Short summary: We follow Elizabeth Zott, a chemist, where she faces the challenges of loss, gain and different paths that she takes in her life to make a change for herself and others in the sixties where women where not seen as equal as men.

Likes:

the flow of the writing is beautiful. it's too descriptive in my eyes while too short and abrupt. I could still feel the characters' behaviours and how they feel from them showing it without telling. As well as having not too long description which made it easier for my head to paint a picture of the world and the characters.
the characters have very varying personalities and behaviours.
its not so realistic that its super fun to read. like having an overly smart dog that could learn over 900 words from the vocabulary and has the attention of a human being.
I love that the chemical terms were not that complicated to understand.

Dislikes:

I did chuckle on some instances in the book but it wasn't much despite it being marketed as a 'Humorous' book.

Final thoughts:
This is book is unrealistic in the aspect of 'every single man was sexist and unaccepting of women back in the 60s'. But there were topics that were very interesting and realistic that still exists today such as sexism, misogyny and people are ingrained to refuse to put the first foot at the door for change due to fear. I love the little humours here and there but it wasn't a lot. It was fun and emotional to watch Elizabeth's hard journey from what she wanted to something completely beyond her imaginations but still did what she loved. I know I gave it a 3.5/5, it doesn't mean it was bad I really enjoyed the book whether somethings are realistic or not. It was such a fun read for me!

Content Warnings

theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

5.0

Please please please! Check the content warnings and know that all of them are prevalent in this book, but you think you can handle them PLEASE read this book.

Elizabeth Zott is an amazing character, and a survivor. She is the embodiment of female power and a force to be reckoned with.

The things Zott experiences in the work place are appalling and no one would call her personal life easy. In real life, a woman in Zott’s shoes wouldn’t be faulted for breaking down or giving up. But Zott doesn’t let anything stop her from reaching her goals. She goes on have a wonderful life in spite of the horrendous things she’s had to survive, because she is a survivor.

Parts of this book had me in tears while others had me fill with so much pride I thought I would burst. At its core, this book is about the strength and resilience of women and I can’t recommend it enough. This will be a book I won’t stop thinking about for a very, very long time.

Content Warnings

dom_brlw's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

corrin_reads's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Content Warnings

bonaimee_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really enjoyed this! Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant character. All the characters were generally well-rounded, and the narrative was engaging, but I felt it lacked narrative depth in places. Like when Walter divulges to the reader that Elizabeth is his best friend. It was plausible, but it felt like we were being told rather than shown, and I felt this way about a lot of the secondary characters. I think parts were ripe for more storytelling, which I think is where the tv adaptation has more scope.

Discussion of science, religion, misogyny and sexism, amongst others, were deftly handled and still feel alarmingly necessary in our modern world. There were some very touching moments throughout. It was very almost a 4-star rating because I was really taken with Six-Thirty, but ultimately it remained a solid 3-star overall.

Content Warnings