Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

99 reviews

zombiezami's review against another edition

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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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laurenbaggy's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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hedgehogreads01's review against another edition

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

4.0


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honesty_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

It was good but it was very methodical. A good book, but not in my top of all time. I did like how everything tied together in the end!

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bbmaan's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.5


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megs1370's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

This was a really quick, enjoyable read! The author's voice is delightfully snappy and the main character is witty AF, but without meaning to be, which is a fantastic combination.

If you want some deep treatise on feminism, this isn't quite it. Things will be wrapped up in a nice bow before you put the book down. So if you want something that has lots of payoff for the sad parts, that makes you think but doesn't leave you frustrated, or that makes you feel just a little bit better by the end - this book is absolutely for you.

The main characters are smart, but not annoyingly so. Side characters get the most development, which is not my preference but worked well enough here. All in all, it's a very cozy book and I thoroughly enjoyed my read!

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caitlinvdj's review against another edition

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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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andisnalls's review against another edition

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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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bookwormcat's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0


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ruusaer's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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