Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Уроки химии

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Уроки химии by Bonnie Garmus

241 reviews

thisiswhy_wecanthavenicethings's review against another edition

emotional inspiring lighthearted sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

I enjoyed reading this book, and I liked the challenges presented and seeing Elizabeth’s character development. Everything seemed to wrap up too perfectly by the end, and some of the points I didn’t necessarily agree with. I also felt there were a bit too many subplots but I really enjoyed the connections made.

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quartz96's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

spootilious's review against another edition

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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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rowlyreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring fast-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

4.75

Content Warnings

cmcahill's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

July 2024. Leading the discussion of this book with the UUCUC Feminist Book Group

Elizabeth Zott, a scientist working in the 50's is surrounded by people who are threatened by her beauty, intelligence, but mostly threatened by the fact that she doesn't listen to the nay-sayers. I don't want to put in any spoilers, but I can say that her life doesn't go in directions she expected. Some folks might find the story a bit didactic, but having worked in a lab for several years, Elizabeth's story sadly rang true to my experience in the 1980s.

This was actually my second reading. Read it last year with the Reading Between the Wines book group.

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clovetra's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

you know how you can easily tell if i’m not gonna like a book? if it takes me 2 months to finish a 386 page book. i do not get the hype around this book.

i mean i didn’t hate this!!! it was a perfectly fine book. nothing more than that for me honestly.

i could kind of feel for elizabeth? like yes relatable feminism type of beat. but idk man the book felt so monotone the entire time because she herself is so monotone! i mean i love a bad bitch who likes chemistry but idk she felt incredibly one dimensional. like why did the fucking dog interest me more than the main character. anyways shout out six-thirty he’s a real one.

well what else is there to say? the plot just seemed to read like a biography & ended at a super odd place imo. like the way this book was formatted i was here thinking it would end with mad becoming a chemist or elizabeth dying or something and then it just…. stopped randomly. like why was that point chosen to end the story?? but honestly i wouldn’t have cared if it kept going because i actually didn’t give a shit about any character except the dog. THE DOG!

idk based on the hype this book has & the fact it has its own tv show…. i expected More. this was a really odd book. but i mean i finished it. i had a decent time. i like the overall message & the chemistry themes. other than that tho…… this is not for me. honestly it felt like a waste of time. i mean not every book needs a “message”, but when i don’t give a flying fart about ur characters ANNNDDD ur book said nothing new. yawn

ok the argument can be made this book is about found family. but for what this book was most of the time, it did not succeed in satisfying me.

i feel like im being demonic in writing this review but i promise im only this scathing when its a popular book sorry i’d self combust if i was this mean to a book with <100,000 reviews. but luckily this book is popular so i don’t feel bad for dunking on it!

i think the reason im so “disappointed” in this book is because of its hype. it’s a perfectly tolerable book, with what i will admit to be some funny dialogue, but the plot felt all over the place, was uninteresting, and imo never actually interested me. i’m so serious i only picked up this book just so i could finish it. for a while i was a tad invested in mad, but at some point i think i stopped caring & just wanted to finish it because i own this book (i mean not after today you best believe im donating this sorry my shelf space is for all time faves).

anyways i will say this book DID excite me for my next neuroscience class next semester LETS GOOOO

Content Warnings

derynjoy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

0.25

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emerion's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.5

Content Warnings

daumari's review against another edition

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dark funny slow-paced

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

4.25

4.5, but I'm actually going to round down on this one. I liked it, but I'd also say Six-Thirty the dog is maybe the most likeable character (followed by Madeline though I can see how her precociousness could be off-putting).

At times, I almost felt like I was reading satire of the era with all of the blatant sexism Elizabeth faced because it read cartoonishly over-the-top to me, though I do think that's part of fiction, to exaggerate experiences. Also maybe of-the-period but took me out a bit: this is southern California; where are the Latin@s and Asian folks?? (I know, white folks tend to hang out with their own but we do flip through povs of women watching Supper at Six- maybe some of those families were brown, who knows).

But, I do like Elizabeth's abrasiveness and insistence on things being correct and meritocratic (even if societal structure is not). She strikes me as a little neurodivergent and I'm not sure if that's intentional (Bonnie Garmus's goodreads question replies indicate she was aiming more for classical stoicism). I think part of why this book is so popular is because the message of being taken seriously resonates with a lot of women even today. We STILL see thinkpieces about the value of domestic labor (though I think there's a wider recognition that childcare and rearing are fulltime jobs- see Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change). When Elizabeth's spiraling in the newborn haze, Harriet reassures her that nothing is wrong and that also rung true.

Calvin's origins did remind me of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, and I felt like this aspect could've been baked a little bit longer as it abruptly was revealed in the end.

Content Warnings

katlinstirling_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring reflective sad 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? N/A

5.0

I loved this book I’m not gonna lie. I loved the way it was written, I loved the characters and the storyline everything! Completely heartbreaking in parts and I was so angry with the sex discrimination and abuse towards women, I did actually throw the book a few times! I don’t care what anyone says this is a 5-star read to me!! ❤️

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