I purchased this book and audiobook for my own personal collection.
Publisher: Doubleday Books / Random House Audio
Published: April 5, 2022
Summary:
A delight for readers of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this blockbuster debut set in 1960s California features the singular voice of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show.
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:
I cannot believe I put off reading this book for as long as I did…and then put off writing this review. I got this book back in April and somehow never ended up reading it until December, despite hearing everyone rave about it for months. And of course, I loved it! It landed on my top reads of the year and will be a book I will recommend to everyone! So, how fitting that I finally get around to doing my review on International Women’s Day…because I cannot think of any character more fitting of this accolade than Elizabeth Zott!
Let me just say, the hype for this book is real. If that puts you off, don’t let it. This book is the real deal!!! It has heart, humor, soul and everything else and I loved every second I spent with this one. I laughed, I cried and I felt so inspired reading this one. It’s witty, it’s zany, it makes you cringe and yet it has some of the best characters, including a dog named Six-thirty (and you’ll just have to read the story to find out why the dog is named that!) that just melted my heart!
I loved Elizabeth Zott’s character. Set in the 1960’s, she is not your typical female, following in the path of what women traditionally did – become a housewife. She wanted a career – in science – and wasn’t willing to let anything or anyone deter her. I loved her moxy and while there were some uncomfortable parts in her journey to get where she wanted to go, I loved being with her through it all. Yes, there is some romance along the way, but this is not a romantic story. This is a story about women’s rights and fighting for what you want. Elizabeth Zott was an early feminist and she fights those gender stereotypes with her heart and soul.
This, to me, is a must-read and will go down as an all-time favorite read. Both Elizabeth Zott and Six-thirty have become favorite characters that I know I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. For a debut novel, Bonnie Garmus sure knocked it out of the park with this one!
Audio thoughts:
Of course I listened to this one, even though I had the print copy. I heard the audio was fantastic and I had to hear it for myself and it was. The narrator, Miranda Raison, did a fantastic job bringing this book to life. I was so invested in this story, partly because of the story itself and partly because of the way Miranda voiced the characters. It really was just the “chefs kiss” and I cannot think of a better narrator for this one. I know that I will probably end up listening to this one again just because I loved it so much!
