Scan barcode
A review by katiealex72
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
3.0
3.5 stars.
It might be a bit unfair but I have higher standards for contemporary novels that are lavished with praise. I expected to love this. Good points: the prose is good and the author writes very well, in a deadpan style; the setting is interesting, and the topic of bias against women in science is certainly riveting. Bad points: some of the characters are really overblown, and the plot is pure melodrama. The big reveal was predictable even to me (I’m usually dense when it comes to predicting plot twists). And while the main character Elizabeth is well drawn and interesting, most of the side characters are too one dimensional. The terrible people are AWFUL and do dreadful things constantly; the good people (like Wakely. What on earth was his function in the book?) were selfless and lovely. This book would have been terrific if it had just been a bit more nuanced.
It might be a bit unfair but I have higher standards for contemporary novels that are lavished with praise. I expected to love this. Good points: the prose is good and the author writes very well, in a deadpan style; the setting is interesting, and the topic of bias against women in science is certainly riveting. Bad points: some of the characters are really overblown, and the plot is pure melodrama. The big reveal was predictable even to me (I’m usually dense when it comes to predicting plot twists). And while the main character Elizabeth is well drawn and interesting, most of the side characters are too one dimensional. The terrible people are AWFUL and do dreadful things constantly; the good people (like Wakely. What on earth was his function in the book?) were selfless and lovely. This book would have been terrific if it had just been a bit more nuanced.