Reviews with content warning for Death - Lessons in Chemistry

tw: mentions of rape

Well, I’m not really sure how to rate this one… I quite liked the characters and the stories, even if it bordered on the whimsical and imaginary at times (like the hyper intelligent dog, the many coincidences between characters and especially the major plot points, etc), and the main character was feminist in the sense of the 21th century, which did throw me off a few times. Also, there is no intersectionality to the feminism of the main character, and her motto seems to be „tell women you’re proud of them and make their unpaid, invisible work (namely the house hold chores and child rearing) visible and tell them, that you’re proud of them doing it, and they’ll revolt and become suffragettes!“
The only really bad part would be the rape scenes, because the author gave the characters absolutely no reaction to that (apart from her crying once and being slightly disturbed while giving her police statement), and later even went as far as to make her pull out a kitchen knife when another male character tries to rape her (which leads to him immediately having a heart attack), all the while never letting Elizabeth have the room to acknowledge the trauma she suffered before, or working on said trauma, as if the rape made her a better, stronger women and wasn’t trauma at all, but simply something she needed to go through in order to become a feminist/independent woman.
Apart from that, I think I liked it, even though the underlying plot is still about a man - her lover - and his long lost family. But hey, he was “one of the good ones”, to say it in the characters words…

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sophiabenton's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

i absolutely loved lessons in chemistry and sped through it in a couple of days. it was so informative on the realities of being a woman in the 1960s while navigating more challenging topics in a sensitive way. i was so shocked when

calvin died

and had no idea where the storyline was going to go from there but it was brilliant. i also really loved the development of elizabeth’s friendship and everything about six-thirty!
despite the topics and recurring situations/views, i found it to still be a lighthearted, enjoyable read that was very inspiring :)

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zzfinch's review against another edition

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challenging funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A curious plot- I did not know what turn the book was going to take or what the main focus would be ; this as well as the omniscient perspectives interchanging constantly kept me on my toes. Elizabeth is inspiring, stubborn, smart, and multidimensional as all women are and need to be reminded. I would advise a trigger warning in the very beginning for graphic SA. Bonnie Garmus details the complex pain of womanhood in society that unfortunately still exist, but Elizabeth prevails and inspires many others to, too. The last hour of the book lost my interest a little bit and is the only reason this isn’t getting a perfect rating, but I understand the necessity of tying up loose ends.

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mrs_whitethorn's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring 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

4.5

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iriswishes's review against another edition

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2.5

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matttruss's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Really enjoyed this book and had no idea what to expect going in. Bonnie Garmus has created some exceptional characters here. Elizabeth Zott is a rock star, but Six Thirty steals the show, definitely the best character. There are many reviews bashing the book as unrealistic, but it's fiction...it goes without saying this story is made up. The characters are larger than life, Elizabeth Zott is a super genius and an instant athlete, but her athletic prowess comes from her understanding of physics and science. Much like her understanding of everything in her life, to the point that she has a difficult time in social settings, humor, or understanding why some people just don't get it. She also teaches her child at an over-the-top rate that is unrealistic, but again, suspend your disbelief. Her view of religion is a result of her upbringing and we see religion in this book from her point of view for the most part, which may be unflattering. Elizabeth Zott is not the only person I know with an unflattering view of organized religion. There are plenty of bad male characters, yes, but they are a product of their environment. The patriarchy is bad for everyone, even Donatti. I wouldn't call the book humourous, but there are funny parts. There are also some difficult scenes of sexual assault and death. If you're expecting a funny, hyper-realistic story of a female chemist in the 50s/60s, maybe skip this one, but if you don't mind a sort of...alternative history with larger-than-life, over-the-top characters with a touch of whimsy, a sad story with a bit of a redemption arc...you will be entertained. #genreisdead

"Courage is the root of change and change is what we are chemically designed to do."

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karalyndawn's review against another edition

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challenging funny informative 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

5.0

I adored this book! I was wary to start because I’m not a science person but despite that I enjoyed it so much. Six Thirty was my favorite character by far but Elizabeth offered a new female perspective I haven’t read before. She is so intelligent and strong and it was funny to listen to her conversations with other people because although she is book smart she often didn’t catch on to social “norms” in the time period and I loved it. I do wonder if Calvin and her would have been right for each other if things went differently but as she states at the end their love was “chemistry”. I didn’t particularly like the ending but I have trouble with endings in general.

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