Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

102 reviews

uranaishi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lucyatoz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is an interesting novel, featuring a wonderfully developed and intelligent character in Elizabeth Zott, Chemist. 

The book is mainly set in the early 1960's. This is a time when a woman working as a scientist, in any scientific field, was unusual. The only other female scientist I could name would be Marie Curie, winning a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.  Elizabeth is an independent individual who refused to live by the expectations and sexist attitudes of her time. The story of Elizabeth's journey as a woman who falls in love, has a child out of wedlock and becomes a working, single mother, has threads of narrative that many today can relate to. She ultimately becomes the star of a television cooking show, which acquires a legion fans who are housewives, and it dares them to make a difference and to change the status quo. 

Lessons in Chemistry is a delightful book with much humour, some of it dark whilst it other times it is almost laugh out loud! It is also a historic view on gender roles and society's expectations of women, although some of these still exist today. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

ashlgerr's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Blood and Car accident

mariopartygod's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An interesting story situated in the 1960s second wave of feminism as it pertained to white women in the United States. I can viscerally feel from my vantage point the anger Elizabeth feels when she's denied opportunity after opportunity. While frustrating and dark at times, overall the tone was light and tongue-in-cheek. I found the resolutions to be satisfying, and I enjoyed all the highlighted characters greatly. I really enjoyed the overarching message on seeing people for who they are, and not what their cultural script is. That theme reminded me of a Maya Angelou quote a friend shared with me a few years back: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. People know themselves much better than you do. That's why it's important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are". I have only seen that quote online portrayed as a warning against giving second chances in the spirit of self preservation, but I personally love the interpretation my friend shared with me: that Angelou is advising we take each other seriously, and de-center ourselves in our perception of others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, and Blood

freul's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Eating disorder, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

jcgirl1032's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Blood and Pregnancy

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity and Blood

akswhy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Diverting enough for its feminism, but some of the things characters get away with and the “small world” connections are too far-fetched. I’ll be interested to see how it’s adapted by AppleTV.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

maddireads13's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

shlymiller's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail