Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Lessons in Chemistry

This book is for your strong women out there. But I think everyone should read this, especially to see how bad women were treated in the STEM field in the 1950s and 1960s, not that long ago. In this story, you follow Elizabeth Zott as she works a female chemist, dealing with all of the sexism and discrimination that came with that. She uses the most out of what she was allowed. Even though she didn’t make enough money to support her child as a chemist, when she was allowed to host a cooking show, she made sure to embed it with her science, not back down on that choice. She inspired women all across the country, telling them they could be scientist, or whatever they wanted to be. She faced numerous challenges, but she didn’t back down for a second. This was a very powerful and inspirational story of triumph and perseverance.
And if that wasn’t enough, the dog has its own consciousness and storyline, and we (as readers) hear the dog’s thoughts.

Age rating: 14+ (I would be wary of the fact that there are adult scenes, as it gets into detail about the harsh reality of being a woman in a male dominated field in the 50s/60s, so it includes brief descriptions of SA)

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laheath's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

Great debut novel! Elizabeth Zott is a female chemist in the early 1960's who struggles against sexism in her workplace and then becomes an example to other women, including her own daughter, on not accepting the status quo. Full of quirky characters and characters you love to hate because you've probably known someone like them. Laugh out loud funny while providing social commentary.

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cwallace1005's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

4.0

I read the little snippet about how Bonnie Garmus disagreed with the cover of this book because it looks more like a cute romcom than a book about a feminist scientist and her struggle in the patriarchal-heavy 1960s. And while I agree that the plot of the book is heavier than the cover implies, I would counter that the writing style was basically cute romcom. The writing and some of the fantastical elements of the book made it read like it was YA, but the content is definitely adult-focused. The first third had me worried that I wasn't going to like this book, but after that I flew through it. It's easy to read, enjoyable, and has endearing characters (think "Man Called Over" or "Eleanor Oliphant"). Once I got used to the writing style and the weird Six-thirty perspectives, I really liked the book and the way little mysteries and storylines came together.

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marlee621's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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micaelamariem's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

4.0

I won’t lie, this book had a slow start and the first 100 pages I was wondering if this would be a disappointment. I’m glad to say that I really got into it after that. There were so many times I laughed out loud as well as times I nearly cried. I love reading about women empowering women and stories like this need to be told. Because even though this is set in the 60’s, people today still need to hear how fierce and capable women are.

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