Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel

I join a long list of reviewers who give this book 5 enthusiastic stars. Like these reviewers, I, too, was drawn deeply into this quirky and charming book. I also immediately contacted one of my reader friends to exhort them- “you gotta read this book!” This is truly a special story. I will say though, that the cover mislead me and I can’t imagine that the main character, Elizabeth Zott, would have approved of it. Yes, it’s attractive, but the cover made me think this was a rom-com. Elizabeth would never read, yet alone appear, in a romantic comedy. Character driven, with a bit of magical realism, this book is about Elizabeth, chemist, mother, tv star. As fascinating as Elizabeth is, it’s the dog in the story who steals the show and who truly keeps his human family going. Another unforgettable character is Elizabeth’s young daughter, “Mad”. She seems like a genius, but according to Elizabeth, she is not- she’s just well-taught (by Elizabeth). Most reviewers mention these three characters only, but let’s not forget several other endearing characters: Elizabeth’s interfering but stalwart neighbor, Elizabeth’s TV boss, and Wakely the minister. OK, I’ll also give a shout-out to Elizabeth’s obstetrician and all the rowers. And then there’s Evan. With humor, wit, heart, and earnest naivety, Elizabeth takes on the world of the 1950’s-60 in California. She is a chemist, who knocks out her kitchen to make a lab, and who brews coffee in a twenty-step process using a Bunsen burner. Not surprisingly, her world is not ready for an independent, scientific, slightly off-kilter woman. As you read, you may get caught up in the wit and humor, and Elizabeth’s whirl as a TV cooking show host is fabulous. But there are serious themes in this book. Many reviewers mention the discrimination of women, but hardly any mention the criticism of God and religion. I also agree that this book deserves to be a top book of 2022. Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

One of my all time favorite books. Lots of other reviews on here will give you the story line so I won't. This book kept my reading from Page 1 to the end. Our book club loved it. Even my husband loved it.

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant Chemist in the late 50’s/early 60’s when a woman’s “place” was in the kitchen. Her innovative ideas and contributions are continually dismissed by the pompous men in her field. She eventually agrees to host a cooking show in order to financially support her daughter and herself. After all, cooking is chemistry. Elizabeth is ferociously strong and resilient. Her independence and determination make her a wonderful role model for young women. Garmus paints a humorous, colorful story of the oppression women dealt with and how tenacity and perseverance can overcome most challenges. I was invested in Elizabeth’s character from the beginning, but when she rescued Six Thirty, I was done for. Her conversations with this amazing canine are some of the best moments in the story. I love the interactions between Elizabeth, Six Thirty and her daughter, Mads. I rated this 4.5, simply because it felt rushed at the end. However, it was an excellent read that I can highly recommend.

This one’s great from the start. Doesn’t come together until the end, but the humor and great characters make it hard to put down.

This book was recommended to me by a friend. Her recommendations are always golden. In the past, she has recommended The Humans by Matt Haig & A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Lessons in Chemistry is delightfully creative & whimsical. It is also infuriating, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and profound. There are deeply serious moments, and others where I laughed out loud. The writing is tight, the pacing excellent, the twists/turns/reveals surprising & satisfying. A tip of the hat to the author, Bonnie Darmus, for doing something many authors try to do, but often fail to accomplish. She created a plot that ducks, weaves, and folds back on itself, contains the voices of numerous characters, yet doesn’t lose the reader. Lessons in Chemistry contains a lot of the themes found in the movie 9 to 5, except the character Russell Tinsworthy is now a far more savvy & competent woman. It also reminds me of the quote that appeared in a 1982 comic strip Frank & Ernest by Bob Thaves, often misattributed to the dancer Ginger Rogers. “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards, and in high heels.”

Loved the way the author took you on an emotional and informative journey about life and lessons and heartache and happiness. What a great storyteller Bonnie Garmus is.

The book arrived in perfect condition but had a bit of dust and dirt on the back. I was able to remove most of it with some wet wipes As for the book itself, I didn’t read it yet

Set in the 1960s, this is the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist by profession trying to navigate the world of research and study filled with men and very few women. This is one of the most original stories I have read about a woman in STEM and the difficulties faced to find her place and make a name. All Elizabeth wanted to do was pursue her research. All the world wanted from her was to dress prettily and stay at home. Calvin Evans, already famous in the field and a Nobel nominee, was the only one who saw her for the brilliant chemist that she was. Calvin was drawn to her as much for her beauty as her mind seeing her as an equal from the moment they started talking. Elizabeth Zott defied the odds and stood out, even when she ended up through various twists and turns as the host of a cooking show on afternoon TV with chemistry as the central focus. She teaches chemistry through cooking and through her dialogue, empowers women to see themselves as more than housewives. This story is mixed with laughter, heartbreak and so many special moments that it draws the reader in right from the first page. The various supporting characters are wonderful and so well thought out that each of them have a very special part to play in taking this story forward. Elizabeth's story would be wholly incomplete without Six-Thirty, her trusty dog, Harriet, her next door neighbour and even Walter Pine to name a few. This is a wonderful story, written in a style that will keep the reader yearning for more, wanting to know what happens next and ensures that the reader is invested in the lives of the characters. Elizabeth is inspiring and refreshing as a protagonist and really made my fall in love with Lessons in Chemistry!

This book has had a huge amount of marketing and appears to have sold a lot of copies which is always great for the writer (and the industry in general). I've also had a few friends read it too and have heard nothing but good. The book is 386 pages split into 46 chapters which makes reading it very easy. I had a look on Amazon before I started and was amused to se that this is the number one book in the "Feminist Criticism" category (there was me thinking it was a novel!). The story starts with Elizabeth as a mother, scientist and TV presenter, juggling her commitments in a way that was unusual for the 1960s. We then go back ten years and begin to understand how she got where she is now. Whilst appearing to be light on the surface, the book quickly moves to much darker territory, showing the sexism and abuse that was accepted as normal. That sums up the beauty of this book - it has an unforgiving hardness at its centre but is wrapped but a thin layer of social predictability making it accessible to read. There is a balance of comedy and serious issues that also makes the book fun. Elizabeth as a character is hard to believe and I thought the author could have softened her more but, let yourself go with the depiction, and she is a great focus for the novel. The story has a big build up before we actually get Elizabeth on TV (which is marketed as the core of the novel) - this feels like a long time but is necessary as it sets the scene. Everyone in the book is a remarkable person for all sorts of reasons - even Six Thirty (the dog) who is taught to recognise hundreds of specific words. Getting further into the book I became more and more aware of how deep the topic is. There is a lot of thought around the equality messages and you can't help but make comparisons to today's society - some problems have been reduced by legislation and gradual society change but many issues are worse than ever. Women appearing on TV today would say that their looks are analysed more than ever before, with the possibilities of feedback not limited to phone calls and letters. Endings of novels are hard to get right but this one is perfectly achieved. There is a lovely amount of emotion mixed in with a good balance of well structured plot.

There is long time that I’ve read something so impactful, interesting and profound. A book that took my attention since the first chapter and make me feel inspired by stories full of encrypted messages and important debates.