Bonnie Garmus

I am slightly conflicted over Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. There were some aspects of the book that I loved, while there were others that I definitely didn’t. This debut novel tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, who becomes a celebrated cooking show host in 1960s Southern California. Although she considers herself to be a scientist who specializes in chemistry, the world at that time liked to place women in the role of housewives and mothers.

I had some difficulty warming to Elizabeth as I found her to be too obtuse and stubborn in how she presented herself and perhaps too exceptional to be relatable. In her constant bid to use the power of science to bring about changes she had the tendency to plow over everyone. The story became quite repetitive and I was constantly hoping to see the discrimination and sexual abuse addressed a little more seriously than it was.

On the other hand, Lessons in Chemistry is very witty and intelligent. It paints an interesting picture of the early days of affirmative action when societal norms desperately needed an overhaul. The author also wisely supplies some very endearing secondary characters like Calvin, Harriet, Madeline and especially the lovable dog, Six-Thirty. So mixed reaction but overall an absorbing and interesting read.… (meer)

Lessons in Chemistry is a timely lesson in dealing with the indignation of injustice. Through Elizabeth’s eccentric story—where half the time you’re incensed on her behalf as a female scientist in the 1950s and ‘60s and the other half you’re laughing at the dark, deadpan humor—we learn how to deal with broken systems without becoming broken victims. It’s really a beautiful, zany story about life: challenge and change and courage and chemistry.

This book is everything. Reading it felt like an amalgamation of watching a Wes Anderson film and reading Fredrik Backman’s “Anxious People,” while also being completely original and organic. I laughed; I cried; I felt a gamut of emotions: caustic ire, sorrow, protectiveness, joy, hope. It’s all here—all the properties needed for the best kind of chemical reaction: a perfect read.

Here’s just a sampling of what I loved:
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Read on audio. A very popular book that was getting all the buzz in the last year, as well as a series on Apple. Set in the late 50's, Elizabeth Zott is a highly intelligent woman, who has to deal with the misogyny of the times. She's expelled from a doctoral program because she was a victim of assault by her advisor, she gets a lab tech job, but when her famous chemist boyfriend passes away, she's fired as being because she's going to be an unwed mother. Through circumstances she becomes a famous host of a cooking show, despite all the push backs of her male superiors. And in the end, because it makes perfect sense 😁, she leaves her cooking show to go back triumphantly to her life as a research chemist and all is figuratively right with the world. A very good read.… (meer)