Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Eine Frage der Chemie by Bonnie Garmus

79 reviews

eleonorehilbig's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

1.5

so. this was BAD! 
i would not have finished if it wasnt an audiobook and i had some long busjourneys ahead. ;) 

this book consists purely of "not like other girl" characters. 
elisabeth zott is a genius with impeccable morals,

who is also very quick to pick up rowing and who is the most beautiful woman ever and also has incredible chemistry in front of the tv and also she is an amazing chef and motivational speaker.

the other main characters are similarly extraordinary. 

the way the EZ and CE have both grown up in toxic/religious environments and somehow came out without any internalized struggles is laughable at best and just plain offensive

 in my opinion the feminism in the book is very problematic. as this book deals only with a very narrow view on feminism: very white, very middleclass.
additionally the female characters that work with the MC play into the "woman are formost enemies who want the attention of men" trope which is especially harmful when there are only 2 women in that workplace. 

in terms of highlighting the problems the mc faces in her day to day life -

somehow only the SA and firing while pregnant

get highlighted where smaller but also important issues are sort of just glanced over - it felt as though they werent deemed important enough to be talked about. 

additionally the message of the book is basically:

you can stand up to the patriarchy and be a mother and a successfull buisnesswoman so long as you have connections through your partner who are suuuuuper rich and as long as you re beautiful and also have somehow access to free babysitting.

the amount of dead or missing relatives also seemed like an easy way out to not having to discuss some of the choices the MC makes which in turn seems lazy

even for a "feel good" read these are issues that are imo harmful. 
also to me elizabeth was insufferable. 
the only good thing about this book was 6:30 the dog and how parts of it were narrated through his eyes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, and Misogyny

books4me's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Death, Car accident, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Classism, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Body shaming

gwynnifer's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Grief, Car accident, Death, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

skyfluff8's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicide, Abandonment, Blood, Sexism, and Sexual assault

alisonannk's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Abandonment, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Grief, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, and Infidelity

daisy2050's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring sad 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Death, Pregnancy, Sexism, Grief, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Car accident

Minor: Suicide, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship

booksalacarte's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Misogyny

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Vomit, and Emotional abuse

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.25

it's like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but even better imo. i fell in love with Elizabeth Zott, whose experiences are painful to read and made me want to scream with indignation. in fact, (almost*) the whole cast was lovable—not just  "able to be loved", but rather, "no choice but to love". an engaging, many-threaded story full of heart that weaved into one for a rock-solid ending (for which i'm a sucker).

*except, to be honest, Walter Pine. i don't see how he was much better than the villainous men before him (Donatti and Lebensmal); maybe he was "just following orders", but as if that makes up for it. he's a devoted father, but what kind of daughter's role model is complicit in the mistreatment of women under his own purview? but of course he's ultimately

rewarded with a promotion—which i don't fault the writing for, it's prob the most realistic course of events unfortunately—but less believably, becomes bffs with Elizabeth at the drop of a hat

?? he may recognize the err of his ways, but did he follow that up with any significant changes, e.g. use his newfound power to uplift those he previously kept down? not that we know of. maybe i hold a grudge like Calvin but i don't really see how Walter redeemed himself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Cursing, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gore, Vomit, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Classism, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Abortion, Child abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Racism

thebookpaiges's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring slow-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Classism, Car accident, Suicide, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism, Violence, Cursing, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Racial slurs

Minor: Abortion, Eating disorder, and Murder

grboph's review against another edition

challenging hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

I really liked this book. My grandmother recommended it to me and got it for me, and I'm very glad she did! The characters and story were all very memorable, and I especially loved the addition of Six-Thirty as a secondary character - that was very unique and heartwarming. As a woman pursuing a career in science, this book was also very eye-opening to the sexism and other challenges that women in science faced relatively recently, and reminded me to appreciate the people who came before me. I felt so many emotions while reading Lessons in Chemistry and found myself really rooting for the main characters all the way through. I'm not sure how else to describe this book, other than by saying I'd recommend it to just about anyone out there, but particularly people interested in STEM.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Bullying, Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Rape, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and War