Reviews tagging 'War'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

5 reviews

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

I have seen that this book continues to be popular, and I wanted to try it for myself. I adored the characters and the writing. I thought the book was paced well, but there were a few threads that were started and never went anywhere. For example:

Walter's crush on Harriet and Elizabeth's participation in the rowing team after her pregnancy

. I also felt that, although it was in character for Elizabeth to be antiracist because she finds racism and all other forms of bigotry to be illogical, there are no Black characters or other characters of color in the book. Finally, the author employs some words turns of phrase that were definitely not used in the 1950s/1960s: e.g. "fast forward to now."

Even with all these caveats, I enjoyed the book very much, and I would highly recommend it. The author does an excellent job of showing how structural sexism harms all of society, not just women. The tragedies in the book feel very complex and human.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Vomit, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexual assault, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Cursing

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Blood, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Outing, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Suicide, and Abandonment

Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, Gun violence, War, and Animal cruelty

caitlinvdj's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Self harm, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, War, Toxic relationship, and Racism

torismazarine's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Car accident, Rape, Religious bigotry, War, and Gun violence

thesneakygeek's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring tense 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

5.0

Empowering and infuriating. This book empowers women in STEM with the daring to try for their own sakes. It is also infuriating with just how much misogyny was present at the time, and can still be found today. This is a page turner for those looking for a heroine overcoming the obstacles others put in her way, and complex family histories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Car accident, Abandonment, Death, Suicide, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Body shaming

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

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