Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Lessons in Chemistry

I had some mixed feelings about this book. The start intrigued me and I found some parts funny, but I think it lost a bit of momentum in the second half, and I wanted more from the ending.

I think this would've been better written in first person, because I felt like we got a lot of Elizabeth's opinions and thoughts and, in my opinion, this works better in first person POV as it in third person makes it feel like the author is preaching the ideas that some characters may hold. This meant these thoughts sometimes felt a bit off in the context of this story, particulalry regarding religion (coming from someone who isn't religious at all) and some of the body image/fatshaming.

I also felt we didn't get enough nuance on a lot of topics in here. Sexism and the potential of women outside being housewives was covered a lot as it was the primary focus of the book, but we touched on things like pedophilia and sexual assault and didn't come back around to the true impact on the characters and within society. There was a lot of trauma for the characters in this too that wasn't explored as deeply as I would have liked, and ended up feeling like trauma just for the plot.

Like I said, I enjoyed the first half and I laughed at moments throughout the novel, particulalry in some moments where Elizabeth had no filter and said exactly what I was thinking. I could look past some of the unrealistic features of the story to enjoy it as it was happening, but it did feel a bit contemporary at times and the storyline is not always the most realistic. What this book did well, it really did well, but it fell down in some areas for me.

Content Warnings

megafayray's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Recommended by Rob, this is an excellent book! There were so many times I went to write down a line from the book, only to discover that it was an entire scene that was so incredibly well done that I wanted to hold onto the whole thing.
I loved the neighbour, Harriet, the most. Her strong personality and how she swept into the Zott family felt like wind.
A particularly memorable line that Elizabeth Zott insisted on was "There's no such thing as an average housewife". I really appreciated the views on what it's like being a mother - oftentimes the struggles aren't shared as much as I think they should be, and there's enormous community and camaraderie in sharing.

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carriec's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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appsinator's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

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piquareste's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring

4.0

Interesting! This was an engaging read that I was happy to sit and read straight through. Was quite invested in the characters, especially in Elizabeth and her unbreakable backbone even through everything she endures. I found some of the empathetic side characters endearing and very welcome — the producer, the minister, the neighbour — all of whom give a much needed respite from the relentless sexism and repression in the rest of the cast. I did feel like the framing of the feminist thinking too on-the-nose, especially in the beginning, when the book seemed to want to remind me repeatedly that the story was set in the backwards 1950s.

Mind the content warnings. I was personally okay for most of it but had to flip quickly through one rape scene, which I hadn't anticipated.

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notnaomie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

I finally was able to finish this book after starting it earlier this year. Things got ahead of me and only now in recent times I got back into reading and have made more time for it. I was shocked at all the things she went through to get to where she is now. I feel like this book fights for change and to challenge those to go for what they believe in and to not let anyone tell you otherwise. It felt like it was similar to what people are fighting for today. Overall, a great read. I also believe there is a show based off of this book and from what I remember it is Brie Larson as the main character. I imagined her as I was reading this book. That's my next show for sure!

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tobiii's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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