Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

42 reviews

sheeprustler's review

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny

Minor: Child abuse

lucyatoz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.0

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is an interesting novel, featuring a wonderfully developed and intelligent character in Elizabeth Zott, Chemist. 

The book is mainly set in the early 1960's. This is a time when a woman working as a scientist, in any scientific field, was unusual. The only other female scientist I could name would be Marie Curie, winning a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.  Elizabeth is an independent individual who refused to live by the expectations and sexist attitudes of her time. The story of Elizabeth's journey as a woman who falls in love, has a child out of wedlock and becomes a working, single mother, has threads of narrative that many today can relate to. She ultimately becomes the star of a television cooking show, which acquires a legion fans who are housewives, and it dares them to make a difference and to change the status quo. 

Lessons in Chemistry is a delightful book with much humour, some of it dark whilst it other times it is almost laugh out loud! It is also a historic view on gender roles and society's expectations of women, although some of these still exist today. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Child death

seren_s's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Grief, Suicide, Bullying, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Minor: Vomit, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

ank3's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity and Car accident

jhbandcats's review

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Absolutely charming while also being absolutely wrenching. I was infuriated most of the time I was reading. 

The main character, Elizabeth, is charismatic and driven, aware of her worth as a chemist but forced on a daily - if not hourly - basis to deal with sexist insults, sexual assaults, and belittling. She’s repeatedly thwarted in her attempts to move ahead in her profession, her research is stolen, and she’s discredited at college and at work. 

This book is funny and inspiring but so, so sad; there’s a pall of grief and loss over everything. It’s about two outcasts who find one another, and then the struggle when one is left alone with only a dog for a friend. Nothing is ever easy for Elizabeth, not even when things seem to be going well. 

Overall, I loved the book and definitely recommend it. I must be in a melancholy mood myself for it to have struck me so hard. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Vomit

scarlett_f's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Bullying, Rape, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity

Minor: Suicide

akane_readsyt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

emmacb's review against another edition

funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

How quickly I got through this book probably says something about how much I enjoyed it. 
It's relatively light (while dealing with a heavier theme),

and the ending is pretty fluffy

but sometimes that sort of uplifting but still thoughtful stuff is just what you want!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Rape

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Domestic abuse, and Religious bigotry

chocolatechip's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Death

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

hnagarne's review

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

cw: rape, sexual assault, sexism, misogyny, suicide (mentioned), sexual harassment, almost drowning?, death of a parent (multiple), car accident (results in death), grief, gaslighting, abandonment, adoption, religious bigotry, forced institutionalization, homophobia……. i am sure there are more & every one of them deserved a mention somewhere in the preface of this book

there’s a rape scene within the first, like, thirty pages, and tbh i should’ve just stopped reading there 🤷🏻‍♀️

maybe i am not the target audience but this book was not good. it was easy to read but it felt like it hit you over the head with the ‘50s & ‘60s sexism and then elizabeth would come in like a white feminist straight off a women’s march or something and like it just wasn’t for me. the science felt off because it felt like the author decided “she’s a chemist” and then decided that meant she could easily learn and apply literally all of the sciences (she learned to row better than the men in one day by reading a physics textbook).

i do not get why the dog knew almost 1,000 words and i do not get why the 4yo was a child prodigy and i do not get why certain plot twists were there.

bright spot: accurate reasons why family tree assignments are terrible. end of list.

also, leash your damn dogs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, and Rape

Moderate: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Suicide, and Death