In short: I could not recommend this book enough.

In full: Bonnie Garmus' debut novel Lessons in Chemistry is like no other book I have read before. Elizabeth Zott is a brilliantly opinionated female protagonist and a great role model. As a chemist-turned-TV-show-host, Elizabeth inspires women across America with her novel yet no-nonsense approach to cooking. However, not everyone is impressed.
Nevertheless, Elizabeth is not the only character worthy of praise - Six-Thirty, Harriet Sloane, and Reverend Wakely also stand out. This book is packed full of humorous lines and emotional moments; tackling misogyny and sexual assault, amongst other themes. If I could climb inside this novel I would and I won't rest until all my friends have read Lessons in Chemistry.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

In 1960s America, Elizabeth Zott is discriminated against continually as a female scientist. She finds happiness with Calvin Evans, a very eminent scientist with a tragic past, but a series of events leads to Elizabeth living a very different life to the one she had hoped for.

WOW, WOW, WOWWWW..... this book is AMAZING! It's immediately gone on to my best books ever list - fantastic story, wonderful characters... prepare to fall in love with Elizabeth! Very highly recommended - READ IT NOW!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

An unusual read and an unlikely heroine. Elizabeth Zott is a female scientist in 1950s/60s America. Everything is a struggle - especially to be taken seriously. When she meets well respected scientist Calvin Evans in the lab and they fall in love, life is no less controversial and unconventional. Unexpectedly finding herself a single mother changes Elizabeth's life. Some of the humour in the book, such as converting the kitchen, is sad too, as she shouldn't have to give up her work, or deny who she is, because of her sex. She finds support in unexpected places, and the wonderful SixThirty is such a character. When Elizabeth combines chemistry with cooking and educates the nation she becomes a much loved character. But she recognises this can't be her life. With a wonderful cast of backing characters including her daughter, Mad, (the story of her name is priceless), neighbour Harriet, Walter Pine, Rev Wakely, Miss Frask and Dr Mason, the story of Elizabeth Zott is a wonderful one. #netgalley #lessonsinchemistry

I adore this book! Elizabeth Zott is a superb character who will find her way into your heart.

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist and doesn’t understand why the fact she is a woman should hinder this! Zott is not prepared to stand by while 1960s values tell her how to behave.

Elizabeth’s story is full of heartache and sadness, yet it is also full of joy, friendship and change.

Elizabeth steals the show but every other character in the book is also fabulously written, some you will love, some your will hate and some move from one category to the other.

This book will be perfect for lovers of Eleanor oliphant and the Rosie project. Quirky, easy to read and poignant. Read it now!!

We like to think we've come a long way since the 60s but have we? In terms of gender politics, we probably haven't moved on as far as we think. Yes, women have more opportunities with regards to the workplace and education. However, it's still not a great time to be a woman. Especially an opinionated woman. Instead of being celebrated for her self-confidence, an assertive woman is still regularly shot-down. She is bitchy or over-emotional rather than authoritative.

Elizabeth Zott is an opinionated woman. She knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. Unfortunately, what she wants is to be a chemist in 1960s America. That's no mean feat even before you take into account her tenacity. Which is one of the reasons why Elizabeth Zott has ended up hosting an afternoon cooking show. Admittedly, a cooking show that feels more like a science show but a cooking show nonetheless. A very popular cooking show. As well as teaching them how to cook, Elizabeth is giving housewives across America the confidence they need to change their lives. Of course, not everyone is happy about that.

Although I was absolutely ecstatic about that. I absolutely adored this book from the very beginning. It not only captures the era but it's a feminist book that doesn't reply on tired dystopian tropes to get its message across. Instead, it presents several themes that are just as relevant today as they ever were and uses the historical setting to show how outdated they are. That's not to say this is a preachy book. Everything is handled so carefully and there is plenty of fun here. Elizabeth might be a serious woman but she is also very funny. I loved spending time with her.

And it's not just Elizabeth. I'm normally a bit iffy on multiple perspective novels but this pulls it off in such an effortless way. The narrative changes perspective between different characters not only between chapters but in the middle of them. It has the feel of a film or television series. Events are retold from different characters' viewpoints so that the full story builds up slowly. The mystery is allowed to unravel before our eyes without seeming as though Bonnie Garmus is dragging it out. It's incredible. And there's so many layers to this story.

Before her television work, Elizabeth had a job in a lab. She never really fit in and her coworkers tended to find her odd, irritating and cold. They don't believe she is has any talent as a scientist and assume she slept her way into the job. It doesn't matter that Elizabeth is brilliant at her job and puts many of her male colleagues to shame, she is always undermined by the men around her. Until she meets Calvin Evans. Evans is another brilliant scientist who, like Elizabeth, doesn't have many fans at work. After a rocky start the pair fall in love. Unfortunately, life doesn't always have a happy ending and Elizabeth finds herself an unwed, single mother.

This is when the novel becomes part mystery novel. Elizabeth's daughter sets out to find more about her family. She looks to uncover what she can about Calvin but her mother doesn't have much information herself. As the novel goes on, the different storylines all converge to bring about a highly satisfying ending. I don't normally cry at books but I was weeping tears of joy by the end. Considering I'd spent so much of the novel full of rage by the very realistic displays of misogyny, it was a lovely way to finish. <em>Lessons in Chemistry</em> is a heartwarming, funny, sad, clever, original novel. The characters were so well written and the dialogue was sharp and natural. This is an amazing debut and an amazing novel in general. Already one of my top books of the year. It was an absolute pleasure to read and I can't wait to revisit it.

This story just blew my mind! It was a great story and I hope to read more from Bonnie Garmus!.
It begins in the 1960's with two intelligent odd balls who don't really fit in anywhere and struggle to make and keep friends after suffering horrid childhoods. Calvin and Elizabeth. Fast forward to their early twenties and they literally run into each other and slowly but surely fall in love. But the story doesn't end there. It tells of how Elizabeth is treated as a second class citizen at work and in life, although she's a very intelligent woman but so are all the women at that time and they lie down and take it which annoys Elizabeth and she wants things to change. Calvin is the top chemist in the company she works for but Elizabeth, who works so hard to get results, has her work stolen and someone else takes the credit for this work. Calvin is fascinated by her and so proud of all that she achieves. He quietly helps her in the background unbeknown to her!!. Then Elizabeth suffers a shocking and sudden loss plus loses her job for a really stupid reason. So she's suddenly going to be a single mother and has to turn around and get a job...She meets a school dad called Walter Pine who sees the strong, intelligent and beautiful woman that she is and wants her to be in an afternoon cooking show that he's producing....
Elizabeth is so inspiring and I found myself cheering when she had a win at any point and really sad when things didn't go her way.
This book is full of great characters with stories of their own that make the book so fascinating so I read on and on and on!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley,#randomhouse,#bonnie_garmus_author.

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

An absolutely brilliant debut novel! One that will definitely be in my top reads of 2022.

We are authentically transported back to the late 1950s/early 1960s in this beautifully written book — Bonnie Garmus’ writing style is refreshingly original and a joy to read.

Featuring a wonderful, well-drawn, well-developed, quirky cast of characters. Elizabeth Zott is the perfect protagonist — her likeable personality and unconventional, unorthodox views (for the time) had me rooting for her from beginning to end. I loved all the main characters but my favourite (I defy you not to love him too!) was Elizabeth’s intelligent, faithful, compassionate companion — her dog, Six-thirty.

Although Lessons in Chemistry deals with some serious issues (misogyny/sexism/sexual assault), and it did bring a tear to my eye (more than once), it still manages to be a charming, humorous, uplifting read.

I loved it!

Prepare for Elizabeth Zott to become your new hero! As a woman in 1960s America she struggles to be taken seriously. As a woman scientist...well! She faces adversity at every turn yet she will not be beaten. She stands up for herself and her beliefs, she doesn't conform and that makes people uncomfortable. When she unexpectedly finds herself as a TV chef, she sees an opportunity to teach "housewives" about science as well as cooking. People are angry and try to stop her but she continues in her usual determined way, inspiring a whole generation of women to believe in themselves and challenge the status quo. This story grabbed me from the beginning and had me feeling rage and indignation as well as joy and hope. Would definitely recommend.

What a great read! I loved this book and everyone in it. (bar a few), and for a debut!!! Wow!

There is a lot of love for this book on Instagram and rightly so in my opinion. Brilliant main characters, great writing, sadness, frustration, yet laugh out loud moments. This novel has it all. Plus the author managers to convey a deep, powerful story in an extremely easy to read format and enjoyable, warm and funny story.

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in 1960’s America. A time when society placed women in the home and below men on all levels. So for Elizabeth to be working at Hastings Research Institute at this time is remarkable, but it has not been an easy ride, not by any means, and it still isn’t! So when catastrophic events occur in Elizabeth’s life, she has no choice but to look for a new path.

NEVER willing to give up, and this is what makes her such a great character, Elizabeth finds herself hosting Supper At Six on TV.

I’m not going to say anything about the plot as I think this is a great read going into knowing as little as possible. The characters are extremely well drawn, and I loved Elizabeth’s own unique ways of showing her warmth and utter determination in all she does. Plus this tremendous effect she has on all the people she meets. Great characters especially six-thirty and Mad, (would love to see a follow up novel to see her progression) and just such a joy to read. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the publishers for an advanced reading copy via NetGalley.

What an uplifting book! Elizabeth Zott is a research chemist in 1960s who has spent her whole life fighting for her job: facing being groped by her university tutor, put down by her boss and even had her work stolen.
She meets Calvin Evans a brilliant scientist and rower and they become soul mates. When tragedy strikes she is forced to find work and is forced to become a TV cook and becomes famous.
Back in the 1960s it was thought that a women's place was at home having babies and supporting her husband's much more important life. Women were openly discriminated against for wanting to work. This book reminds us how far we've come with equality in the workplace.
The story was a joy to read. I laughed and cried and was outraged on Elizabeth's behalf. The supporting characters all add flavour to the equality story making a thought-provoking story.

What an absolute joy Lessons in Chemistry was to read! I'm confidently expecting that it will become the feel-good hit of the season.

That said, it's not a book full of sunshine and kittens by any means - terrible and unfair things happen to the central character and her nearest and dearest on a frequent basis. But Elizabeth Zott is such an effervescent and inspiring character that one can't help but get caught up in her story and cheer her on.
"Once a research chemist, Elizabeth Zott was a woman with flawless skin and an unmistakable demeanour of someone who was not average and never would be." (Loc.49)
A brief prologue set in November 1961 introduces the central character, research chemist-turned-TV presenter Elizabeth Zott, and gives us a glimpse of what is to come. The book then moves back to the mid-1950s and the (fictional) town of Commons, southern California. Elizabeth is one of very few women employed at the Hastings Research Institute, and faces a constant uphill battle to garner the respect she and her work deserve, in the face of constant and unrelenting misogyny and sexual innuendo. One day, while on a mission to hijack some much-needed scientific equipment from a better-resourced lab, she meets the lab's wunderkind, Calvin Evans, a man who has a reputation for social awkwardness and bearing grudges. It's a match made in heaven...

The first half of the book builds the background for Zott's seemingly unlikely choice to turn her back on the scientific mainstream and take up a career in television. The second half follows her barnstorming journey to capture the hearts and minds of American women in her ostensibly domestic afternoon programme - Supper at Six. Zott resists all efforts by the production company and her long-suffering director/producer Walter Pine to mould both herself and the programme according to their own expectations, and in the process creates something very special indeed. In Supper at Six, Zott introduces the concept of food science to her audience, decades ahead of her time in the mainstream context. She explains fascinating physical science processes in the practical context of cooking. Had I had a teacher like Zott, I might have done a lot better at high-school chemistry than I actually did!

While there's a delightful sense of wonder as we follow Elizabeth, her hilariously precocious daughter Mad and their remarkably perceptive pet dog, Six-Thirty, in their very untraditional - for the 1960s - lives, there is a deeper current to the story. Author Bonnie Garmus explores issues including sexism, gender roles, social mores around marriage and parenthood, the impact of childhood and family trauma, the importance of community and the courage necessary to stand up and change things for the better.

Any reader who believes in gender equality will feel rightly agitated throughout the course of the book, but it's ultimately an uplifting and heart-warming story, featuring a central cast of wonderful characters, doing their best when faced with some genuinely horrible villains.

I'd highly recommend Lessons in Chemistry to any reader, female or male, who enjoys mid-century historical fiction, luminous characters and the us-against-the-world trope. It's a fabulous read, to which I fear I really cannot do justice in this review.

My heartfelt thanks to the author, Bonnie Garmus, publishers Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book in advance of its publication on 5 April 2022.

The 1960s was not a good time to be a career woman of any sort, let alone a woman who wanted nothing more than to be a research chemist. Female scientist Elizabeth Zott completed her Masters degree in Chemistry at UCLA, but had her offer to enrol in a doctorate rescinded when she stabbed the head of the research team with a pencil after he attempted to take advantage of her.

She found a position as a junior scientist at Hastings Research Institute in southern California, although found the the lab culture to be just as toxic there. She was considered difficult because not only would she not put up with being groped, she wouldn’t make the coffee or copy notes and didn’t like the senior scientists taking credit for her work. The only other women at the Institute were mostly secretarial staff and were not sympathetic, disliking her for being beautiful and having career aspirations.

At this time, Calvin Evans was the star scientist at Hastings Research Institute in southern California, a Nobel prize winner in the making with a large lab and a large budget assigned to him while Elizabeth had to share a cramped lab with others and scrounge for equipment. However, Calvin was also not much liked by others. Tall and lanky, he was antisocial and only interested in one thing outside of Chemsitry and that was rowing. In fact rowing was the reason he accepted the job at Hastings with its sunny climate, instead of at one of the prestigious institutes that were headhunting him.

Somehow Calvin and Elizabeth were made for each other and after clashing in the lab and again at a theatre, fell in love. They were superbly happy, moved in together despite this being scandalous at the time. Elizabeth refused marriage and didn’t want children but they did acquire a dog they call Six-Thirty and were deliriously happy together, despite what their colleagues thought of them.

One year later, and Elizabeth found herself on her own with a new baby, fired from Hastings for being an unmarried mother. She turned her kitchen into a lab to continue her work, and did her best to make ends meet while bringing up her little girl Madeline, nicknamed Mad. When a father at her daughter’s school, who was a TV producer, discovered that she was not only beautiful (and thus made for TV) but also a superb cook, he invited her to try out as the host of a cooking show on afternoon TV. Elizabeth agreed but refused to do the show the way the station wanted, instead putting her own unique stamp on it and instructing women in the chemistry of cooking.

Both Calvin and Elizabeth were the products of unhappy childhoods, Elizabeth’s due to dysfunctional parents – her father now in jail for being a charlatan and her mother living in Brazil evading the US taxman. Calvin’s background was more of a mystery. He told Elizabeth his parents were killed in a car crash and then after the aunt who was caring for him died he was placed in a boys’ home, where he nevertheless received a good education due to a secret benefactor. However, he also once told a friend that he wished his father was dead. When Mad is given a school assignment to map her family tree, she decides to find out more about her father’s past and the fairy godmother/godfather who helped educate him.

This debut novel is one of the most original I have ever read. There is a lot of humour in the plot and dialogue and it is filled with some delightful characters, including a wonderful dog with a large vocabulary and Mad, an infant prodigy who is totally engaging, as well as some odious male scientists who don’t think women are smart enough to be scientists, but are happy to take credit for their work. And then there is Elizabeth herself, who is unique, single minded and determined to be herself regardless of society’s rules and the judgement of others. Her cooking show is hilarious as she refuses to be coy and sexy for the camera but teaches women that they have brains they can use and that their role in nurturing their family is of vital importance and should be valued more.

What a wonderful story, I felt so many emotions reading this. It has some very dark undertones, but it's beautifully written and a genuine warmth and humour. Elizabeth Zott is a wonderful heroine, a fantastic character, I loved her. I adore reading books that teach me new things, I did stop and few times and look a few things up.
I will be recommending this to friends and I will be re-reading this over and over. A classic in the making. Wonderful.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the advance copy.

A book that was different but is well written.

Elizabeth Zott is a scientist who is in a man’s world where they don’t treat woman the same as men they feel that woman don’t have the brains to be scientists. Elizabeth ends up falling in love with Calvin Evans who is all for equal opportunities for woman. Elizabeth ends up on TV showing woman what to cook but also at the same time teaching them chemistry. The characters I really enjoyed and thought six thirty was cute.

I would recommend this book.

Was lucky enough to get an ARC from Netgalley and this is one of the best books I've read in years. Set in the 1950s but with echoes of the continuing male entitlement that still occurs, the strength and resilience of the central characters is phenomenal. Beautifully written and utterly entertaining, a joy to read and a reminder of the brilliance that women possess

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.