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bites_of_books's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
This book was a gift from one of my best friends and I breezed through it!
Narratively there were a couple of things that seemed a bit forced, things that took me out of the story because they were presented in a way that just didn't fully work for me. That being said, I think the characters were really unique and interesting with really complex motivations. I liked the outspoken main character who sticks to her values and doesn't let romance or anything else get in the way of the things that matter most to her.
All in all this is a story of a chemist who happens to be a woman in the 1950s and all the obstacles that she must overcome to reach her goals. On the way she finds love, family, and friends, which was quite satisfying to read about. However, it's not an easy read there are difficult topics that are pretty hard to read so do check content warnings before reading!
Narratively there were a couple of things that seemed a bit forced, things that took me out of the story because they were presented in a way that just didn't fully work for me. That being said, I think the characters were really unique and interesting with really complex motivations. I liked the outspoken main character who sticks to her values and doesn't let romance or anything else get in the way of the things that matter most to her.
All in all this is a story of a chemist who happens to be a woman in the 1950s and all the obstacles that she must overcome to reach her goals. On the way she finds love, family, and friends, which was quite satisfying to read about. However, it's not an easy read there are difficult topics that are pretty hard to read so do check content warnings before reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Blood, Child abuse, and Suicide
miranda_is_reading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. While traveling I brought it with me and so many people commented on it that had also read it. There was one lady who told me she hadn’t cared for it compared to all the raves I was hearing. So as I continued reading I kept waiting for the ball to drop. But, the story kept me pulled in wanting to know what was going to happen next.
My only flaw with the book, being a designer, is that the cover design (US) doesn’t fit the book at all. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but knowing how design still sends a message and subconsciously influences people I was shocked to start reading this and realize it isn’t primarily a romcom type book at all. And romcom is the vibes the design totally gives in my opinion.
Beyond that this story was captivating to me. I loved the main character, Elizabeth, and all she stands for. I love how people around her could see her as stubborn, when she was just living authentically and in truth. I also enjoyed the ties to religious discussion in the book.
I can’t wait to watch the Apple TV show of the book and hope they stayed as true as possible to it.
My only flaw with the book, being a designer, is that the cover design (US) doesn’t fit the book at all. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but knowing how design still sends a message and subconsciously influences people I was shocked to start reading this and realize it isn’t primarily a romcom type book at all. And romcom is the vibes the design totally gives in my opinion.
Beyond that this story was captivating to me. I loved the main character, Elizabeth, and all she stands for. I love how people around her could see her as stubborn, when she was just living authentically and in truth. I also enjoyed the ties to religious discussion in the book.
I can’t wait to watch the Apple TV show of the book and hope they stayed as true as possible to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Blood, Rape, Suicide, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Child death, Cursing, Bullying, Car accident, Grief, and Homophobia
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
This was a slog to read through. I did not give a crap about any characters and apparently all feminist fiction is now just "look! this woman's life sucks! she's so smart but she's just constantly explicitly abused and shit all the time!". The blurb is complete false advertising, I got to the 50% mark and the only mention of the cooking show was a paragraph to 2 at the very very start. TV industry has been mentioned a single time since. The story so far has just been the main character being abused, screamed at and being depressed with a shitty husband.
There's just constant POV changes to everyone and everything - including the goddamn dog. It's not split up by chapters, it'd just be one paragraph is from one character, the next from someone completely different. I could not tell you what year any of the events that happened are from. I could not even really tell you all the different characters and who they where as people because honestly most of them didn't feel like people. The guys where mainly just misogynistic pricks, though some liked rowing! but that was about it for them. The women where mainly just "I'm being looked down on and abused but I'm secretly smart!" or just, idk, like not wanting to challenge the status quo so they where even flatter than that?
I'm reading this for a book club but even though there's still multiple days before the meeting I just don't care enough to read more. I don't even care about the cooking show element which was super interesting to me when I first heard about it.
There's just constant POV changes to everyone and everything - including the goddamn dog. It's not split up by chapters, it'd just be one paragraph is from one character, the next from someone completely different. I could not tell you what year any of the events that happened are from. I could not even really tell you all the different characters and who they where as people because honestly most of them didn't feel like people. The guys where mainly just misogynistic pricks, though some liked rowing! but that was about it for them. The women where mainly just "I'm being looked down on and abused but I'm secretly smart!" or just, idk, like not wanting to challenge the status quo so they where even flatter than that?
I'm reading this for a book club but even though there's still multiple days before the meeting I just don't care enough to read more. I don't even care about the cooking show element which was super interesting to me when I first heard about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Death, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Rape, and Fatphobia
bethvance's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death
kera_reads's review against another edition
Who even needs actual character development or romantic chemistry? Lots of telling, not a lot of showing… yet somehow, only 9% in and there aren’t enough content warnings available to cover what’s already happened.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexism, Misogyny, Violence, and Gaslighting
julianafern24's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Not officially a 5 star book but definitely the most enjoyable book I have read in a really long time, I’m obsessed. I will be rereading this in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Rape
Moderate: Death of parent
molsreads's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
miss_marvel_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Habs geliebt - wie die Autorin so mühelos von einem Charakter zum anderen (sogar zu diesem überraschend grandiosen Hund) springt und dabei so viel Klarheit in die Miskommunikation der Charaktere und die Hintergedanken dieser bringt ohne, dass es verwirrend wird.
Die Geschichte war überraschend hoffnungsvoll und inspirierend, obwohl das Thema Feminismus in einer von Männern geprägten Domäne zunächst sehr entmutigend wirkt.
Außerdem wurde gleichzeitig gezeigt, das Hausfrau sein ein bedeutender, anstrengender Job ist, der jeder Frau genauso offen steht, wie es jeder andere Job auch sein sollte, ohne irgendwelche Berufungen/Entscheidungen schlecht darzustellen.
Die Geschichte war überraschend hoffnungsvoll und inspirierend, obwohl das Thema Feminismus in einer von Männern geprägten Domäne zunächst sehr entmutigend wirkt.
Außerdem wurde gleichzeitig gezeigt, das Hausfrau sein ein bedeutender, anstrengender Job ist, der jeder Frau genauso offen steht, wie es jeder andere Job auch sein sollte, ohne irgendwelche Berufungen/Entscheidungen schlecht darzustellen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Misogyny
booksawyer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Misogyny
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, and Body shaming
daumari's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.5, but I'm actually going to round down on this one. I liked it, but I'd also say Six-Thirty the dog is maybe the most likeable character (followed by Madeline though I can see how her precociousness could be off-putting).
At times, I almost felt like I was reading satire of the era with all of the blatant sexism Elizabeth faced because it read cartoonishly over-the-top to me, though I do think that's part of fiction, to exaggerate experiences. Also maybe of-the-period but took me out a bit: this is southern California; where are the Latin@s and Asian folks?? (I know, white folks tend to hang out with their own but we do flip through povs of women watching Supper at Six- maybe some of those families were brown, who knows).
But, I do like Elizabeth's abrasiveness and insistence on things being correct and meritocratic (even if societal structure is not). She strikes me as a little neurodivergent and I'm not sure if that's intentional (Bonnie Garmus's goodreads question replies indicate she was aiming more for classical stoicism). I think part of why this book is so popular is because the message of being taken seriously resonates with a lot of women even today. We STILL see thinkpieces about the value of domestic labor (though I think there's a wider recognition that childcare and rearing are fulltime jobs- see Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change). When Elizabeth's spiraling in the newborn haze, Harriet reassures her that nothing is wrong and that also rung true.
Calvin's origins did remind me of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, and I felt like this aspect could've been baked a little bit longer as it abruptly was revealed in the end.
At times, I almost felt like I was reading satire of the era with all of the blatant sexism Elizabeth faced because it read cartoonishly over-the-top to me, though I do think that's part of fiction, to exaggerate experiences. Also maybe of-the-period but took me out a bit: this is southern California; where are the Latin@s and Asian folks?? (I know, white folks tend to hang out with their own but we do flip through povs of women watching Supper at Six- maybe some of those families were brown, who knows).
But, I do like Elizabeth's abrasiveness and insistence on things being correct and meritocratic (even if societal structure is not). She strikes me as a little neurodivergent and I'm not sure if that's intentional (Bonnie Garmus's goodreads question replies indicate she was aiming more for classical stoicism). I think part of why this book is so popular is because the message of being taken seriously resonates with a lot of women even today. We STILL see thinkpieces about the value of domestic labor (though I think there's a wider recognition that childcare and rearing are fulltime jobs- see Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change). When Elizabeth's spiraling in the newborn haze, Harriet reassures her that nothing is wrong and that also rung true.
Calvin's origins did remind me of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, and I felt like this aspect could've been baked a little bit longer as it abruptly was revealed in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Grief, Suicide, and Pedophilia