip, she speaks her mind without holding back, and believes in what's right. She loves her daughter and Six-thirty, the dog, who knows 600+ words and has a significant role in this story. He's quite the canine character and loves Madeline and Elizabeth as much as they love him. It's pretty special!

This is an amazing debut novel with quirky characters, socially relevant topics, emotional swings, winks of humor and laugh-out-loud moments! I loved this story and I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Bonnie Garmus for a free ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. The expected publication date is 4/5/22.

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Today's books are all about false appearances. In this book Elizabeth is as far as she can be from your typical 60s woman. She's bright, fighting to succeed in a mans world, and yes, a bit odd. Think Sheldon Cooper in a dress, and you wouldn't be far off. When she and Calvin collide, the world shifts and she hopes his rising star will shine on her work as well. She doesn't know the truth. And when it comes, she can't handle any of it.

Landing on TV would be anyone's dream, but Elizabeth has to do things her way, and if that ends up changing how women perceive themselves, well she can't help that right? And if everyone thinks she is raising her daughter oddly, well, yes and no would be the answer. As she struggles to find her way and overcome the obstacles in her way, Elizabeth realize that she has to use what she has at hand to achieve the true success she wants- to be recognized as a true scientific mind like her male counterparts. But it takes a village, and Elizabeth's village is full of characters that will stay with you long after you finish the book.

This one is a must read! And when you finish it and realize this is the author's first book? You'll be stunned, and hoping she can recreate the magic of this book in her second book!

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Elizabeth Zott! You rock! You are standing up for everything that I care for and you are a gem… in the mid 60s… when women cannot be anything but a cooking, feeding, raising, washing, cleaning trophy who only smiles and waves. Elizabeth Zott on the other hand was doing exactly the opposite. To be frank, I bet her behavior could still anger the patriarchy today!

Elizabeth was a chemist when women wasn’t taken seriously in the science world. Even thought she couldn’t finish her PhD because of some idiot, she managed to find a job at this research facility. She had been facing all sorts of discrimination every day. One day she had to get in a fight with this other big shot scientist over beakers. Little did she know, that big shot was going to change her life and it wasn’t going to be like “ oh Romeo! You saved me!” I loved every bit of her efforts to establish herself and was furious with 99% of the guys in this story!

I know this might be edited or even be removed from the final cut, but I loved it and I have to share it: “ There was a lot of shop talk from the others about how chemical bonds were formed, broken, then re-formed following something called an "effective collision." Frankly, the whole thing was a little boring. Still, one of the panelists continued to drone on about how real change only ever arose through the application of kinetic energy. That's when someone in the audience asked for an example of an ineffective collision something that lacked energy and never changed, but still had a big effect. Evans had leaned into his microphone. "Religion," he said. Then he got up and left.”

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book for my honest review in exchange.

this book was unique and a little out of my norm for reading, but I'll be honest it was the cover that drew me in! It was a little slow for me to start but really picked up the pace halfway through. The characters were likeable. Definitely worth reading- This one will be all over bookstagram!

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This one had me hooked from the very beginning. Quirky characters, dogs that have a vocabulary of 900+ words, aa precocious child and misogyny. This one is well worth the read.

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This book was such a great read. I laughed so hard a few times. There's plenty of things to root for in this book, especially since it's set during the 60's when women are trying to progress as much as possible and break free from this "women in the kitchen" idea. Elizabeth is a brilliant chemist who finds herself in a single mom position. I loved the cast of characters. Every single mom needs a Harriett in her life. I loved the writing style and the ARC of this story. Elizabeth finds herself in an unlikely position as a host of a cooking show and brings her love of chemistry to the show. I loved the structure of this and how Elizabeth was informative, supportive, and the lessons for women were empowering. Mad's point of view about not accepting that a women's place is set in traditional roles was so refreshing. This book is a can't miss for 2022!! This was a great debut novel by Bonnie Garmus!!

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I had predicted this would be a five star read for me and I'm so glad I guessed correctly! A story centered around a determined woman in the STEM field in the 1960s working extra hard to prove she deserves to work in a career field dominated by men. And Elizabeth Zott does it in style and humor for the reader. I loved every second of it and I'm so glad it took so long to read because I felt like I had time to savor the story and all the characters.

What I liked a lot about this story is how zany it felt being introduced to a new portion of the story told through a new character and seeing how it all comes together in the end. And what a beautiful way it did come full circle. This had equal parts science, humor, and drama that I think worked very well together. You had parts that took place in a science lab and other parts that took place during Elizabeth's time as a host of an evening cooking show. I loved that Elizabeth came off as funny without intentionally trying to be, but when she was angered you were very well aware of it. I think this day in age Elizabeth would thrive thanks to the innovating movements led by female scientists, but in this historical fiction it was very cool to see Elizabeth lead that movement without unintentionally doing so.

Brie Larson is set to star as Elizabeth in the Apple TV adaptation of Lessons in Chemistry and I need to see that set into motion as soon as possible. Thank you to DoubleDay and Netgalley for an advanced copy of my new favorite science nerd book!

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If you love quirky but smart characters who will win you over immediately, then Elizabeth Zott and Calvin Evans were made for you! I felt smarter just reading this book and I also felt a need to be the best I can be as a woman today.
These characters will stay with me for awhile, just as Eleanor Oliphant, Endura Honeysett and Ove did.
Two brilliant lives collide and when their daughter comes along, she is a wondrous creature herself! Add in a dog who knows 981 words and you have a powerful and enthralling story that I don’t want to end. Bravo!

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Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

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I think this may be my new favorite book of all time. The writing style is so unique and seamlessly ties in different perspectives. You never know whose perspective you are going to get next to further build on the story. Plus, unlike anything I've read before we get the perspective of a dog!! Elizabeth is one of the most fiercely feminist characters I've yet to meet. Part historical fiction, part romance, 100% un-put downable.

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I loved this book so much and trying to talk about it in any way that does it even the slightest semblance of justice is making my head explode. I laughed out loud. I cried. I fumed. I laughed again. Elizabeth is a spectacularly unique character and Six-Thirty the dog is maybe my favorite creature ever. I love every single thing about this story except that it ended.

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Lessons in Chemistry is a knockout of a book - from page one, I was rooting for these characters to win — to find their place in a world that limited them by their gender, that decided they were incapable of full expression of their talents and capabilities due to the genetic randomness of their sex. Through their ups and many downs (and some of those downs needed trigger warnings, fyi) I was truly captivated by this story. Recommended read for those that enjoy tales of "difficult" female characters (which are the best ones, really).

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I so thoroughly enjoyed this book. The relationship between the main character and her love interest was great.. I loved all the science references especially once she was on the cooking show..

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This book grabbed me in the beginning. I absolutely loved the 60s tv setting and the charming Elizabeth Zott. Ironically, I lost interest once she got involved with Calvin. Elizabeth’s character development completely stalled, which seems like the opposite of what the book claims to promote. The author tells us that Elizabeth doesn’t want to become lost as a scientist in her relationship to her male love interest and fellow scientist, but her sparkling personality at the beginning is lost to us as the reader once Calvin enters the picture. This one fell a little flat for me, but I think it will be a hit for many other readers.

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