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21books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Sexual content
xoxlululuxox's review against another edition
3.5
This book took some time for me to get into, the pacing is very slow and the writing style has you jumping from present to past and back within the same chapter.
Set in the early 60s, the book focuses on Elizabeth Zott as she moves through life from single career driven woman to single mother trying to keep herself afloat.
Elizabeth Zott is a very serious character, who has beliefs that are in line with today's women. She is extremely intelligent, and is autisticly coded. She is quite abrasive and hard to like at first but I think as the book moves along and she finds/creates her family she becomes more likeable.
This book does paint men as misogynistic pigs, with the exception of a few, but I think that is part of what makes Elizabeth's journey stronger and more believable. If all the men were supportive of her, with a few exceptions, you wouldn't have the same story.
I believe this book is very dark in its topics, ranging from actual and threats of rape, death, mentions of suicide and homophobia, parental abandonment, as well as, as previously mentioned, misogyny. But it isn't all horrible, with light-hearted moments existing particularly in the later part of the book.
One of the things I truly adored about this book was that despite Elizabeth Zott's troubles in the past with her family she was able to create her own after the birth of her child, growing as a person and gaining connections that become stronger along the way.
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Vomit, Suicide, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This novel started slow (and dark - readers should be aware [I wasn't] that
Elizabeth Zott is such an incredible main character - tough, uncompromising, fiercely intelligent, and strong-willed (almost too much so, there were times I wished she would bend just a little, but no, she would not), but she did have a gentler side which I appreciated reading about.
Elizabeth needs every bit of willpower, because number one, she was a scientist, and number two, she was an unmarried woman living in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, a time which did not look kindly on women, particularly women who did not fit their prescribed stereotypes.
Fair warning to readers that the misogyny in this book is extreme, infuriatingly so. It comes from not only men but some women too. The sexism was so overwhelmingly awful at times that I had to stop and wonder if it actually was as terrible as Garmus depicts. I'm not sure, but I know that women definitely got a raw deal in this period of history.
The other infuriating thing to read about was so many of the terrible events in the novel could have been prevented if certain people had been less greedy, small-minded, or desperate. But then I guess there wouldn't have been a story, so go figure.
There were a few things that didn't quite work for me. The switches between POV characters would often occur within the same section, and even in the same paragraph at times, which was jarring as I would need to figure out whose POV I was reading.
Also, the POV of Elizabeth's
Anyway, overall this was a really great read, albeit one with some pretty dark themes - I would advise prospective readers to check the content warnings.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Car accident, Death, Pregnancy, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Child death
erinwolf1997's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Suicide, Body shaming, and Homophobia
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence
Minor: Gore, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
shlymiller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
honeybeewitched87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide
akane_readsyt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
booksinherhead's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content
cepbreed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, and Medical content