"Lessons In Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus

[MsAmerica]

I could have sworn that I'd posted about this, but apparently not - or at least my search isn't coming up with anything.

I don't usually read contemporary fiction, but a friend - from whom I don't usually take book recommendations - loved Lessons In Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, and when I ran across it at the library, I picked it up. And it's rare that I actually laugh out loud at books, but when I laughed twice in the first ten pages, it was a sign of something a cut above the norm.

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677234/lessons-in-chemistry-by-bonnie-garmus/

And now I was just reading this article about it.

Beneath its pink cover, 'Lessons in Chemistry' offers a story about power
By Sadie Stein

“Lessons in Chemistry” is a book that defies easy categorization and which, depending on which of its suitors had won, or which direction the winning house had decided to take, might have gone a number of ways. For the same reason, it appeals to a range of readers.

www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/books/bonnie-garmus-lessons-chemistry-book.html

artdaily.com/news/151811/Beneath-its-pink-cover---Lessons-in-Chemistry--offers-a-story-about-power#.Y4Pt9C-B3rA

Just finished this and I loved it.

One bonus was that ‘gender’ was only used in a negative context to refer to sex-based stereotypes, never as a replacement for ‘sex’. That’s really refreshing nowadays.

This reminds me of that Crawdad book. Critically feted and as annoying as hell.

Loved Crawdads, didn't love Lessons in Chemistry.

Crawdads was one of the worst books I've ever read.

"It's a tv show????"

Yes, looking forward to it as enjoyed the book and also the audio book which contained an interview with Bonnie Garmus.

www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/lessons-in-chemistry/#:~:text=Release%20date%3A%20October%2013%2C%202023&text=Set%20in%20the%20early%201950s,hold%20in%20a%20patriarchal%20society.

I agree. Just didn't get along with it at all. Could not recommend it at all. Appreciate everyone is different but not for me. Didn't like anything about it at all.

Loved Crawdads, didn't love Lessons in Chemistry

I agree with @RampantIvy!

I enjoyed it although I thought the first half was much stronger than the second half. I was really disappointed in the ending, which I felt was too trite and neat for a book that was dealing with some heavyweight topics.

I hate the way in which you get constantly lectured about sexism in the 1950s (who'd have guessed?) But the heroine is drop-dead gorgeous. Of course.

I found the second half better. I thought the content and the style in which it was written very irritating.

I read this as I kept hearing about it. I enjoyed it - wouldn't give it a rave review and thinking back to it I can't really remember it being that funny. I thought it started well flagged in the middle as I wondered where it was going and then picked up at the end. I thought the cooking show part of it would be more than what it actually was so was a bit disappointed with that. I wouldn't read it again and wouldn't really recommend it to my friends but that's just me

I loved it but hated Crawdads.

I loved the book.
The tv series however is dreadful 😂

I agree. What have they done to the character of Harriet? Are older women too boring?

HilaryThorpe
Totally agree.
And using the idea of a beauty pageant was just lazy and stereotypically predictable.
I’ve given up!
Another book that I LOVED (a lot more than LiC) All the Light They Cannot See has been televised. The reviews have been so damning that I’m avoiding at all costs!

I couldn’t finish this book, or Crawdads or other so-called wonderful books like Daemon .
I’m not going to even try the next ‘must read’!

I was niggling away with myself trying to think of who the ideas and to some extent the writing style reminded me of: John Irving. The dog, sport, intellectually precocious child, the loner syndrome, the woman up against it.

I didn't think about it at the time but yes, this is so right. She's like Jenny Fields in TWATG. Forthright to the point of rudeness and no nonsense parenting.

I thought it went on too long. But was readable.

Yes it was unnecessary

I got 10 minutes into All the Light They Cannot See and gave up.
This was partly because DH was shouting "the Americans didn't bomb St Malo at night, it was all shelling" and partly because the acting was so dreadful. The reviews were quite funny though.

Right now reading Last Resort by Alison Lurie and re-reading Father and Son by Edmund Gosse. Both excellent.

Read this on holiday and thought it was fine but unremarkable. Elizabeth isn't really a character you can invest in and the dog perspective was childish and annoying.
I have Where the Crawdads Sing next and am apprehensive after some of the comments here!

I loved Crawdads @StoneColdAlibi, but I live descriptive writing.

I enjoyed it, it was witty, I liked the characters and the dog. I wasn't looking for anything heavy and this suited the bill.

The sense of place in Crawdads is good, but the plot is ridiculous. However, these massively hyped books are never great literature, they are junk food for the brain. It's like going into McDonald's expecting it to be comparable to The Fat Duck. But if you are in the mood for a McFlurry you'll be fine.