Scan barcode
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.25
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.
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
honesty_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
bbmaan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia
briana513's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship
Minor: Chronic illness, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
caitlinvdj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and War
aurelia622's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
readbycarina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Suicide, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, and Car accident
theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
- 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
Elizabeth Zott is an amazing character, and a survivor. She is the embodiment of female power and a force to be reckoned with.
The things Zott experiences in the work place are appalling and no one would call her personal life easy. In real life, a woman in Zott’s shoes wouldn’t be faulted for breaking down or giving up. But Zott doesn’t let anything stop her from reaching her goals. She goes on have a wonderful life in spite of the horrendous things she’s had to survive, because she is a survivor.
Parts of this book had me in tears while others had me fill with so much pride I thought I would burst. At its core, this book is about the strength and resilience of women and I can’t recommend it enough. This will be a book I won’t stop thinking about for a very, very long time.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Vomit, Abortion, and Alcohol
vanessatombolini's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This novel started slow (and dark - readers should be aware [I wasn't] that
Elizabeth Zott is such an incredible main character - tough, uncompromising, fiercely intelligent, and strong-willed (almost too much so, there were times I wished she would bend just a little, but no, she would not), but she did have a gentler side which I appreciated reading about.
Elizabeth needs every bit of willpower, because number one, she was a scientist, and number two, she was an unmarried woman living in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, a time which did not look kindly on women, particularly women who did not fit their prescribed stereotypes.
Fair warning to readers that the misogyny in this book is extreme, infuriatingly so. It comes from not only men but some women too. The sexism was so overwhelmingly awful at times that I had to stop and wonder if it actually was as terrible as Garmus depicts. I'm not sure, but I know that women definitely got a raw deal in this period of history.
The other infuriating thing to read about was so many of the terrible events in the novel could have been prevented if certain people had been less greedy, small-minded, or desperate. But then I guess there wouldn't have been a story, so go figure.
There were a few things that didn't quite work for me. The switches between POV characters would often occur within the same section, and even in the same paragraph at times, which was jarring as I would need to figure out whose POV I was reading.
Also, the POV of Elizabeth's
Anyway, overall this was a really great read, albeit one with some pretty dark themes - I would advise prospective readers to check the content warnings.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, and Pedophilia