Reviews with content warning for Blood - Eine Frage der Chemie

Lessons in Chemistry is one of those books that makes you chuckle, sigh, and groan within the same paragraph. Garmus has an absolutely fantastic writing style, making her a future auto-buy author. The characters are incredibly well structured, and even in moments where you meet characters for just a sentence (like the glimpses of the at-home viewers of Supper at Six), you feel you know them so well so quickly. Garmus also does a spectacular job with realistic but polished dialogue, which is hard to nail in fiction.

Beyond that, the plot is intriguing and propulsive in a way I wasn't expecting. I mostly planned to read this one slowly, but I could never put the book down.

My one major qualm lies in that the moments of sexual assault are incredibly graphic and out of nowhere (although short), but then the moments of positive love and sexual experiences felt glossed over until some of the final pages. It felt a little like Garmus thought that we had to experience the assault to feel for the characters when we would have respected what the characters had faced without the details.

I also would have loved to have been in Zott's head more. However, that's purely out of my own curiosity. I fully respect that Garmus chose to keep her a bit of a mystery to the reader while diving into the headspaces of many other characters as a character choice, which is undoubtedly effective.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good mix between plot and character and is a fan of (in Six-Thirty's words from the bonus content) characters in a "constant state of outrage." Although, be aware of the content warnings!

Some lines I loved:

"...wasn't that the very definition of life? Constant adaptations brought about by a series of never-ending mistakes?"

"'One of the things I like about cooking...is it's inherent usefulness. When we make food, we don't just create something good to eat - we create something that provides energy to our cells, something that sustains life.'"

Content Warnings

katrinasherise's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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grboph's review against another edition

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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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magical_mads's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.25

Very interesting book. I got a little bit lost in the chemistry lingo, but not too much. The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because there were some moments that really fell flat and I wasn’t a huge fan of the rushed pace towards the end. Otherwise it was a great read!

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

4.25

Title: Lessons in Chemistry
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: March 31, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Unexpected • Vibrant • Empowering

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel Prize–nominated grudge holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

Like science, though, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Eizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother but also the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because, as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women how to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was instantly drawn to the cover of Lesson in Chemistry, yet without reading the synopsis the cover lead me to believe it would be something a lot lighter than it actually is. What this book is is an ode to women in STEM, an ode to single mothers, an ode to women in general, an invitation to challenge the status quo.

Elizabeth Zott is one of those characters that leapt off the page and really came to life. She is witty, independent, intelligent, and not afraid of ruffling a few feathers. I would love to be able to tune into her daily cooking show. From the start, I was drawn into her world and Bonnie Garmus' witty dialogue kept me going. Additionally, the cast of supporting characters was fantastic. Calvin Evans (the love interest), Mad (her daughter), and Six Thirty (her dog) are all fully flushed out and add so much to the story.

The plot is certainly dense, tackling a lot of important topics and at times it seemed a tad on the slow side, yet my interest never wavered. It just could have been 25-40 pages shorter. With that said, I loved how Elizabeth took control of her life, trailblazing her own path to success and love. It is a truly empowering story.

While I enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry, I definitely think the hype affected my overall reading experience. I was anticipating something great, and what it delivered was simply good. It gave me The Maid vibes, which I really liked. I also enjoyed the themes and gaining insight into what life was like for women in STEM in the past. Given this was a debut, I will be eagerly watching news of what Bonnie Garmus is writing next.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Maid
• women in STEM
• book clubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Imagine if all men took women seriously. Education would change. The workforce would revolutionize,. Marriage counselors would go out of business."

"'That's why I want to use Supper at Six to teach chemistry. Because when women understand chemistry, they begin to understand how things work.'
Roth looked confused.
'I'm referring to atoms and molecules, Roth.' she explained. 'The real rules that govern the physical world. When women understand these basic concepts, they can begin to see the false limits that have been created for them.'
'You mean by men.'
'I mean by artificial cultural and religious policies that put men in the highly unnatural role of single-sex leadership. Even a basic understand of chemistry reveals the danger of such a lopsided approach.'
'Well,' he said, realizing he'd never seen it that way before. 'I agree that society leave much to be desired, but when it come to religion, I tend to think it humbles us - teaches us our place in the world.'
'Really?' she said, surprised. 'I think it lets us off the hook. I think it teaches us that nothing is really our fault; that something or someone else is pulling the strings; that ultimately, we're not to blame for the way things are; that to improve things, we should pray. But the truth is, we are very much responsible for the badness in the world. And we have the power to fix it.'"

"Actually, a humanist. But I have to admit, some days the human race makes me sick."

Content Warnings

helloits_jen's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I don’t think I even have the words to describe how I feel about this book. Elizabeth Zott is an icon, she is strong and powerful and amazing and the way she is represented as a woman in science is just fantastic. Obviously the culture is much different now but there is still an inherent bias in science (just look at the number of female nobel prize winners compared to male!!) and this is a brilliant representation of how so many women were treated! But I think Elizabeth is such a role model, she is so independent and determined, even when she is basically diminished to her cooking skills - I love love love that she managed to still get the chemistry in there too!! But even the cooking show, even though she was a scientist at heart she still managed to reach out and improve the lives of so many women. I think the darker themes in the book (slight spoiler/trigger warning -

such as the sexual assault

) are so upsetting and unfortunately probably a realistic representation of life for many women at the time. Elizabeth Zott is my hero, I think she is such an inspirational character and I hope somewhere out there she has inspired women to pursue their dreams and smash the patriarchy!

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amykenney's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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