I thoroughly enjoyed this book…. In fact, I read it in two days. Light-hearted, funny and sometimes slightly unrealistic, I am sure many will relate as I did to the stereotyping of women and their treatment in the workplace and on the home front during the 60’s and 70’s.
Set in the 1960s, the principal character, Elizabeth Zott, bucked the trend as a brilliant chemist who, due to sexism in the male-dominated education system and workplace, did not achieve a PhD and therefore did not attain her life’s goal. This disappointed her greatly.
Her uncompromising attitude, determination and strong sense of fair play in every aspect of her life were appealing and kept light and funny by the author. These days, we might assume Elizabeth was somewhere on the autism spectrum; her superintelligence and focus were heartwarming.
Elizabeth’s relationship with her partner, Calvin, himself an award-winning chemist, introduced her to rowing. The various impacts of this were enduring and hilarious. Calvin was her soulmate.
Their dog, named “6.30” (because that was the time he, as a stray, walked into their lives), has a unique part to play in this story. I do not want to spoil things by going any further; suffice to say, Elizabeth’s relationship with him was a funny twist to the plot. If you are a dog lover, you will enjoy that relationship.
Elizabeth’s career took a different turn after the birth of her daughter, “Mad”, herself both complex and unique. Elizabeth fell into hosting a cooking program on daytime TV. She intertwined her basic love of chemistry with the art of cooking. Encouraged along the journey by her friends Harriet and Walter Pine (not so much by the station boss), her plain-speaking, pragmatism, and personality made her an enormous hit with the “housewives” of the day, and she was responsible for changing many of their lives in various ways.
Both Elizabeth and Calvin had unusual and sometimes tragic upbringings, which, of course, influenced their own adult lives, but the coping mechanisms they unwittingly employ add to the richness and complexity of this story.
Bonnie Gammus did a great job of capturing the gender inequality of the 1960’s, the book was inspiring, filled with humour, joy, sadness and quirkiness. Elizabeth was a non-conformist, courageous in the 1960s/70s; some of the issues inherent for women in the workplace at that time are unfortunately still relevant today. Before I started the book, I read some reviews (as I always do). A group identifying as “Women in Chemistry” was scathing about the perceived inaccuracies in some of the formulas and scientific theories quoted in the book. The critique also made much of the improbability of some aspects of the plot.
My response would be: ladies, this is not a textbook, but rather a well-written fictional novel capturing the attitudes of the times. This book entertains and engages the reader.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is available through the Oberon Library.
