Review by contemporarymeepsie - Lessons in Chemistry

contemporarymeepsie 's review for:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

4.5

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Elizabeth Zott is a Chemist first and foremost. After that she is a mother, tv cook and early feminist beaten down by life in the 1960s. This debut novel by Bonnie Garmus tells the story of Elizabeth's life: her highs, lows and everything in between including her relationship with famous (fictional) scientist Calvin Evans which culminates in their illegitimate daughter, Mad. When boiled down to basics, this novel is about chemistry.
I loved this novel, read in audio format. Garmus brings to life a character so complex and grounded that I feel I know her. Elizabeth is a scientist and as such the decisions she makes are grounded in facts but that doesn't mean she gets everything right first time. Science is about experimentation after all. This makes her character very human and very relatable. Her experiences lead her down certain roads she may not wish for herself but every choice makes sense. All of Garmus' characters have this deep sense of reality built in to them. Set at a time when women had very little rights and misogyny ran rife in society this book challenges how things have changed and how they still yet could be improved. The sub-plot about Calvin Evans' life brought the novel neatly to a close in a satisfying and emotional knot which just tied the whole thing in a bow for me. I want to read more by Bonnie Garmus now and I think I will definitely reread this in the future to see if it holds the same impact.

Content Warnings