This book wasn't what I expected, but in a good way!

Elizabeth is a darn good scientist in a time when female scientists didn't really "exist". She is constantly fighting for her place in a male-dominated field. She is harassed and belittled and discredited. Eventually, she is offered a job as the lead on a cooking show because she is quite beautiful. But she is determined to do it her own way, of course.

There are so many rich layers to this story of a strong independent woman. Love, motherhood, science and logic, show business, and even rowing crew are just a few of the topics covered. Elizabeth is destined to become an all-time favorite character. And this book has one of the best dogs I've ever met. I loved it!

This book is so much more than I was expecting it to be! I've seen other folks say this online, but the cover doesn't really do this book justice. I love a feminist take and historical fiction, and this was immensely satisfying and laugh-out-loud funny.

I seriously enjoyed this book even though when I started it I was convinced it’s not my type of story-so wrong! This was a very entertaining story from the beginning and then 2 chemists fall in love, Elizabeth knew how smart she was and could not ever be persuaded to do things any way but her way, Calvin was even smarter but he always made sure she knew he believed in her. It’s set back in the time when women were expected to stay home and have babies, she didn’t want that. There also was a dog named Six Thirty who should have his own story since he was so entertaining. There were many times I laughed out loud and this one had the best ending. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! Amazing!!!

My students will definitely want to read this book, and so will our faculty. Great connections to history and science, with a feminist perspective. Can't wait to see the film adaptation as well.

Elizabeth Zott is everything. She is fierce. She is brave. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She is a chemist. It’s 1960, however, and she isn’t supposed to be these things. Caught in a career that isn’t for females, saying things she shouldn’t be saying, she stands out, and not in a positive way. Throw in the fact that she’s having a baby out of wedlock, she’s lost her job, and she’s alone.

Enter Harriet, her next door neighbor to the rescue. She comes one day to help with the baby and “check up” on Elizabeth. This simple act becomes enough to jumpstart her in a new direction, and remind her of who she is made to be.

I loved everything about this one! Give me a strong female lead, who isn’t actress to speak her mind. Throw in controversy and determination, and you have the makings for a person novel in my eyes!

I had to go into the office one day recently and took Lessons in Chemistry with me. I…I did not expect to be crying at my desk. I was looking forward to a Julia Child-esque badass featuring a chemist-turned-tv chef and instead got FEELINGS. This one is so deserving of all the hype and book club picks.

DNF at 39%

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, but after having a child and losing her job, she becomes a household name as the host of a cooking show.

I've read a lot of rave reviews of this book. There are some things I did enjoy - the character of Six-Thirty, the dog, and the somewhat idiosyncratic tone of the narration. However, I found the characters rather one-note - everyone was good or bad, mostly bad.

I cannot put my finger on it, but the character of Elizabeth also rubbed me the wrong way - likely because she was so clearly a modern woman dropped inexplicably in the 1950s, which I will concede is not an enviable position, but then it is not very likely either. I would have liked to see a more complex character here.

Perhaps I would have read on, but my ARC expired - which speaks to how infrequently I was reading this book in the first place.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Super fun and witty debut novel by Bonnie Garmus! This truly spoke to my feminist hear and soul. This story kind look f reminds me of Julia Childs story in that neither was taken seriously and both end up breaking barriers. So many tines while reading this, I was actually laughing out loud! I cannot wait to get my own version of this on my Kindle so that I can highlight some of my favorite quotes.

I loved this book!! One of my favorites of 2022. The story was amazing and the writing was even better. Every character was perfectly thought out. This is a book that I would reread.

More Man Men/Ms Mauser than cooking. Every character fully developed and fleshed out. A great and easy handsell!

This one was an absolute delight. It reads like an incredible HBO miniseries, It was not at all what I expected. The characters are endearing (especially Six Thirty, possibly the best fictional dog of all time??), and the story completely unique. Elizabeth Zott is a bit of an oddball - she's a female chemist in the late 1950s where no one though women could be scientists, and a series of pretty horrible things happen to hear right from the get-go. It's heart wrenching, but the theme of finding your own family with what you have to work with is the uplifting through line. The feminist overtones are powerful as well, and if you're in the mood for a solid book with headstrong, smart characters, this is the one for you.

“ Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.”

This was our June book club pick and we all really enjoyed the writing. It was witty, funny, smart, we didn’t love the MC as much as we loved her daughter Mad (Madeline), the dog (Six-thirty) and Harriet. We liked the theme of a strong woman and showing what it was like for women in the 1960s in a male dominated field. Very timely for what is happening currently. I’m glad we picked it, I really enjoyed the story, and could see it being a good series. I can see why this is such a popular book, Elizabeth was quirky, strong willed, and stood up for what she believed in. She faced many tough situations and I felt like she fought not only for herself but all women as well. The portrait of a single mother trying to balance work and being a mother was also a theme that I felt was very relatable. At this time women were expected to be homemakers and for Elizabeth to work out of the home and be a mother was against the norm. Now as mother myself I have a lot of respect for mothers who choose to be a SAHM, it’s a full time job! Women uplifting women, that’s the way it should be!

I’m torn on how I feel about this book. Where I don’t think it is as amazing as others think, I ended my time reading it feeling just okay about it.

I really enjoyed this book! An unapologetic woman doing her thing?! Yes please! It was also funny and just something I needed to read!

This was a really charming tale, very unexpected. I would have liked it more if not for the corny dog-POV hook.

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Lessons in Chemistry
AUTHOR: Bonnie Garmus
FORMAT: Audiobook
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PUB DATE: 4/5/22
RATING: 4/10
2 stars

Thank you to @doubledaybooks and @netgalley for my #gifted advanced copy of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, out now!

MY THOUGHTS

Hmph. I was super excited to read this one after seeing a lot of really great reviews, and then seeing it become the @gmabookclub pick of the month of April! As I started it, I began seeing some mixed reviews and I actually bookmarked them on IG to read after I finished the book, so not to be swayed in any given direction. Two of the reviews I read that really spoke to how I felt about this book were @imprettybooked and @hellobookishdarling . I highly recommend reading both of their reviews on this book.

I really did like the concept of the book. A woman in STEM fighting for her role in a male-dominated field in the 1960's whose life takes a few unexpected turns while we watch her navigate a new role in the aftermath. The marketed female empowerment and STEM representation really drew me in. And at first I was totally invested.

This book is marketed as "laugh out loud funny," and very inappropriately tackles very serious and triggering content. It happens very early on in the book and left a sour taste in my mouth right from the start., As the book progressed, I grew increasingly frustrated with the MC. The author used pretty outdated and harmful stereotypes of STEM professionals, such as being socially inept in all situations and the inability to separate science and work from all other areas of life. The lack of social skills and naïveté of the MC became increasingly frustrating as the book went on. The overuse and exaggeration of almost every single male character being ridiculously misogynistic was too much for me. This, along with the exaggeration of the plot itself in a satirical way, intended to drive home the message of the book, had an opposite effect on me and left me frustrated and annoyed. I also was absolutely and thoroughly confused for the majority of this book. The random mix-ins of POV shifts to random characters AND ANIMALS? These transitions were so unclear and gave me whiplash.

I strongly encourage you to read the two bookstagrammers' reviews I mentioned previously (@imprettybooked and @hellobookishdarling ) to read more about how this book is actually quite harmful. I second everything they both said.

And to reiterate, books are SUBJECTIVE. This one was not for me, there was a lot in it that didn't quite work for me. That does not mean that you can't and won't like it and as always, I recommend reading to form your own opinion as well. Please be kind and respectful with your opinions.

I finished reading this book the week that Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. As I reflect on the discrimination the main character, Elizabeth Zott, is subjected to throughout the course of the book, it's disheartening to feel like, decades later, we are starting to row backwards.

Despite the world devolving, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, like many, believe it's one of the best books of the year. I found it darkly funny, thought provoking, and gripping throughout. Garmus crafts character that are unlike anyone I've met and yet I feel like I've known them my whole life!

In one scene, Calvin Evans (a renowned chemist) listens to Zott (just as talented but her true potential held back because, misogyny), describe the despicable treatment she receives at the hands of her male boss and colleagues. Evans is astounded at her description and asks why on Earth they would do that. Zott in her classic deadpan, direct way, replies "Sex Discrimination." This scene has stayed with me - such a simple scene but it says so much.

This book takes you on a journey and gets you invested in all of the characters and their stories. In the end, we are all collectively the women in the audience watching "Supper at Six" hanging on Zott's every word as she adds just the right amount of sodium chloride to whatever she's creating.

Thank you, Bonnie Garmus, for taking us seriously.

Highly recommended!

A beautifully written book with a strong female character that defies the constraints of gender to share her knowledge of chemistry, science, and knowledge. Highly recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

Smart women. Check
Great dog. Check
Family that is not blood related. Check
Progress for women in a time period there was little. Check

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, trying to get ahead and be respected in a time period where women working anywhere outside the home was discouraged, let alone in a chemistry lab. She is just not wired the way they want her to be, and this amazing book details her story from finding love, finding rowing, finding herself and being true to that self all in one. I absolutely loved it. Thankful for this ARC!

Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a wonderful book. I love how the main character does not take any man crap. Great read. Cover could use some work.