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4.0 

Lessons in Chemistry

By Bonnie Garmus
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

#1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN 8 MILLION COPIES SOLD • Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention” (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. STREAM ON APPLE TV+

This novel is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel” (The New York Times Book Review) and “witty, sometimes hilarious...the Catch-22 of early feminism” (Stephen King, via Twitter).


A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek


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.

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72710 Reviews

4.0
“I did not know much about this book before I started reading it. As someone who likes to cook and likes science, the premise of a science-based cooking show sounded unique and entertaining. This book’s main focus was not on that concept at all. The biggest theme in this book is fighting against the sexism against women and vying for men and women to be treated equally. It challenged the culture ideals about gender that were present in the 1950s-1960s in America, and that are still present to some extent in modern society. At times, I found myself cheering for Elizabeth as she exposed the injustice she faced solely because she is a woman. At other times, I found myself thinking that she was taking things too far. I am a woman and support our rights, but I also would not consider myself to be a feminist to the extent Elizabeth is. That being said, I was cheering for the majority of the book. The second biggest theme in this book was fighting against religion and seemed to paint the majority of characters who were “religious” negatively. There are preachers/priests who are either a conman who don’t believe a word they say, have lost faith in God and stopped believing, or sexually abuse children. Comments are made that are not simply expressing a character does not believe in God, but seem to directly want to mock God or anyone who believes in Him. Characters have moments of realization that what the church has told them for years has done them no good and has instead caused them harm. I obviously do not expect everyone to believe in God, nor do I expect characters in fictional books to share my religious beliefs. But I wish the author had disagreed with the belief that God exists and “religious practices” in a respectful way. Write all you want about that God does not exist etc. but please do it in a manner that is respectful. I still really enjoyed the book despite this however. It was unique, had plot twists I did not see coming, the story was moving, and I got invested in the characters. I kept coming back for more because I could not wait to see what happened next and how everything was going to wrap up. I applaud the ending. It was very well done.”

About Bonnie Garmus

BONNIE GARMUS is a copywriter and creative director who has worked for a wide range of clients, in the US and abroad, focusing primarily on technology, medicine, and education. From Seattle, she currently lives in London with her husband and her dog, 99.

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