A review by cassiealexandra
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

funny informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

From the opening pages I was pulled into the story of Elizabeth Zott. Her story of being a woman in science during the 1960s, her struggles in the workplace, her demise, and ultimate redemption was darkly funny and had such an interesting third-person point of view. We enter the minds of various characters, including the dog, Six-Thirty, but without any sense that anything is magical or fantastical. He’s just sentient and cares for his people and we get to see that. Can you tell I really liked the dog? I also loved Elizabeth’s precocious daughter, Mad. I felt a little nod to Matilda except that Madeline has a wonderful attentive mother. There was a kinship I felt to Reverend Wakely, not in his beliefs and doubts but in his workplace fatigue. Working with people in a ministerial position, even the most wonderful people, can be exhausting! In fact, its a bit of a thankless profession in the same way that being a housewife or mother was in the 1960s and still can be today. I loved the way Elizabeth works through her grief and depression, albeit after a long time ignoring it. The family she creates and the people who consider her their best and only friend point to Elizabeth’s extraordinary ability to see the overlooked and discarded. My enjoyment came down just a tad because I felt the handling of religion and faith was slightly heavy-handed and definitely negative. This didn’t affect my entire view, but I did bring down what might have been a 5-star book for me.

The bottom line: I’m so glad I finally picked this up after numerous recommendations from friends!

— NOTES —
Genres: historical, literary
POV: third-person
Content: sexism, rape, sexual harassment
Romance: discussions about sex, nothing explicit I can remember

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 5
Gut: 4.5
Total: 4.625 
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