Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

11 reviews

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

I have seen that this book continues to be popular, and I wanted to try it for myself. I adored the characters and the writing. I thought the book was paced well, but there were a few threads that were started and never went anywhere. For example:

Walter's crush on Harriet and Elizabeth's participation in the rowing team after her pregnancy

. I also felt that, although it was in character for Elizabeth to be antiracist because she finds racism and all other forms of bigotry to be illogical, there are no Black characters or other characters of color in the book. Finally, the author employs some words turns of phrase that were definitely not used in the 1950s/1960s: e.g. "fast forward to now."

Even with all these caveats, I enjoyed the book very much, and I would highly recommend it. The author does an excellent job of showing how structural sexism harms all of society, not just women. The tragedies in the book feel very complex and human.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Outing, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Sexual content, Slavery, and War

mrsmeowmix's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

One of the most riveting books I’ve ever read. Spoke to me on a molecular level. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

uranaishi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

torismazarine's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and War

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I judged this book by its cover. I was so wrong! I avoided this book for a while, thinking it was a “dumb romance.” It was a romance, but there was nothing dumb about it. These characters were great. My favorite were the daughter and the dog. Rarely have I seen such a formidable child or personified dog as charming. Most of the women are wonderfully written, especially Elizabeth who is a force of nature because she refuses to compromise her integrity (the teacher was a piece of work!). Other great characters - the priest, the producer, and the journalist - all allies and converts. I’m so excited is being developed by Apple!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

redefiningrachel's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Homophobia and Pregnancy

Minor: Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

emilygibbs's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence

arrow3002's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Lessons in Chemistry is a tale of a bad ass woman working against a very prejudice world, and I am absolutely here for it. It was such a fun read, and I really enjoyed the way Bonnie was able to tell Elizabeth's story through all the different chapters of her life. Throughout the book it will occasionally switch to a different character's perspective, and I found myself quite enjoying the change in pace. It added a lot more to the narrative instead of confusing the reader in the guise of character development. The women empowerment, that is the main driving force behind this book, was beautifully done. There were many points where I felt that gender discrimination was handled in a very elegant yet profound way that I don't see often. There is so much in this book that makes it a genuinely great read. I devoured the book in a couple of hours and was left feeling very satisfied with how everything played out in the end. Also, Elizabeth and Calvin’s relationship had my heart absolutely melting, and let’s not forget the absolute legend that is Six Thirty. I fell in love with all the characters and felt such a strong connection with each and every one of them, which is a very hard to accomplish. Despite all the good, there were a couple of personal issues I had with the book that kept it from being a 5 star. I will start of by saying I am bias when it comes to the topic I will be bringing up, and I understand that everyone will have a different opinion, and that is more than totally okay and welcomed. But I felt that there was a strong anti-religion message continued throughout the whole entirety of the story, specifically anti-Catholic. There were a lot of times that I felt like I was being ridiculed for my beliefs and a lot of the stereo types often circulated about the catholic church were very much present in the book. I will not deny that the things that occur in the book definitely do happen and are not right in ANY way. But if you are a person of faith, there is a lot said in the book that you will probably find very hurtful due to the point of view the author is coming from. I am a huge believer in the power behind science and how important it is to the betterment of everyone, but I also hold my religious beliefs at the same importance. I totally believe that you can rely on science AND God at the same time. Again, I understand where the author and the main character is coming from, and in no way invalidating their beliefs or experience. It just took away from the enjoyment I was having with the book so much so that I felt a need to comment on it. If you do not like the book then stop reading it and move on, but it is a point I want to acknowledge for those who are religious and want to read the book. Again, other than my problem with how the church is portrayed, the story is an empowering and inspiring tale of a women in STEM and had me feeling empowered by the end of it. I will definitely suggest this book to anyone who comes to me asking for a fun and witty read that will keep them from wanting to put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Gun violence, Rape, and Sexual content

books4me's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

skyfluff8's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail