Today’s book review is for Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, a historical fiction novel about a female chemist in the 1960s and her hit television cooking show.
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Book Synopsis
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. From Goodreads.
“Chemistry is change and change is the core of your belief system.”
The Basics
Category: Historical Fiction
Tags: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Feminism, Romance, Science
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Publisher: Doubleday Books, April 2022
Where to Find: Amazon, Target, Walmart
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐
**Spoilers Ahead**
Lessons in Chemistry is an adult fiction book based in the 1960s. It follows the story of chemist Elizabeth Zott, and the struggles she faced as a woman in science. This book is a New York Times best-seller and has overwhelming support on Goodreads with a 4.31 rating (at time of writing). As a fellow woman in science, I was interested to see the challenges Elizabeth faced and how they compare to the workplace today (which is much improved, but also far from perfect).
On its surface this was the perfect book for me. An adult historical fiction book with a healthy dose of feminism? Check! A woman in science protagonist? Count me in! I’m a chemist, so I REALLY wanted to like this book – however, I found it difficult to like the main character (or frankly any of the characters) and this book didn’t connect with me like I thought it would.
“That’s because cooking is actually chemistry.”
So Let’s Get Into it…
As you begin reading, you find out early on (and in detail) that not only is Elizabeth Zott a genius, she’s also a drop-dead gorgeous blonde bombshell. I am not saying that women can’t be both smart and gorgeous, but the descriptions of Elizabeth are over the top, to the point that it impacted my ability to get invested in the character. For example, she is described as someone who takes little time with appearances, but she is still considered effortlessly beautiful. I could have looked past this, but most of the other women characters in this book are portrayed as silly and anti-feminist. This came off as Zott putting down other women rather than being a champion for feminism.
Zott did not have the easiest childhood, but the numerous challenges she faced growing up were unbelievable. To me, it seemed as if the author wrote about different challenges to have Zott connect with more readers, but it missed the mark for me. Here are some examples of the conflicts Zott faced as a child and young adult:
- Father in jail – Elizabeth’s father is a radically religious con-artist who is in jail for murder.
- Absent mother – Elizabeth’s mother is a serial bride that abandoned her kids.
- Suicide – Elizabeth’s brother commits suicide due to their parents’ homophobia towards him.
- Sexual assault – Elizabeth gets kicked out of her graduate program at UCLA after her professor sexually assaults her.
“Some things needed to stay in the past because the past was the only place that made sense.”
I am disappointed that Garmus did not include any trigger warnings at the beginning of the book because during the first few pages there is a graphic rape scene.
Garmus piles on so many different traumatic events that Elizabeth overcomes, but her character doesn’t develop or grow after them. Elizabeth seemingly never changes as a person, even though what she has experienced is harrowing.
Elizabeth also has a partner, Calvin Evans. His background is very similar to hers, having also dealt with a lot of childhood trauma. His parents died in a car crash. He was then sent to go live with his aunt who was hit by a train. From there he was sent to live at an all-boys religious home where he was constantly getting into trouble. Again, the storyline is far-fetched.
“Imagine if all men took women seriously. Education would change. The workforce would revolutionize. Marriage counselors would go out of business.”
Elizabeth and Calvin are in a relationship and live together, but they never get married. This was against societal norms for the time leading many people to criticize them both to their faces and behind their backs. Calvin dies in a freak accident when he gets run over by a police car. At this point, I thought Elizabeth must have the worst luck ever. After the accident, Elizabeth finds out she is pregnant and must raise her daughter on her own. To make ends meet, Elizabeth lands a job as a home cook on her own television show. Due to her abrasive personality, it is very unbelievable that any network would hire her as a television personality. From a scientific standpoint, it is also improbable that Zott would have a job as a chemist researching abiogenesis AND have in depth knowledge on food science because these are two extremely different fields that take years and years of schooling to learn and master. During her cooking show, she refuses to conform to societal female norms and throws in chemistry lessons as she cooks. Many people (mostly men) hate her, but she gains quite a following.
“‘Sometimes I think,’ she said slowly, ‘that if a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn’t make it past noon.’”
Another issue I have with the book is the personality Garmus gave Elizabeth. Elizabeth is extremely intelligent but is clueless when it comes to interacting with people. It is a good trait to be direct, but Elizabeth comes off as air-headed and naïve. Her partner, Calvin, was the same way. I think it is disappointing that many people assume you can’t be book-smart AND street-smart. Because of her direct nature, the way Elizabeth talks to people makes her an unlikeable and unrelatable character.
“That’s the hydrogen bond for you, ladies – a chemical reminder that if things seem too good to be true, they probably are.”
So Bookmark or Bin it?
Conclusion: Bin it
I am not sure what all the hype surrounding this book is about, and I would skip it.
The dog, Six-Thirty, is the only likable character in this book. His parts are entertaining and funny. Besides that, I didn’t like much else. The ending kind of made up for a lot of overdramatization and misleading information. There (thankfully) is a happy ending, even though it logically doesn’t make sense how we got there.
Fun Extra Tidbit
Lessons in Chemistry was adapted to a television series starring Brie Larson. Season one has eight episodes and can be streamed using Apple TV. The series received an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and had good viewer reception. However, it is unlikely the series will return for another season.
Thanks so much for reading my book review for Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus! Now it’s your turn! Have you read this novel or any others by Bonnie and if so, what are your thoughts? Please feel free to share in the comments below!
Happy reading 😊
