400 pages
English language
Published July 10, 2022 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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 …
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.
A neurodiverse female scientist skewers the unprepared patriachy of the 1950s with her forthright progressive values. Hilarious, infuriating and deeply serious.
Reading time 2 days, 193 pages/day
A low stress read about an interesting/conincidental life - great for bedtime.
If you go in expecting a work of depressed magic realism then you might be ok. Where the cover quotes come from for it being laugh out loud funny, I have no idea. The fictional life story of a depressed woman, who is raped early on, discusses her brother's suicide, whose husband dies suddenly, whose female "friends" are also abused and depressed... Don't get me started on the 4 year old daughter with the capabilities of a mature adult. I suspect some of the book is based on the author's real-life experiences but still, I finished it purely for the dog. All of the female characters are defined by the men they are attached to, whereas male characters get to be their own person. It's pseudo-feminist stereotyping of sexist men, smart women, and autistic people. Other people have explained the issues better but I was cringing and regretting every page. …
If you go in expecting a work of depressed magic realism then you might be ok. Where the cover quotes come from for it being laugh out loud funny, I have no idea. The fictional life story of a depressed woman, who is raped early on, discusses her brother's suicide, whose husband dies suddenly, whose female "friends" are also abused and depressed... Don't get me started on the 4 year old daughter with the capabilities of a mature adult. I suspect some of the book is based on the author's real-life experiences but still, I finished it purely for the dog. All of the female characters are defined by the men they are attached to, whereas male characters get to be their own person. It's pseudo-feminist stereotyping of sexist men, smart women, and autistic people. Other people have explained the issues better but I was cringing and regretting every page. This is not the way to smash the patriarchy.
