A review by nataliebootlah
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Elizabeth Zott is your average housewife. 

Wait, no, she most definitely is not. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, plagued with the need to do her work despite constantly battling sexism, misogyny, judgment, and stolen work to do so.

Set in the 1960s, the story portrays the difficulties women face working outside of the home. Sound familiar? Despite those hardships, Lessons in Chemistry is a book about science, resilience, feminism, passion, love, and loss.  

I knew I had to read this when I saw Bonnie sharing how men often talked over her and stole her ideas to the point where she got fed up and wrote the first chapter. I love a strong female character, and this book did not disappoint. When Elizabeth takes a job cooking on live TV, her show is as much about chemistry as it is cooking. She is unyielding in reminding her audience, mostly stay at home moms, about what it means to be a woman. If you’re into STEM, love a badass feminist, a quiet love story, or feel like you don’t quite fit in, this one’s for you. 

“Despite what Elizabeth Zott will tell you, Supper at Six is not just an introduction to chemistry, he wrote that day on the plane. It’s a thirty-minute, five-day-a-week lesson in life. And not in who we are or what we’re made of, but rather, who we’re capable of becoming.”
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