Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Lekcje chemii

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Lekcje chemii by Bonnie Garmus

915 reviews

kadyofbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

So, I absolutely LOVED this book!! I can't wait to reread it some day. I loved following Elizabeth's story, although it also made me furious at how women were treated throughout history. This focuses on the 1960's and even though things have changed for the better since then, there are still some things that need changing now. (And I do get the criticism that some people mentioned about Elizabeth feeling like a 21st century woman time-travelling back to the 1950s/60s and with that background trying to make a life in society.)
The characters Bonnie Garmus wrote felt very real (maybe a bit stereotypical at some points but, nevertheless, real).

Spoiler

I especially loved Elizabeth's relationship with her daughter, Mad. Although she originally didn't want children, once Mad was in her life I felt like that changed to accomodate the changed reality. I also loved that Garmus didn't portray motherhood as being easy-going from the beginning. Elizabeth does struggle with her new role as a mother and therefore a rolemodel and caregiver to a younger being. What I also loved about that was that she raised Mad to be independent and curious but not naive.

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rubyslippers96's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-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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nat_01's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.5

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lionysh's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

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

3.75

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iblamewizards's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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? No

4.0

Lessons in Chemistry was the kind of book that requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief. It's not a realistic portrayal of...well...anything, to be completely honest, but it was still an oddly joyful read despite its often confronting and tragic subject matter.

Elizabeth Zott suffered hugely from the "not like other girls," trope, men were reduced to caricatures, Mad Zott was a completely unbelievable "gifted child," and there was a shoehorned "found family" narrative that, for me, was the weakest part of the book. But it was still just a lovely read.

There has been a lot of legitimate criticism levelled at Lessons in Chemistry, but ultimately, not of that detracted from the simple fact that I enjoyed reading this book. And sometimes that's all you need.

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tariana's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

It was fun to read, there was a moment that I was so devastated about something that happens that I didn’t want to continue. However I felt like something was missing and after much thought I realized that even though the book brings a lot of discussions regarding feminism, it lacks depth, I say that having in mind that the story happens on the 1960s and some resolutions to the conflict were easily solved which I don’t think it would be the same if that had really happened in the 60s, for example, Elizabeth starring for a long time on TV preaching about feminism without men revolting against it and taking measures to restrain her.

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jazzsilvestri's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

3.5

I did enjoy this book and was so close to loving it! One thing that held me back were the parts from the six-thirties point of view. For a book that is not considered fantasy it felt out of place to have a dogs POV.

Other issues I had were just the stereotypes of smart women. Other than that I felt it was well written and enjoyable. There are hard parts but I felt they were handled well.

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