Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus on April 5, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Feminist, Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / Literary
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
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I read this for the second time and it did not disappoint. I know why this won the Goodreads Best Debut Novel and was a Nominee for the Best Historical Fiction. I loved Elizabeth Zott and her zaney personality. And a dog named Six Thirty!! Who could resist this funny and brilliant book.
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
If you haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend it. This gives all the feels. These characters just came right off the page and I felt like I knew them. This is one that will stick with me. I think a lot of women can relate to her experiences of being held back and treated less than they are so this one brought up lots of emotions, but in the end it’s a book you will want to hug.