Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Eine Frage der Chemie by Bonnie Garmus

202 reviews

jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition

inspiring tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Outstanding! Main character Elizabeth Zott is brave and brilliant,  a chemist who refuses to diminish herself to comply with the confining gender roles of the 1950s and 60s. She continually battles abusive,  narrow minded men as well as the women who have bought into the subservient role assigned to them.
I enjoyed her efforts to lift herself and other women up, and her creation of a found family. Elizabeth's daughter Mad, their dog Six-thirty, and others bring a richness to the story that explores secrets,  trauma,  and faith in humanity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy

marycage's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad slow-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and Death

campredwood's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

It’s hard to put this one in a box- there’s a little of everything for everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Misogyny, Rape, Abandonment, and Grief

Moderate: Gaslighting and Suicide

Minor: Religious bigotry

omnimalizm's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Grief, Gaslighting, Car accident, Suicide, Child abuse, and Death

genderqueer_hiker's review against another edition

dark tense 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? Yes

2.5

I nearly DNF'd at 25%. I could not read this as historical fiction or anything rooted in reality. I was able to finish this and not hate it by placing it into more of a magical realism/fanfic/AU reality. There are no people of color; the villains are hugely dramatic, overplayed, and relatively stupid. It's highly predictable. 

It features a very stereotypical autistic-coded woman who never understands humor, sarcasm, or social dynamics. We bury our one gay character without ever even meeting him, and he's only ever used to spur on our main character’s meandering arc. There is a detailed rape in the first ~5% of the book. The author's invasive exposition gives me the impression she thinks we're stupid and irritated me to no end. I was painfully aware that this story is a direct product of its author. The dog is the best part. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexism, Gaslighting, Death, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Grief and Pregnancy

Minor: Domestic abuse, Car accident, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Mental illness

camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative 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

5.0

I went into “Lessons in Chemistry” not really knowing by what it was about. I thought it was a STEM romance, then I saw some clips from the Apple TV adaptation that made me reconsider. Am I glad I did!

Garmus wrote a funny, informative, often irreverent but heartfelt story about women in the 1950s and 1960s. There was romance woven through the story but it wasn’t the primary focus of the book. It was part coming of age and part hilarious slice of life and part anything you can think of, really. I’ve never read a book quite like “Lessons in Chemistry” and I’m not sure I will again.  

I normally go into historical fiction with some amount of suspicion—I work in the history field and usually have enough knowledge to notice (and be bothered by) large or repeated inaccuracies. 

The most common inaccuracy I come across in historical fiction is pushing obviously modern opinions and viewpoints onto the characters, usually on the female main character. Our female main character, Elizabeth Zott, has very modern sensibilities. But this has been the only time that it wasn’t glaring out of place or poorly executed. It made perfect sense that she would hold viewpoints similar to women in the twenty first century, because of how well Garmus developed her character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit

andisnalls's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Rape, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Death, and Grief

sasmith_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Moderate: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Grief, and Emotional abuse

theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

Please please please! Check the content warnings and know that all of them are prevalent in this book, but you think you can handle them PLEASE read this book. 

Elizabeth Zott is an amazing character, and a survivor. She is the embodiment of female power and a force to be reckoned with. 

The things Zott experiences in the work place are appalling and no one would call her personal life easy. In real life, a woman in Zott’s shoes wouldn’t be faulted for breaking down or giving up. But Zott doesn’t let anything stop her from reaching her goals. She goes on have a wonderful life in spite of the horrendous things she’s had to survive, because she is a survivor. 

Parts of this book had me in tears while others had me fill with so much pride I thought I would burst. At its core, this book is about the strength and resilience of women and I can’t recommend it enough. This will be a book I won’t stop thinking about for a very, very long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Car accident, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Abortion, Vomit, Alcohol, and Pedophilia

anniebraves's review against another edition

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Rape