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A review by beccasllibrary
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
4.0
Did I like it? Yes. Was it well-written and effective? Not particularly. It is humorous, emotional, and full of memorable scenes. The plot and dialogue are fast paced and engaging, I found I could not put it down past the first 50 pages. I expected to hate the frequent time and perspective jumps but actually found myself enjoying them as it kept the book moving along quickly, though at times it did spoil the suspense of wondering what was happening to another character as the question was immediately answered. A fun historical fiction that takes some modern liberties. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it has some pretty serious flaws that keep it from actually being a highly rated book for me despite my enjoyment.
That said, I am not without criticism of this book. The characters are rather one-dimensional and at times completely un-realistic. The 5 year old daughter talks like a genius IQ adult "because the main character reads to her a lot," the antagonists are all comically evil and set to destroy our protagonist's life simply because she is a woman, our protagonist is a perfect modern feminist cursed with being born into the wrong generation whose only flaw is perhaps being too headstrong when it comes to her entirely correct and without fault(as emphasized by the narrator and many characters) beliefs. The protagonist's main character trait is lecturing about feminism and seemingly being an expert on the subject while never talking with any other feminists and also being shocked when she experiences sexism. Everyone in society is incredibly sexist and believes that all women are inherently stupid and incompetent but as soon as our protagonist lectures them they are forever changed feminists who will bend over backwards to help her. The most memorable characters are Six-Thirty and perhaps Harriet who is actually a flawed but well-meaning character who could be very interesting if more time was spent on her. This book will stay with me because of specific scenes but not because of it's characters.
Our protagonist also experiences multiple sexual assaults on page. While sexual trauma can be used tastefully, in my opinion this was not. We do not see her struggle with the trauma of these events or work through what has happened in any complex way. It does not change her at all or even seem to be something she thinks about outside of when it is convenient for the plot. It simply exists as a way to move the plot along and prove how evil the antagonists are before everyone goes back to life as usual.One instance is used as an excuse for the author to explain why she changed schools and another is used as an excuse to suddenly get rid of an antagonist because he is so shocked by her trying to defend himself that he has a heart attack and dies instantly (technically doesn't die but conveniently vanishes from the story to secure the happily every after so he might have well have died.)
Lastly, and this is not the fault of the author but the US/Canadian publisher, is that this book is not marketed well. The cover and blurb make the book appear to be a rom-com about a goofy feminist chemist with a cooking show. While this book does have funny moments, this is a dark book that includes graphic rape scenes, a woman constantly trying to do literally anything in her life to constantly be met with mockery, ridicule, harassment, and violence. Our protagonist is beaten down at every moment as, in the 1950s described by our author, there is absolutely no place for her to exist authentically. This is neither a rom-com nor a comedy, despite having some romantic plot points and jokes, it toes the line between being a rom-com, which it is too dark to be, and a feminist historical fiction, which it is too inaccurate and heavy handed to do effectively.
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the book. I am likely to re-read it, or at least recommend it to others alongside my criticisms. It was fun and engaging, but I hope that in the future, Garmus works on her characters more, either leaves out sexual assault or works with advocates and experts to handle it better, and finds a better publisher that actually understands her books rather than just saying oh book about girl make book pink.
That said, I am not without criticism of this book. The characters are rather one-dimensional and at times completely un-realistic. The 5 year old daughter talks like a genius IQ adult "because the main character reads to her a lot," the antagonists are all comically evil and set to destroy our protagonist's life simply because she is a woman, our protagonist is a perfect modern feminist cursed with being born into the wrong generation whose only flaw is perhaps being too headstrong when it comes to her entirely correct and without fault(as emphasized by the narrator and many characters) beliefs. The protagonist's main character trait is lecturing about feminism and seemingly being an expert on the subject while never talking with any other feminists and also being shocked when she experiences sexism. Everyone in society is incredibly sexist and believes that all women are inherently stupid and incompetent but as soon as our protagonist lectures them they are forever changed feminists who will bend over backwards to help her. The most memorable characters are Six-Thirty and perhaps Harriet who is actually a flawed but well-meaning character who could be very interesting if more time was spent on her. This book will stay with me because of specific scenes but not because of it's characters.
Our protagonist also experiences multiple sexual assaults on page. While sexual trauma can be used tastefully, in my opinion this was not. We do not see her struggle with the trauma of these events or work through what has happened in any complex way. It does not change her at all or even seem to be something she thinks about outside of when it is convenient for the plot. It simply exists as a way to move the plot along and prove how evil the antagonists are before everyone goes back to life as usual.
Lastly, and this is not the fault of the author but the US/Canadian publisher, is that this book is not marketed well. The cover and blurb make the book appear to be a rom-com about a goofy feminist chemist with a cooking show. While this book does have funny moments, this is a dark book that includes graphic rape scenes, a woman constantly trying to do literally anything in her life to constantly be met with mockery, ridicule, harassment, and violence. Our protagonist is beaten down at every moment as, in the 1950s described by our author, there is absolutely no place for her to exist authentically. This is neither a rom-com nor a comedy, despite having some romantic plot points and jokes, it toes the line between being a rom-com, which it is too dark to be, and a feminist historical fiction, which it is too inaccurate and heavy handed to do effectively.
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the book. I am likely to re-read it, or at least recommend it to others alongside my criticisms. It was fun and engaging, but I hope that in the future, Garmus works on her characters more, either leaves out sexual assault or works with advocates and experts to handle it better, and finds a better publisher that actually understands her books rather than just saying oh book about girl make book pink.