Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

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

eglizmas's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Everything was perfect during Calvin & Elizabeth's love story, but right after that I was kind of let down :// The book eventually picked back up though :)

This whole book was a treat! It's a story about women, for women, by a woman. Even though the events of this book take place in 50s/60s America, you can still relate to all of the women's experiences (which says a lot). The imagery the author used is amazing; I could see it all in my head; the dresses, the food, the homes and the offices, the characters and the cars.
Anyway, this was a phenomenal debut for Garmus (who's madly talented). I hope to see her taking on more stories in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Racism

zerkleoflife's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

The author seemed well-researched, and the story was fantastic!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Slavery, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, and Homophobia

serenity_by_jan's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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

2.75

This book is definitely an enjoyable read, though it is a far cry from historical fiction. The only elements that allude to the time period that the story is supposedly set are the occasional description of the physical setting (appliances, television shows, books). Readers must also suspend belief to entertain the protagonist's uncannily identical mannerisms to modern progressive liberals.

The use of tropes and typecasts severely dim the ingenuity of the book. Most of the plot points can be seen from miles away, but they are still entertaining to see unfurl. Though this book touches on topics such as sexual assault, discrimination, and grief, it reads more like a fluffy beach read than an impactful piece.

The protagonist, Elizabeth Zott, has a genius child and an equally genius dog (the latter of which has many needless monologues of his own). Though this book lacks suspense, it does not bore. Instead, as the reader can already predict the main plot points, the book fills in the threads that lead from one event to the next.
Furthermore, most of the male characters are painstakingly one-dimensional: Lazy, stupid, sexist. We are meant to be fond of Calvin Evans, Zott's partner, though the author's means of provoking this from the reader is by making him the only developed male character. This is a pitiful and cheap way to write, and probably the most disappointing theme in the book.

Finally, although this book is ostensibly feminist, the main plot diverges considerably from its empowering tone and settles resolutely in disappointing territory.

At last, in the final chapters of the book, the protagonist, Zott, gets her job back . . .  due to her relations with a man. The whole ending to the story revolved around her late partner, Calvin Evans; though his life could have made a good story in and of itself, I read this book to see what happens to Zott, not to her partner. It seems as though the author drags you around, getting you attached to Zott, only to reveal that it was Evans' story all along. Disappointing to say the least, though it didn't completely ruin the book.

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Suicide, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

pinkleum's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident

Minor: Child death, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Homophobia