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A review by hnagarne
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- 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.
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.
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