Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

295 reviews

cepbreed's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.5

I had doubts, but Lessons in Chemistry turned out to be completely worth the hype. An intriguing premise, a powerful female lead, and a heartfelt exploration of family. All of these factors and more had me hooked from the start. Elizabeth Zott is a character that just feels so full of life. I shut this book and immediately felt like I had just heard a friend's life story told to me in person. Her struggles and triumphs are so endearing that despite being set in a fictional past, every lesson is relevant to my life today. No amount of genre bias could keep me from loving this book. 

Spoiler

The shock that came with Calvin's death is unparalleled. This book is historical fiction, but the shock factor had me feeling even more anxiety than the like of Game of Thrones.

I learned to love Calvin alongside Elizabeth. That has never happened to me with a character like him. On the surface, he isn't likable, far from it even, but the way he acts and his relationship with Elizabeth charmed me. All a man has to do is take women seriously, that's all. You would think this very basic concept would be intrinsic, but I find out every day that it is not.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, and Medical content

thewellreadlabrador's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Pregnancy, Death, Sexism, Suicide, Grief, Misogyny, and Death of parent

candicemcrae's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring 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: Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexism

louisegraveyard's review against another edition

emotional informative slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Grief, and Body shaming

carlytenille's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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: Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Sexual assault, Grief, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Rape

tiffanysmith's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

I wanted to like this, but I have to admit, this one fell flat for me for a few reasons. The read was quite tedious at times and I think the author was trying extend a sense of female empowerment, but it didn’t feel authentic. There was little depth to the story—no true plot or character growth to captivate the reader. The characters were stiff and the feminist morality was not relatable.

I think it would have benefited the story to truly allow the characters to exist in their space. I kept forgetting that the storyline takes place in the 1950s, only to be reminded by Elizabeth saying something completely absurd. I want to be immersed in the time era and I want characters with complexity, faults, and things that make them grow. 

There was very little world-building and I felt a big disconnect with the characters—a beautiful chemist who makes chemistry a successful cooking show, a pre-schooler who acts like a 35 year genius, and the dog POV was a little strange. The nerd stereotype was over utilized and it was challenging to emphasize with the characters. 

The love story between them didn’t seem very genuine. They met and they fell in love. It didn’t seem to go much deeper than that. 

Also, the religious element threw me off. It was very emphasized, but it didn’t do anything to propel the plot line or character growth. It just felt uncomfortable.

There was some good parts of the book, but I did not laugh at the wittiness and I was unable to relate to the characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Abandonment, Bullying, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Cursing

dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Death, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Suicide

bookworm_ohsea's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide

condls27's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

This was a heartbreakingly beautiful story that I can barely put into words. We have come so far but the fight for equality (specifically for BIPOC, Trans and queer women) is no where near over. I loved the different POVs and Six Thirty is the greatest dog who has ever lived ❤️ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Car accident, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, Rape, Suicide, and Grief

kayleejanes's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Grief