Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Lessons in Chemistry

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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seren_s's review against another edition

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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

5.0

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ank3's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.75

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely charming while also being absolutely wrenching. I was infuriated most of the time I was reading.

The main character, Elizabeth, is charismatic and driven, aware of her worth as a chemist but forced on a daily - if not hourly - basis to deal with sexist insults, sexual assaults, and belittling. She’s repeatedly thwarted in her attempts to move ahead in her profession, her research is stolen, and she’s discredited at college and at work.

This book is funny and inspiring but so, so sad; there’s a pall of grief and loss over everything. It’s about two outcasts who find one another, and then the struggle when one is left alone with only a dog for a friend. Nothing is ever easy for Elizabeth, not even when things seem to be going well.

Overall, I loved the book and definitely recommend it. I must be in a melancholy mood myself for it to have struck me so hard.

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