Review #1: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Rating this one 7/10 for enjoyment of reading, quality of characters, and message. Lessons in Chemistry is about Elizabeth Zott, a chemist and single mother in the 1960s who is extraordinary. She hosts a daytime cooking show while just trying to get by. The real stars of the novel are all of the characters. This one is much more serious than the cover implies – just as Elizabeth is a much more serious than her pretty face would imply!
Vibe: Based on the cover, thought this book was going to be cheesy and light. I was happy that it was a bit more serious and girl power in a meaningful way. It is a story about love, loss, determination, and staying true to who you are. Garmus does an amazing job at exploring these topics in a serious way that is inspiring. The readers truly root for the characters.
Describe the book in three words: feminist, love, determined
Plot: I wouldn’t say that this book is solely plot driven, but it does move along. Garmus moves quickly through time and doesn’t get too bogged down in one storyline.
Characters: The characters are the draw to the book. They are oh-so-lovable! I would love a Harriet Sloane waiting for me every day when I get home. While I many readers have issues with the plausibility of being a single mother scientist in the 1960s, I think that Elizabeth Zott’s character is a real character in that she is incredible, but also flawed. Zott is strong, independent, smart, loving, and protective, but dare I say, too independent at times? Could she have married Calvin and kept her individuality? I may be naively looking at it through the lens of a woman in 2023, who has the option to get married, keep my name, career, freeze my eggs, and not have children. There is also Calvin. Yes, he was a brilliant scientist, but there were so many white lies sprinkled in their early relationship that I don’t know how Elizabeth would have felt towards him at the time had she known the truth. We have six thirty and Mad as the two innocent, unflawed characters to show how the rest of “us” are flawed. Even the secondary characters are complex — Wakely and Walter. You can read the entire novel thinking they are cute additions or think about them more critically and wow they have so much depth. The only characters that are truly simple are the evil or bad ones like Mr. Sloane.
Prose: Garmus’ writing is neither here nor there to me. It did not stand out as excellent writing, but it was very readable. I did notice about half way through a slight switch in the style, I felt as though I was reading a TV show or movie, but that may have been influenced by Elizabeth’s role on Supper at Six.
Controversy: I read a few reviews on Goodreads that complained that this book was anti-Catholic Church or anti-Christianity. This is two-fold. There is the discussion of atheism and the foil of the unaccepting Christians in the book, thus making Christians look bad. This, I think is silly. There is also another scene where the Catholic Church was responsible for something tragic. I think that while it was sad and tragic, this is fiction, so we cannot hold anything against the Church here specifically even though it is based in the fact that the Church is capable of it. But if as a Catholic you want to be upset, sure go ahead. I just don’t think its productive. I will go out on a limb here and let you all know I am a Catholic who firmly believes in God and while yes, this book skews a bit anti-Church, my understanding is that the Church is not perfect. When people shed light on negative truths of the Church, I have to accept that the Church is capable of that. I do understand that the Church is capable of so much good that the book did not discuss. The Reverend in the book did touch on the good in Christianity.
You’ll like this if you like… dogs, feminism, science, historical fiction, rowing, and strong female characters.
