Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

132 reviews

missinfermiera's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt

sara_phoenix's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

 It’s the 1960’s, and Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist.  Unfortunately, she is the only one who sees it this way. Whether she is working on her graduate degree at UCLA or in her position at the Hastings Research Institute, her all-male colleagues treat her as a doormat, eye candy or both.  Enter Calvin Evans – a quirky Nobel prize nominated chemist, a rower, and a hater of cold-weather.  When they literally collide outside of work, well, chemistry ensues.  Through a series of unexpected twists and turns, Elizabeth becomes a mother, obtains a dog and teaches him over 600 words, and begins to host an accidentally successful TV show called Supper at Six.  

 

Lessons in Chemistry is Bonnie Garmus debut novel – a study in how one women sees life through the world of chemistry. It is part love story, part historical fiction, and a guide to being the best version of yourself.  The story is mesmerizing, and the characters in this book were perfectly developed. Garmus expertly wrote them with such tender care, and you’ll want to keep turning pages to see what happens next.  Elizabeth is the perfect protagonist – full of confidence, gumption, determination, and grit.  She’s the women we all want to know; the woman we strive to be.  Her daughter Mad is inquisitive, insightful, and precocious.  And her dog, Six-Thirty, is the best literary good boy with four legs there ever was.  The supporting characters were also well-developed and layered, adding additional charm and complexity to Elizabeth and the story.  You’ll laugh out loud, you’ll cry, and you’ll have that feeling when you turn the last page that you’re a better human for having spent time on some Lessons in Chemistry. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Rape, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault

meganpbennett's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.25

Awful and unreadable do not being to describe how bad this book is. It's exceptionally badly written - 50 Shades of Grey was a literary masterpiece compared to this - and the author talks down to her audience, treating them like idiots, or children. Elizabeth Zott is quirky and "not like all the other girls," but she isn't likeable. She sees herself as better than everyone else, and is not a likeable person. The book is not a lighthearted fun romp, but a dark, serious, and godawful run through life. Negative 10 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Sexual violence, Bullying, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Suicide

aleccy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Plot and pacing was quite consistent and jumps between extended periods of time were handled seamlessly- very very slow for the first 3 quarters, made reading the majority sometimes painful. Felt completely in love with the characters (the unbearable slow also drew out the characters beautifully so there was one upside). Definitely not the book to get out of a reading slump.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage

theemilystarr's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Grief and Death

Minor: Suicide

cavallonee's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Fatphobia, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Vomit

kds247's review

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

This was a solid book. I did have some issues with it such as the layout of the book and the way the author wrapped things up with too neat of a bow, but it had an intriguing voice and storyline. With that being said, I especially loved the conversations between the characters about things such as religion, found/unconventional families, housewives, and the treatment of women. It was tackled brilliantly, written in such an elegant way where I can call this book a great feminist book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Misogyny, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Blood

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

Bonnie Garmus' Lessons in Chemistry is such an accomplished piece of writing, which makes it all the more astonishing that it's by a debut author (albeit one with a lot of life experience behind her).

This novel started slow (and dark - readers should be aware [I wasn't] that

there is a violent, graphic sexual assault

before you hit page 50), but once it got going, it grabbed hold of me and did not let go.

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

dog, Six Thirty

was a good idea in theory but didn't work on the page.

Would a dog really have that many thoughts going on in his/her brain?

I also found it hard to believe the advanced intelligence of

Elizabeth's daughter, Madeline. But then I guess some rare children really are that gifted, so I suppose it's not entirely implausible. But still.

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.

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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

em_gauts's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring sad slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Death, Suicide, Grief, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

wheelyautistic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Death of parent, Bullying, Sexual violence, Classism, Hate crime, Ableism, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Sexism, Death, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicide attempt, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse