This is a dream of a read. Elizabeth Zott is a feisty, independent woman; a talented chemist struggling for recognition in the male dominated laboratories of 1950's America. When she butts heads with the equally gifted and grudge bearing Calvin Evans, their worlds begin to shift in marvelous ways. This is and isn't a love story. It's about the love shared between Elizabeth and Calvin but also abut their mutual love of science.

Beautifully written with wit and humour this is a terrific novel, The characters are absolutely charming, especially, Mads, Elizabeth and Calvin's daughter and the adorable dog, Six-Thirty. The dialogue is pitch perfect and wonderfully readable. The background of 50s America is evocatively created.

Lessons in Chemistry also make astute observations about the role of women at the time and the beginnings of the Women's Movement. I wonder if Elizabeth will continue with the movement in a sequel?

With some similarities to the writing of John Irving, this is a truly fantastic book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is simply no way I can fully express my feelings about this book in such a way that it covers every emotion I felt during reading. I happen to own a t-shirt with ‘Chemistry, it’s just cooking’ printed on it and that was in fact why I requested this book – I was drawn by the title. Little did I know how much more was happing with Elizabeth’s story than chemistry and cooking.
Since there are already 582 reviews, I don’t have to give you a synopsis of the story. I’m sure there must be a lot of Elizabeths still out there – women who just don’t get the chance to do what they want, namely being an excellent scientist. Although the first female chemistry student (Mary Watson) started her studies in 1856, a little under a century before Elizabeth’s’ story unfolds, female scientists, and thus female chemists, are still underpaid and undervalued. It is one of the strong points of this book that the indignities Elizabeth must endure day-to-day are pictured with a wonderful grim sort of humor.
It all starts with ‘stealing’ some beakers, but those beakers stand for everything that Elizabeth wants, needs, and deserves but never gets. It’s not just that she’s often mistaken for a secretary or the fact that her boss at the Hastings institute thinks she owns her success to the star chemist, Calvin Evans, who falls hopelessly in love with her or that she’s fired as soon as she’s pregnant. It’s the fact that these things not only happen with her because that’s how it was in those days, but it’s also the fact that ‘men’ are afraid of her, of what she can become, and therefore her wings need to be clipped.
This story often made me laugh out loud but made me fume too! I just loved the characters, not only Elizabeth but Mad, Harriet, Calvin and the other people who play such an important role. Not to forget Six-Thirty! I’m very happy I was allowed to write a review for this outstanding book, an unbelievable debut from Bonnie Garmus. I cannot wait to read her next book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for this review copy.

Lessons in chemistry is a wonderful debut novel that lived up to my expectations and the social media high praise.

It was so interesting to read about the 50s and 60s when the women weren't seen as more than a housemaid and children baring, unfortunately. Among those, there were a few that made a huge difference and here comes our heroine, chemist Elizabeth Zott. She's witty, straightforward, and so intelligent. She wants much more from her life and after becoming a widow, her life changed completely. As a new mother and unemployed, she's invited to host a show where she will teach lessons in chemistry mixed with the daily menu.

At many points throughout the book, I had the feeling that she's more on the spectrum and I really loved how she acted when confronted with different situations as when she had the baby and how she had to step up and let her neighbour to help her when she needed. I'm not a big fan of children or pets in my readings, but here they were both amazing and their addition brings more nuances to Elizabeth’s ARC.

This is a story that many people will enjoy.

What a delight this book is! Deserving of all the hype, praise and glowing reviews .

Rarely does a book pull me in from the opening page but Bonnie Garmus writing engaged me instantly and I enjoyed every sentence from the opening sentence to the last. Witty, warm and written with what felt like such care and consideration. Elizabeth Zott is a wonderful character but every single character , even the horrible ones, felt well developed and realistic and Six Thirty! I never thought my favourite character in a book would be a dog, but here we are.

I know this book will be one of the biggest hits of 2022 due to its immense readability. It made me laugh, the social commentary of the sexism portrayed was deliciously well captured without feeling preachy and it warmed my cynical heart. A wonderful, clever, quirky, lovely read.

Bravo Bonnie Garmus, I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

4.5 - 5 star

A BRILLIANT read, it’s a heartwarming and engaging story about a chemist, Elizabeth Zott, who faced with the challenges of being a woman, an unmarried mother and a scientist in the 1960s, turns to cooking on TV.

The story covers many aspects of life, work and death. I loved the quirkiness and the science. The characters, especially Mad, were brilliantly written and relatable. My only issue was that it was a long read, slow in places and the ending was just ok. I won’t spoil it though, as I still really enjoyed it and would highly recommend! I am very excited to hear this is also going to become a movie, though I doubt it will as good as the book as you really get a feel for the thoughts and feelings of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Doubleday books AND Bonnie Garmus for this book and the opportunity to review.

This book! I just had to read it after seeing all of the excitement and anticipation as we neared the publication day and it did not disappoint at all.

Elizabeth Zott has already become a beloved and inspirational character, and quite rightly so. We follow her life as she navigates both the chemistry lab and her television show, fighting at all times for women to be respected.

It is funny, moving, and has exceptional characters to fall in love with. Six-thirty the dog is a real scene-stealer!

I can’t recommend this book enough.

I really enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry, a full-on historical feminist tale of love, cooking and (of course) chemistry. Great fun, and I think almost everyone would like at least something about the book, it’s so joyful even though it sometimes tackles tough subjects.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Simplified to a single word, Lessons in Chemistry is amazing. Hilariously funny, witty and with somewhat surprising turn of events, I would truly challenge anybody not to enjoy this book. Elizabeth Zott is not your “average” woman and would happily counter that an “average woman” just doesn’t exist. Determined to live her life to her full potential and ignore what would be considered the “societal norms” of a 1950’s/60’s housewife/mother, Zott is a woman we should all aspire to and wish our daughters to be.
Although described as hilariously funny by myself and many other book bloggers, Lessons in Chemistry also features some very important issues including discrimination, sexism, both sexual and physical assault as well as how under valued and unappreciated women were in society. As a female in a health profession with a love of science (not a nurse I might add!), it’s disturbing to think that my career would just not have been possible or accepted for women in the 50’s. Whilst I am pleased that women are also encouraged and able to have careers within previously male dominated areas such as maths, science and engineering today, it is also saddening to think we have not overcome all of the issues raised in this book. Whilst being entertaining and funny, this is an incredibly thought provoking read.
That being said, Lessons in Chemistry is not serious or “heavy” and I wouldn’t wish to discourage potential readers. Elizabeth is a fantastic and well developed character, as is her intelligent and strong daughter Mad however my absolute favourite has to be “six-thirty”. A bizarre and absurd name for a dog however six-thirty’s personality shone throughout the book. I’ve never read a book where the dog has a voice for the reader, it’s imaginative and refreshing and I feel six-thirty is expressing all the thoughts our beloved canine companions have day to day.

Overall Lessons in Chemistry is a fabulous debut book and one of my favourites of the year so far. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to all my family and friends and I hope the soon-to-be TV series really does it justice!

Lessons in Chemistry is a well deserved 5 star read, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable, entertaining story that is hard to put down!

Although this is based on the 1960s, this book will appeal to all ages. Filled with unique and quirky characters, it's hard not to adore the main character Elizabeth Zott and her trusted canine companion, Six-Thirty, who has a voice of his own to the reader! This was a new element to me but incredibly refreshing and lovable. Giving the dog character is just one way this book is different to anything else I have read before.

There are extreme elements to this plot around women's rights and how women were viewed as under-appreciated and not classed as valued members of society. Although this is a significant issue, the writing style means it is not heavy.

Lessons in Chemistry is faultless as a debut read, and I can not wait to read more from this author in the future!

Elizabeth is bold and headstrong, who is out of place in a man's world in the 1960s. When fate intervenes and pushes her to Calvin another unpopular chemist, life takes a different turn. She hadn't planned on any of this and life just keeps throwing her challenges. She is a survivor and determined to prove everyone wrong. A very funny story proving that you can do anything that you want.

I had heard a lot of really positive reviews of this book which prompted me to read it. I'm so pleased I did!

This book is absolutely wonderful, full of humour and heartbreak, it had me gripped all the way through. I completely loved all of the characters but the main character, Elizabeth Zott, is one I'll remember for a long time. She is strong and determined and pays little to no attention to those around her telling her she "can't".

This is a book I will re-read and its one I will be recommending to everyone, absolutely fantastic debut!

This gave me my reading mojo back!! After two books I really didn't enjoy I ventured into the reading class for some Lessons In Chemistry....and so glad I did!! Bonnie Backus has written a wonderful book, a little slow to start but picking up pace at a speed of knots and really upping the ante!! My faith in a good book restored, I swept through this, the amazing Elizabeth Zott as the central character, blazing in a career seen as a man's remit....she is bold, brave and truly inspirational!!!
I loved the uniqueness of her character, pushing limits many writers prefer to steer clear of, she is fun and challenging yet one very determined lady. I'm not hesitating to recommend this one to anyone who wants to know if a good book to read this year.... This book lives up to it's cover...co!ourful, nostalgic and very much a teaching tool for the modern lady....A superb debut!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley for my copy, this is my unbiased review.

Even though the science in this book was completely lost on me this is by far one of my most favourite ever reads. It is clever, ironic, witty and has the most amazing protagonist in Elizabeth Zott. She is just simply wonderful and she had me from the moment she stated “A man can make lunch Mr Pine, it’s not biologically impossible.”

My feminist heart loved her strength in adversity, refusing to kowtow to the men who deem her subordinate just because she is a woman. She is a force to be reckoned with and every thought she had I agreed with completely. She is a pioneer, an outlier in a world where women should just want to get married and have babies. Elizabeth knows what she is and that’s a scientist.

Then there is the dog Six-Thirty, who Elizabeth accidentally gained and then taught words. It’s funny but I can’t actually think of a word capable of describing the dog’s thoughts and actions that happen in this book. None seem good enough, delightful, charming, astonishing, no they don’t even come close. Dolphins and cows, I mean only a dog could see that one was deemed smarter as it could do tricks. But the one not doing them was surely the smart one.

This may have been set in the 60’s but you could change the time to any decade and it would still work. This book was a breath of fresh nitrogen, oxygen, argon and carbon dioxide and I cannot recommend it enough.

What a story! I gobbled up this book in one day due to the charm that radiates from this book.It was a pure joy to read and it isn't often that I get completely swept along and can't put a book down but Bonnie Garmus has achieved so much with her writing.

Following Elizabeth Zott trying to figure her place in the world of science, a world that very much does not want her and belittles her for even trying, we meet a single mother fighting societal problems every single day through the unexpected format of a cooking show. Set in the 60s, Garmus paints an extremely vivid picture of the time and the battles that women faced but it wasn't overdone or predictable, the very matter of fact Zott through Garmus' writing simply laid out the realities of the day to day gender battles of the time. Zott's no nonsense approach was refreshing and amusing. Her character is fully formed and it isn't about liking the character but more respecting her. I was on Zott's side the entire story. This book is enjoyable from the very first sentence and simply a really really fantastic story.

Thank you for the ARC!

I’m not sure there are enough superlatives in the world to fully do this novel justice!

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist; she is very serious about chemistry. Unfortunately, this is the sixties and the view of most men – including those in charge at Hastings Research Industries is that women cannot have careers in their world; they should be at home, raising babies and caring for their menfolk. All except one, Calvin Evans; and when he and Elizabeth meet, true chemistry takes place. However, life is unpredictable and fast forward a few years and Elizabeth is a single mother with a very successful television cooking show; the secret to her success is that she produces meals scientifically and the female audience loves it! But they are learning so much more from Elizabeth – they are beginning to believe in themselves and their male counterparts don’t like it, not one little bit . . .

Here’s a book that I wholeheartedly recommend to EVERYONE! It is truly fabulous from beginning to end with not one single word I didn’t lap up and fully enjoy. Whatever you’re expecting, the chances are this wasn't it. The characters are beautifully developed, the story is addictive – I struggled between taking time to digest what I had just read and desperately wanting to read, read, read! This is an absolutely amazing novel and one I cannot recommend enough; if you only read one book this year, please make it this one. Everything about it touched my soul – and I don’t say that very often. Elizabeth Lott, I salute you! Five bright, sparkling stars – nothing else will do.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this novel via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

What is not to love about Elizabeth Zott? I loved this book: my top read so far this year, other books are going to have to go some way to beat this!

Set in the 1950's, Elizabeth is the antithesis of a typical housewife. She is blunt, direct and extremely literal in her observations and expectations - I really wanted to be this woman! Elizabeth is educated and is a passionate, knowledgeable chemist, but living in such a male dominated world means that her opportunities are always limited and short-lived. Everything that Elizabeth undertakes is given the same amount of focus and completed with precision, even when faced with the unpalatable task of parenting alone, she remains determined and fulfils the role with authority - albeit, unconventionally! From choosing names for her dog and daughter to menu planning and delivering tv shows - everything that Zott does is done in an unorthodox manner.

The cover is eye-catching and possibly looks like it will be a frivolous read, but this is far from the case - the chemical explanations are both accessible and detailed, so I learnt a lot of interesting facts from this book and will never look at my kitchen and cookery exploits in quite the same way! The characters are well defined, and very easy to imagine! I guess Garmus is drawing on some stereotypes but it works so well and I loved every moment of this book.

Ah what a story! I was already sold on the premise - a cooking show presented scientifically by the indomitable Elizabeth Zott - and found this such a satisfying read. There are themes of love, feminism, religion, vanity all expertly woven into the fabric of the lives of Elizabeth, her daughter Mad, their neighbour Harriet and their intuitive dog, named Six-Thirty. There's a quirkiness here but it only serves to underline the injustices in society that Bonnie writes about so effectively. It had me laughing, gasping, raging, and just enjoying hanging out with these people so much. Thoroughly recommend.

Despite the colourful cover, comedic characters, and generally light tone of the writing, this wasn't the light-hearted, feel-good novel I felt I was promised. Elizabeth Zott struggled to find her place and purpose throughout the whole book, and had no sympathy for the tragedy or abuse she had suffered, it was an emotionally difficult read for me, at times a traumatic one Spoiler for trigger warnings: (on page rape and sexual, and physical assault, which is referred to at times throughout the rest of the book), and an ultimately sad one.

I really liked the writing, but I went to it with this promise from the blurb "Your ability to change everything - including yourself - starts here" Elizabeth's main characteristic is that she continually refuses to acknowledge that the mid 20th-century world that she lives in is a man's world, she is unchanging and unrelenting, that is her strength and her downfall, and the source of her constant disappointment with the world she finds herself in, so she doesn't change herself at all. Her TV show does give women a sense that they are more than men and the male society of the time would have them believe, but in providing this education through a TV show, the book implies that pretty much all of the women other than Elizabeth Zott need to be told this, that they are not bright enough to come to that conclusion themselves. I get that sometimes it does take one voice to wake people out of complacency, but the way it was shown made Elizabeth look superior, and the rest of female society as needing to be enlightened which was kind of patronising in itself.

Elizabeth is sad and depressed all the way through the book, she has good reason to be, but I can't understand why it is being marketed as uplifting or joyful, I was so drained and disheartened by the end of it, not least because her story is set in the mid-20th century, yet I have experienced and am obviously very aware of, similar attitudes and abuse still being very much prevalent today. While the male dominant society is a less readily accepted narrative now, the behaviours are still there, and that is also depressing.

Elizabeth's opportunities too, and where she finds herself at the end of the book: the payoff for her struggles, are not the result of her hard work being acknowledged, but are the culmination of a string of lucky coincidences, being in the right place at the right time, and ultimately, having a very rich investor notice her because of her relationship to her famous male scientist romantic interest. Despite her struggles with colleagues and the men in positions of power or authority, she does manage to move from one good job to the next with apparent ease, and gets the TV job through a lucky encounter, professionally, she gets along way more easily than any of the other women in the story, and in life generally. Through her TV position, she encourages other women to follow her path, without warning them, or preparing them, for the harsh reality she faced in her day-to-day life working in the sciences, by empowering these women, but not relating the dangers or potential hardships they might face, felt a bit foolhardy, but was true to her character, as she continually refused to acknowledge or recognise the society she was in. Her particular happy ending, while deserved and worked for, is not something that all women can achieve or strive for, but a handout from a female relation of her male colleague and boyfriend (she is actually referred to as a fairy godmother), no male attitudes were changed, her boss never acknowledges her work, but is just fired by the investor, the society and systems don't change at all, so the final messaging felt a bit abrupt, fairytale-like, and off point to me.

There are multiple points of view, the daughter is way ahead of her age, not just in her advanced reading, but in how she sees the world and interacts with random strangers, the dog is a funny addition, but none of the characters go through any kind of arc, most stick with the views and positions they began with, so it is not a character development kind of story, though it is character, rather than plot, led.

Three stars because I really liked the writing style, the humour, and the premise. It was a quick and easy read, but, for me, it didn't live up to it's promise.

Trigger warnings: this book contains bullying, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse and rape, depression, and loss.

This story is hugely entertaining although has to be read with a pinch of salt. I was rooting for Elizabeth, Mad, Calvin, et al every step of the way but being old I don't begin to imagine life at that time for such individual characters would've been anything nearly so amusing as the story seems to suggest. Despite my old age cynicism I loved this book, Six Thirty was undoubtedly my hero throughout. What a debut!

A Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Goodreads review

I got A Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus for free from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

A Lesson in Chemistry tells, the story of Elizabeth Zot, who as all the skills to be a chemist, however this is the late 50’s early 60’s America, a time when women had no equal rights.
They could not even write a cheque and sign it without a man also having to sign it.
So she ends up presenting a day time TV cooking show.
There are times when I read a novel such as A Lesson in Chemistry, which are historical fiction, that examines issues that are both relevant when the novel is set as well as the present day. Where the issue takes over the novel entirely.
This can range from the characterisation, writing and even the plot line which is used to examine this issue. I can Clearly say that A Lesson in Chemistry is not one of those novels.
Firstly, the opening chapter of the novel had me both entertained and gripped to the book in writing style and the main character, Elizabeth Zott. Who is a chemist as well as a single mother of a child who is losing weight even though she gives her daughter the correct nutrients and celeries in the food she takes to school?
Secondly there are times that this book was funny, especially the episode of the show that had mushrooms in it, this scene had me laughing out loud, which is something books very rarely do.
Third I am going to have to say Elizabeth’s dog called Six-Thirty, (the daughter is called Mad), I will let you read the book to find out why.
Six-Thirty was a dog that had his own personality and there were times when the writer goes into the dog’s mind. Which really adds to the story at that time with light relief as the story does deal with some deep issues.
The only weakness for me was the ending, while the novel itself was so good the ending seemed very predictable, from about halfway through. Having said that this is a novel that was not damaged by the ending, just let down slightly by it being predictable.
However, with the deadpan dog, and Elizabeth Zot, along with all the other characters I Have not mentioned A Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, is definitely a must read book.