Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

100 reviews

meredith_williams_'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? Yes

4.25

This book absolutely lived up to the hype! Lessons in Chemistry is a heartfelt, witty and inspiring story about the value of found family and the importance of being true to yourself. The characters in this book are so well written and the plot is engaging from start to finish (even if there are a few plot points that are a bit outlandish!) Because it takes place in the 1950s and 1960s and because the main character is a white woman, it is important to note that the feminism is not the most intersectional. The author kind of address the racial injustice of the period, but not in a way that feels like it was done with the most care. Overall, I think that a lot of women will still relate to the main character and her experiences with sexism, as well as with other characters in the book who are challenging the status quo of society. Definitely a great read and one that I will recommend! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, and Car accident

Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Blood, and Religious bigotry

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-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? No

4.5

i read this per my aunt’s recommendation with zero knowledge of the book going into it. it is about the generation of women who came just after my grandmother, adult women in the late 50s and 60s who were on the precipice of the next great American feminist movement but still greatly impacted by WW2 social norms.

i did not expect this book to impact me so much! i love women’s fiction, but i tend to prefer more literary works than this. there was a very clear timeline and plot, which i appreciated, and though the book covered serious topics, the tone was mostly lighthearted. 

the POVs in this book were absolutely incredible. i LOVED getting 6:30’s perspective, and the type of head hopping that would normally
bother me was used very strategically and successfully! 

there was a HEAVY dose of found family here that i did not expect at all. i welled up in tears many times over during scenes where Mad and Elizabeth got to experience the love and support of their own little community. 

also, i SHOUTED when the

Vogue

reveal happened. Harriet slayed!!! Best character award!!! 

i can definitely see how this book lends itself to a TV series, which i plan on watching! overall, this was a really fun and interesting read outside my comfort zone. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abortion, and Alcohol

kailiyahknight's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, and Death of parent

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

3.5

While I loved the characters and the premise of a strong, female lead in the 1950’s demanding to be seen and heard as an expert in her field, I thought the beginning of the book was a bit difficult to get into. The writing style wasn’t appealing to me at first and took some getting used to but by the end of the book it felt more natural. The realities of becoming a scientist during a time period when women were only considered homemakers was an important and interesting story to learn more about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

iriswishes's review against another edition

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Fatphobia, Suicide, Blood, and Vomit

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Wonderfully unique characters which you will remember a long time after finishing the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Rape

Moderate: Death, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol

spootilious's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

 

 

Read: July 17th, 2024
 Title: Lessons in Chemistry 
 Author: Bonnie Garmus 

Genre:  Historical Fiction 

Rating: 2/5
 Review: 

I have been contemplating how to review this for a few hours now. It’s difficult because I really enjoyed reading the book. It made me smile, cringe, and cry; though I think the ‘Laugh out Loud’ reviews are a bit farfetched. In fact, this novel wasn’t just heavy, it hit like a freight train (pun intended). 

I suppose my biggest conflict is that I really really like the message of the novel and the focus on social injustices. 

The issue then becomes all the things I didn’t like about the novel. 

The work was written well enough but Garmus switch so drastically from one injustice to another that I felt as if I were getting whiplash. She moved back and fourth so much that I don’t think any one subject got as much attention as it deserved. The one focused on the most being Women Empowerment but it felt more like anti-men than pro-women… That being said, I am the type of woman that will ALWAYS choose the bear. Still, I think it would be nice to see a feminist store that builds its own ladder rather than using the destroyed men as stepping stones to empowerment… Cuz in the end it means we still need them… even if in a negative way. 

I found the dialog to often be condescending as well. Almost as if Garmus was throwing in ever intelligent sound word she could find. It felt forced. People of high intelligence can sound as brilliant as their IQ without sounding like a robot. 

The unapologetic and vulgar nature of the atrocities throughout the book is both disturbing and refreshing. I’ve mentioned it in a rare review but I have to admire an author who can simply write a horrific act without defending or explaining it, it makes it hit harder. 

That being said… There was a lot… and jumping from it to a ‘funny’ quip or one liner made the whole thing feel off putting… 

 

Overall I really enjoyed the read, just not the way it was written. I would recommend this to individuals who enjoy heavy reads/sad reads, drama, historical fiction that borders on fantasy, or a strong feminist tone. 

 

TBH I loved the show though. Very well done. 

QUOTES:
 “The librarian is the most important educator in school. What she doesn’t know, she can find out. This is not an opinion; it’s a fact.” 

“Imagine if all men took women seriously. Education would change. The workforce would revolutionize. Marriage counsellors would go out of business.” 

“Courage is the root of change—and change is what we’re chemically designed to do.” 

“Sometimes I think," she said slowly, "that if a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn't make it past noon.” 

 

 

TW: Rape, Adultery, Religious bigotry, Racism, Feminism, Sexism, Animal harm, parental death, death of a child, death of a parent, pedophilia, sexual assault, sexual harassment, bombs, death threats, car accidents, suicide, domestic abuse, vomit, abandonment, mentions of abortion, alcoholism, drug use, blood, body shaming, bullying, child abuse, toxic relationships, stalking, slurs, gaslighting, grief, fatphobia, emotional abuse, classism, alcohol, animal cruelty, pregnancy, miscarriage, infidelity, emotional abuse, medical content. 

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

aleks4ndra's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Elizabeth Zott is your average housewife. 

Wait, no, she most definitely is not. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, plagued with the need to do her work despite constantly battling sexism, misogyny, judgment, and stolen work to do so.

Set in the 1960s, the story portrays the difficulties women face working outside of the home. Sound familiar? Despite those hardships, Lessons in Chemistry is a book about science, resilience, feminism, passion, love, and loss.  

I knew I had to read this when I saw Bonnie sharing how men often talked over her and stole her ideas to the point where she got fed up and wrote the first chapter. I love a strong female character, and this book did not disappoint. When Elizabeth takes a job cooking on live TV, her show is as much about chemistry as it is cooking. She is unyielding in reminding her audience, mostly stay at home moms, about what it means to be a woman. If you’re into STEM, love a badass feminist, a quiet love story, or feel like you don’t quite fit in, this one’s for you. 

“Despite what Elizabeth Zott will tell you, Supper at Six is not just an introduction to chemistry, he wrote that day on the plane. It’s a thirty-minute, five-day-a-week lesson in life. And not in who we are or what we’re made of, but rather, who we’re capable of becoming.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood

Minor: Suicide

caebrown's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting