Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Eine Frage der Chemie by Bonnie Garmus

91 reviews

vj_thompson's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

5.0

This book 🥹 I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would and wish more people would read it, or at least give it a chance!! 

There is a reason this is a five star read. This writing is beautiful, intentional, and meaningful. Each word was written with purpose. Everything in this story; backstory, inner monologue, character, had reason. I LOVED how everything was wrapped up in the end. Of course I cried 😭 Ugh, please read!! 

Last thought, Six-thirty is my favorite character. I highlighted so many of his parts. He is a wise dog. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Vomit, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, and Child death

arrow3002's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

 Lessons in Chemistry is a tale of a bad ass woman working against a very prejudice world, and I am absolutely here for it. It was such a fun read, and I really enjoyed the way Bonnie was able to tell Elizabeth's story through all the different chapters of her life. Throughout the book it will occasionally switch to a different character's perspective, and I found myself quite enjoying the change in pace. It added a lot more to the narrative instead of confusing the reader in the guise of character development. The women empowerment, that is the main driving force behind this book, was beautifully done. There were many points where I felt that gender discrimination was handled in a very elegant yet profound way that I don't see often. There is so much in this book that makes it a genuinely great read. I devoured the book in a couple of hours and was left feeling very satisfied with how everything played out in the end. Also, Elizabeth and Calvin’s relationship had my heart absolutely melting, and let’s not forget the absolute legend that is Six Thirty. I fell in love with all the characters and felt such a strong connection with each and every one of them, which is a very hard to accomplish. Despite all the good, there were a couple of personal issues I had with the book that kept it from being a 5 star. I will start of by saying I am bias when it comes to the topic I will be bringing up, and I understand that everyone will have a different opinion, and that is more than totally okay and welcomed. But I felt that there was a strong anti-religion message continued throughout the whole entirety of the story, specifically anti-Catholic. There were a lot of times that I felt like I was being ridiculed for my beliefs and a lot of the stereo types often circulated about the catholic church were very much present in the book. I will not deny that the things that occur in the book definitely do happen and are not right in ANY way. But if you are a person of faith, there is a lot said in the book that you will probably find very hurtful due to the point of view the author is coming from. I am a huge believer in the power behind science and how important it is to the betterment of everyone, but I also hold my religious beliefs at the same importance. I totally believe that you can rely on science AND God at the same time. Again, I understand where the author and the main character is coming from, and in no way invalidating their beliefs or experience. It just took away from the enjoyment I was having with the book so much so that I felt a need to comment on it. If you do not like the book then stop reading it and move on, but it is a point I want to acknowledge for those who are religious and want to read the book. Again, other than my problem with how the church is portrayed, the story is an empowering and inspiring tale of a women in STEM and had me feeling empowered by the end of it. I will definitely suggest this book to anyone who comes to me asking for a fun and witty read that will keep them from wanting to put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Blood, and Child abuse

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Confinement, and Gun violence

aisha_reads's review against another edition

funny fast-paced

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

3.0

It was an easy read, with points to make about feminism and women in STEM. It felt both overlong and also rushed in some parts. Love the love story- the central relationship was the strongest part of the book. The tone shifts so that some major events come quite out of the blue- please check content warnings as I was a bit blindsided by them. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Blood, and Child abuse

azrah786's review against another edition

3.25

 CW: sexual assault, sexual harassment, rape, sexism, misogyny, gaslighting, pregnancy, violence, injury, blood, death, death of parent, car accident, suicide, grief, abandonment, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, child abuse, bullying, body shaming, religious bigotry, homophobia, vomit, toxic relationship
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The hype well and truly reeled me in with this book plus I’m always down for more women in STEM rep in books, but I’ve got to say this now belongs in my list of most frustrating books I’ve ever read and for a myriad of reasons.

It’s a pretty easy book to read. The writing is straightforward, the story flows well though I will admit the constant changing of points of view did take some time to get used to. What made me mad were the characters and how horrible literally every single person was.

Now I expected to get mad with this book. It takes a jab at the patriarchy by showcasing the many injustices women have faced for years and are still facing today when it comes to being a part of society. The “ideal role” we’ve always been expected to fit into.

But for a book spearheading feminism I was mad at the protagonist too. She felt like a caricature to the point that a lot of the time I couldn’t take her seriously? In fact I found her precocious 3 year old and unbelievably advanced dog to be less unusual?

The cooking part and merging it with science was fun but it did start to get a little tedious by the end. Overall an okay book but I also now find myself mad that, for the overall message the book stands for, I couldn’t like it more.
Final Rating – 3.25/5 Stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Suicide, Grief, Sexual assault, Rape, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Car accident, Vomit, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Homophobia

bookswithbethx's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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: Sexism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy

jenncortes's review against another edition

emotional funny informative 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Sexism, Suicide, Rape, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

inkspren's review against another edition

challenging sad medium-paced

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

2.0

This book is a complete mess. How is it so popular ? The premise of the book is EZ’s cooking show,  but that’s not introduced until the second half of the book. 
And the humanised dog that makes no sense. 
And the constant whining about oppressed women. 

Unpleasant to say the least. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Sexism

axo17's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I thought this was a great book that makes you really look at misogyny and other cultural issues in the 60s and how they relate to today’s issues - still including women’s rights. It is partially a love story but it goes much further than that. I loved it! 

My one down side is that it really did hammer in misogyny and more or less vilified men. But if you are looking at it a bit more critically, you can understand the overarching meaning and point and see male characters that don’t fit that bill. 

Ultimately, it’s the character descriptions and personalities that largely drive the whole narrative. It’s really a fabulous read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Misogyny, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

meaghanslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Other books I ranked I feel need to be readjusted based on how much I liked this book. I could not put it down (except when socially required to do so). 

This is a wonderful story of empowerment and chemistry, with a dash of cooking. I loved Elizabeth Zott she reminded me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant from “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” in that she says what’s on her mind with confidence and in a not cruel but honest way. 

Also, I loved the way all the bits of the story tied together almost like fate, pun intended (given the religious bits spoken throughout the book). Although it was predictable a bit the end, I appreciated that it came together in a nice bow. It made me happy the book ended yet bittersweet that it did because I wanted to be with the characters a little longer. Also I love the wise dog, Six-Thirty. He reminded me of the wise Octopus, Marcellus in “Remarkably Bright Creatures.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Blood, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Rape, Death, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

The religious bigotry tag is actually more for the books discussion of hatred toward atheists so bigotry around the absence of religion rather than religious bigotry in the more common sense.

bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Well, this was an interesting read. The primary characters are so well written, being shown as they are perceived by others and themselves. The side characters are nearly caricatures, especially the TV head, Chemistry head, and master's adviser. They were so vile I could spit, all taking what they wanted from EZ, either physically, professionally, or both. The throughline of Calvin's story ties it all up in a neat bow, but it didn't feel forced. I think my favorite characters are Mad and the priest. So much is revealed in their conversations that gets to the root of how terribly we can treat one another and how comfort is more than "I'm sorry for your loss." The most surprising addition is 6:30. A bit of a screwball addition to the motley crew, but he rounds them out nicely. There was a fair bit of pontificating, a general distaste for religion (painted as wholly bad and the root of all things terrible with zero redeeming qualities) and some odd questions/statements from the men in the book. (Like the doctor wondering why so many women choose to have kids. Seriously?) I was shocked when it ended as it felt a bit rushed (was hoping for an epilogue), but I'm looking forward to her next book for sure.

Side note: I absolutely love the fact that the author is over 60. She doesn't address ageism much in this book but I'm sure the publishing business is similar to the rest of the world in favoring youth. Seeing a woman over 40 have so much success gives me hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Medical content, Sexism, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Car accident, and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

Minor: Child abuse and Child death