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jebecky's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I really enjoyed the humor in this book. I also like how everything played out.
cgmeow's review against another edition
5.0
It’s the second chemistry themed fiction I read this summer, by coincidence. Wang’s narrator describes chemistry and science in a real relatable way as someone who studied STEM, with witty observations of often the mundane daily objects and phenomenon, unlike Lessons in Chemistry where pages of scientific facts and theorems feel like forceful injection from Wikipedia to up the word count. Perhaps because it’s so relatable to my own story, I like this book so much more, while Lessons in Chemistry I struggled to enjoy all the way to the predictable eye rolling end. I do hope Wang has a better ending for this book though. What now? I want to ask(scream), mostly asking for myself about my life.
laurenisallbooked's review against another edition
4.0
This book perfectly captures the ambivalent agony of being in grad school, the nuanced guilt of being a child of human beings, and the discordant nature of taking everything literally.
I loved how the distance and avoidance the narrator keeps between herself and everything was mirrored in the way that none of the characters were named (except for the romantic connection, the one who got closest to her, as if Eric broke through something meaningful and earned a name). I loved the little vignettes that Wang used to tell the story of a life, and I loved how she paired emotional and scientific thoughts which worked to both convey the feeling in the narrating chemist's voice and show her intellectualizing her feelings rather than feeling them.
"She writes things like You are my sun and stars. That's sweet, I say, until I think more about the phrase. You cannot be two things at once: You are not light, both wave and particle."
I loved how the distance and avoidance the narrator keeps between herself and everything was mirrored in the way that none of the characters were named (except for the romantic connection, the one who got closest to her, as if Eric broke through something meaningful and earned a name). I loved the little vignettes that Wang used to tell the story of a life, and I loved how she paired emotional and scientific thoughts which worked to both convey the feeling in the narrating chemist's voice and show her intellectualizing her feelings rather than feeling them.
"She writes things like You are my sun and stars. That's sweet, I say, until I think more about the phrase. You cannot be two things at once: You are not light, both wave and particle."
skynet666's review against another edition
3.0
I think I expected too much out of this book. It was a short interesting read, but I didn't love it. There are lots of references to being a chemistry major, which I found interesting because my daughter is too, but not sure that stuff would interest others.
jraye1998's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
jedwin00's review against another edition
4.0
This is a perfect read for anyone who is struggling to navigate the world of science. The author perfectly describes the monotony, frustration and endless confusion that comes with learning to be a scientist. Yet, it's more than just science, its also about personal and familial flaws and exploring that personal, numbing hurt deep inside everyone. That's why I like this book. At first I thought it was about how frustrating science is, after I put it down I realized its about appreciating the flaws in yourself and your family. It's a beautiful read.
elevy2's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
miestory's review against another edition
5.0
"The boy asks the girl a question. It is a question of marriage. Ask me again tomorrow, she says, and he says, That’s not how this works."
"In the college writing class I took, the instructor was very against writing what you know. Write what you don’t know or write what you want to know.
So I wrote about a girl meeting a boy and them living happily ever after"
"In the college writing class I took, the instructor was very against writing what you know. Write what you don’t know or write what you want to know.
So I wrote about a girl meeting a boy and them living happily ever after"
quietly_lauren's review against another edition
reflective
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
4.0
brookeoverbooked's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75