Scan barcode
A review by leebraries
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. i found it witty, engaging, informative, and brilliantly-written. elizabeth zott is a force and i adored how she was written. in fact, she may be one of the best protagonists i have encountered in fiction. her personality is so fresh, unlike any i have seen, and it is no wonder she gained so much renown for it. i also adored the little family she built for herself. calvin, their love story, mad, six-thirty, harriet, walter — the whole family. it was a found family story done completely right. moreover, as someone who has never enjoyed chemistry (i prefer physics. hell, i would prefer biology!), elizabeth has done the virtually impossible and made it Interesting to me. perhaps it’s because i also like to cook, but i’ve never thought of cooking as chemistry. that’s this book for you, ladies and gentlemen, transcending time, reality, and the very bounds of its pages in delivering its message.
as for criticisms, i only have the one. the sexism, i understand, is very real. the religious zealots and their insistence on their belief, i see in my everyday life. yet i felt that much of these characters — the ones that posed opposition to elizabeth — was rooted in Only that. that was their sole purpose in the book, and as a result they felt quite one-dimensional. almost cartoonish, in a sense. it took me out of the reading experience a few times, so that bars ‘lessons’ from a higher rating.
still, i enjoyed this book so much. as a woman in STEM myself, i can’t help but be grateful for how far the field has come (though still very, very disadvantaged towards women, but not quite as miserable as it was for the likes of elizabeth zott). “lessons in chemistry” is a good read. it’s an important one. it has balance, and as we know, when it comes to chemistry, balance is most imperative.
(also i teared up while reading the ending. good god.)
as for criticisms, i only have the one. the sexism, i understand, is very real. the religious zealots and their insistence on their belief, i see in my everyday life. yet i felt that much of these characters — the ones that posed opposition to elizabeth — was rooted in Only that. that was their sole purpose in the book, and as a result they felt quite one-dimensional. almost cartoonish, in a sense. it took me out of the reading experience a few times, so that bars ‘lessons’ from a higher rating.
still, i enjoyed this book so much. as a woman in STEM myself, i can’t help but be grateful for how far the field has come (though still very, very disadvantaged towards women, but not quite as miserable as it was for the likes of elizabeth zott). “lessons in chemistry” is a good read. it’s an important one. it has balance, and as we know, when it comes to chemistry, balance is most imperative.
(also i teared up while reading the ending. good god.)