Book Review: LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus

    

LESSONS IN CHEMSTRY

by

Bonnie Garmus

Publication Date: 29 March 2022

Publisher: Penguin

About the 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.

***

My Thoughts

Without doubt LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus will be one of my 2022 top reads. It’s original and creative; a refreshing and delightful mix of quirky, humorous, and sincere.

It’s the early 1960s and having been effectively barred from a career in science, Elizabeth Zott (a woman and a single mother – gasp!) finds herself the reluctant host of a live TV cooking show. Elizabeth soon becomes the housewife’s superhero with not only her pragmatic and scientific approach to cooking, but her respect for them as intelligent women performing an unappreciated role.  

Things are a little more chaotic in her personal life. She is struggling with episodes of depression, her daughter is insatiably curious about the concept of family, her boss is forever pleading with her to be ‘normal’, and her neighbour is (at first) equal parts judgmental and jealous of Elizabeth.    

As the story progresses, Elizabeth and her motley crew - including a dog named six-thirty - become a family of sorts. They learn from each other, they lean on each other, and they help each other.

A captivating story from debut author Bonnie Garmus. I am eagerly waiting to see what she brings us next. 

Review copy courtesy of Better Reading (Australia) and the publisher.

***

About the Author

Bonnie Garmus is a copywriter and creative director who has worked widely in the fields of technology, medicine, and education. She’s an open-water swimmer, a rower, and mother to two pretty amazing daughters. Born in California and most recently from Seattle, she currently lives in London with her husband and her dog, 99.

https://www.bonniegarmus.com/