Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel

The subject matter is what made this book so great for me. I grew up in the 50s and 60s an experienced firsthand the challenges for women not only in the 50s and 60s but into the 70s and 80s. This is not the kind of book I would normally pick up, but I have to say I believe it will go down as one of my absolute favorite novels. The characters were alk unique and diverse, and yet I still felt able to relate and understand them. Even the dog had remarkable insight, and the author is truly talented and her ability to develop that character.

The writing, the story, the dialogue - all so good! It is labeled as “feminist fiction” which I wouldn’t say is a genre I usually enjoy, but I did really enjoy this one.

SO well written! Thanks to all the women on the front line. Loved it!

Bored me. I couldn't stay with it. I prefer the TV series. Haha.

Unexpected. Reminded me of John Irving.

This book is a treasure!
I think it is one of the best books that I have read in my life! There is an abundance of reasons. One of them, brought back memories of my mother! She was the 7th child in her family, the three oldest girls and her mother took over the kitchen and did over the kitchen, she was only allowed in to do dishes and sweep the floor. So, never having the chance to cook, she was unsure of herself. In college, she was training tot be a Home Economics teacher but she was grand in Chemistry! She did what the main character did in the cooking show, explained to me that cooking was chemistry and how it work to change the ingredients to something complete new. I had this experience myself when I made mayonnaise in my high school Home Economics class! It was amazing, you could tell the exact moment when each person’s mixture became mayonnaise! Oh! Ah! Wows!

Sexual discrimination that Elizabeth Zott experienced when trying to get her Ph’d and job seeking were still around when I was in college and later applied for job. It took me many years to learn the self worth that she had.

That is just a few of the reasons why I loved this book.

A Fabulous debut with an unforgettable feminist who inspires one to never accept the limitations others impose on you. Witty, empowering and page-turning!

5 STARS for Six-thirty, Calvin, Harriet and Madeline! = 3 for early plot loss of Calvin Evans and for way too many heartfelt ending coincidences.

As well, for no reasons given why she kept Mad going to a bad school for so long...

“Idiots make it into every company. They tend to interview well.”

“…while stupid people may not know they’re stupid because they’re stupid, surely unattractive people must know they’re unattractive because of mirrors.”

I knew this was a popular book but had avoided it due to an assumption it would either be radically feminist or too much of a chick lit. Luckily it was neither. It was a frank and darkly funny view on not just being a woman in the 1950s-60s but being a woman who had the audacity to have a brain and want to use it.

Yes, the characters were a tad odd and annoying at times, but that is life, not everyone is likeable 100% of the time. Again, some of the plot was far-fetched and a bit silly, but if you can’t find humour in an intelligent and sapient dog like Six-Thirty, then you are a bore.

Some readers have left angry reviews about triggering events that were not satisfactorily resolved (e.g. SA, misogyny, plagiarism/misappropriation, female jealousy, premarital conception, wrongful dismissal etc. etc.). Readers need to remember that 2025 is very different to 1965 (although admittedly it doesn’t always feel that way) and that these issues were often not resolved in a way we would expect today, if at all. Perhaps instead of being angry at the author, people should be angry at the systems that continue to allow and accept this behaviour.

I work in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response and women's empowerment, so unsurprisingly I had many people recommend this book to me. However what they failed to consider is that since I do this all day every day, I don't really want to read about graphic sexual assault and gleeful misogyny in my free time. When it was first recommended, I got as far as the assault on Elizabeth by her thesis advisor (chapter 1) before I had to put it down, and didn't pick it back up again for over a year. I'm glad I finally did, even though I definitely skimmed through the more painful parts. Elizabeth's unapologetic intelligence and kindness were wonderful, as was the slow creation of her quirky chosen family. And I loved the dorky focus on rowing. I'd recommended, with a trigger warning attached.

Bonnie Garmus's debut novel, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY (2023) was a global bestseller, and has already received literally thousands of reviews, mostly positive, and they SHOULD be, because Garmus has crafted an absorbing and complex, wildly entertaining story of early feminism in the 1950s, with an unforgettable protagonist in Elizabeth Zott, a beautiful but humorless realist who often made me laugh out loud. Zott is a serious chemist, a field which refused to take women seriously, so she is compelled by circumstances to host a TV cooking show, "Supper at Six," in which she teaches her women viewers how to see their own worth. There's a love story in here too, but male chauvinistic behavior often takes center stage, as Elizabeth, a single mother, struggles to cope, which she does, and admirably. There is comedy here, and there is also tragedy. Oh, and there's a dog too. My wife loved this book, and so did I. Its enormous success is well deserved. Bravo, Ms Garmus! My very highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER

I hardly ever give a book 5 stars, but this one deserves it! Starting my own career in the late 60s, I came up through the ranks at a time when strong women were not understood or appreciated - although I was lucky enough to have mentors who helped me succeed and encouraged me. So, I could definitely relate to Elizabeth Zott, the star of this novel. It was funny too - loved Mad and the dog Six-Thirty. Just altogether a great book - loved it!!

Why did it take me so long to read this popular book ? I looked at it often in in the bookstore and the library, but the cover said chick lit to me, which is not a genre I enjoy.

Instead , this story had so much depth, and strong interesting characters, many of whom had experienced tragedy and sorrow. But it is also an entertaining novel that offers humour and hope.

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. She is strong minded young woman, and lacking in social skills . She struggles to be accepted in in her field of study and socially. She meets a brilliant scientist, Calvin Evans , who is lonely and struggles socially as well. Each have tragic pasts. The two meet and fall in love, but life is unpredictable , and in a few years Elizabeth finds herself a single mother, as well as the host of a TV cooking show, both things most unexpected to her.


Highly recommended.

Unusual book. Not what I expected. Not my favorite, but not bad.

A very easy listen that book was although ridiculously unrealistic at times and I was offended with the disappointing and simplistic view about vegetarianism

Read 100 pgs but wasn’t for me, too bitingly pessimistic and. not enjoyable.

simplistic. plucky heroine overcomes odds... feminism for the oprah crowd

So beautifully written. I love the story arcs, and together with the characters, they weave together such a beautiful story.

Truly one of the most delightful books I have ever read! I had seen and read about this book many times but it just never appealed to me. Then my VERY BEST friend after recommending it in countless conversations sent me a copy. That is just one of the reasons she is my best friend.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
like this book because it's just so technical on many subjects.
Follows Elizabeth who is a female scientist but it's the 50's and women are not in the field. She goes after what she wants and others do come to her for her help.
She matches up with Calvin, who grew up as an orphan but they connected in many ways. She has rules about the future, no wedding, no marriage, no kids. It's all about her work as a scientist. She has all new dreams once he's gone. She does get employment and Ilove how she teaches the dog words, lots of them along with her daughter. Elizabeth reminds me of Paige from the tv show Scorpion, so super smart but can put things into English for the rest of us.
Love how she is determined to advance her career and she actually meets the people in charge of Hastings... Love family tree and those on it and how Mad knew who to put...
Great entertainment and lots of twists and turns.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Not nearly as gripping as popular culture would persuade you. It took me three tries and promise of agood dog character. Did not deliver the dog I wanted.

I did eventually enjoy some of the company; Walter especially. The core characters were all nice, but the surrounding masses were pretty awful. There is some redemption, particularly of the females.
There was a half hour interview with the author at the end of the audio book.

Excellent! Great characters.

I expected a chick-lit novel, but this is so much more. It's about women's empowerment, independence, courage, and support for one another. Bonnie Garmus writes so well it is hard to believe this is her first book. The only thing that mars this book is the sentimental and almost too-perfect ending.

This is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me--and I went back and forth on how to rate it. At the beginning I was underwhelmed, but the story grew on me as I listened to it. It's set in the 1960s I believe--at a time when women scientists were few and women in most workplaces dealt with sexual harassment. What I liked: *Elizabeth Zott--a female in chemistry at a time when there were probably few women chemists in the United States *That Elizabeth didn't dumb down her cooking show for the female audience but believed that they could understand complex chemical concepts--and for encouraging women to follow their dreams even if their skill set fell outside what the norms for women at the time were. *SixThirty (the dog). I just fell in love with him from the time he was introduced. What I didn't like: *Much as I do feel Calvin and Elizabeth were soulmates--I didn't like that they never got married (Elizabeth seemed opposed to marriage)--and I didn't like that they were intimate outside of marriage. We don't really know if Elizabeth's pregnancy would have changed their relationship status. *Sexist attitudes: Elizabeth's professor, Elizabeth's boss at Hastings, Mrs. Mudford Etc.

This was just fantastic. Also, my favorite character might be 6:30, although, I really found every character to be great in their own way.

So many people claimed that Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ranked as an exceptional novel. Yes, the book provides questions and answers concerning females in the workforce, but the abundance of chemistry terms in the book repelled me. The story centers on Elizabeth Zott and her quest to promote her skills in chemistry, but her male co-workers and boss all take credit for Elizabeth accomplishments. Then, a glimmer of hope at the end of the rainbow, as Elizabeth becomes a renown television cooking hostess utilizing her chemistry skills. Supporting characters, such as Harriet Sloane, Six-Thirty, Wakely, and Calvin Evans ease the story in support of quirky Elizabeth. And last, but not least, shines the highly intelligent Madeline, the daughter of Elizabeth. A story filled with hope, but, again, too much chemistry.

My expectations were high, the results were disappointing.

4.25 stars

Elizabeth Zott is a scientist – a chemist – but it’s the 1950s/1960s, so she’s not really taken seriously (and is even treated badly, at times). Except when she meets and starts dating another chemist, the famous (amongst scientists, anyway) Calvin Evans; Calvin takes her seriously. Elizabeth has no plans to marry, however (nor does she want kids), so it’s a scandal when she becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, by the time Mad(eline) is born, Calvin has died in an accident. So Elizabeth is now a single mom. She is let go at her job (as a chemist), so although she has no interest in cooking on television, she takes this job that is offered to her. But she turns this cooking show around and turns it into a chemistry/cooking show for women.

This was fun! I loved Elizabeth. She is smart, she is tough. Good for her for everything she did and tried to do. Plenty of humourous parts thrown in.

"Lessons in Chemistry," by Bonnie Garmus, is a seriocomic novel about two scientists who fall madly in love. The book opens in 1961, but flashes back to the fifties. Thirty-year-old Elizabeth Zott is a chemist and single parent, whose brilliant and blunt daughter, five-year-old Madeline (Mad), is bullied by her teacher and peers. The feminist movement had yet to become a force in America, so Elizabeth's refusal to defer to her male colleagues makes her an outlier.

After being blackballed from working in a laboratory, Elizabeth is reduced to hosting a cooking show on television. However, in defiance of her producer, she turns her program into a combination chemistry lecture and food demonstration. She makes delicious dishes while discussing molecules, bonds, heat, and nutrition. Furthermore, she balks at wearing makeup or snug dresses; trashes her sponsor's product; and makes up her own lines. Her superiors threaten to fire her but, much to everyone's shock, "Supper at Six" becomes a surprise hit.

Garmus maintains a farcical tone throughout, with exaggerated characters that include lecherous bosses, a snotty early childhood teacher, and a lazy and avaricious bishop who lies to attract funding. The book initially centers around Elizabeth's love affair with her soul mate, Calvin Evans, and her struggle to make it in a man's world. Zott is uncompromising, businesslike, and intent on encouraging Madeline to be true to herself. The Zotts have a marvelous dog named "six-thirty," who knows the meaning of hundreds of words and works behind the scenes to help his owners. "Lessons in Chemistry" is amusing, quirky, silly, and touching. The author gives us a taste of what society was like before women stood up for themselves. It also foreshadows a time when little girls could realistically dream of becoming politicians, astronauts, surgeons, and pilots, in addition to being wives and mothers.

This would make a good book group book for those who really like to discuss things even when they disagree - lots of topics to explore if you're willing to hear everyone's take. It seems to bring out a love-it or hate-it (or a mix of both!) reaction in readers. I personally am not a fan of this book, but the conversations I've had and overhead about it are fascinating. Thank you, Bonnie Garmus - a winner of a debut because it is absolutely getting talked about!