Book Review of “Lessons in Chemistry”

Resident Mimi O’Donnell will review the book Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel by Bonnie Garmus  [New York: Doubleday, 2022] on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 7 PM in the Auditorium.

As a former high school Chemistry teacher and adventurous cook, I was drawn to the novel Lessons in Chemistry despite the bright pink cover with a cartoon drawing of a woman wearing reading glasses with a pencil in the bun on top of her head. My initial impression of the book was that it would be a quick read suitable for sitting on the beach with a pina colada in my hand.

I was wrong on many levels.  The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is a brilliant chemist focusing on abiogenesis.  (Until this book, I did not  know what abiogenesis means either!)  Elizabeth takes a job at a research institute and meets another brilliant chemist, Calvin Evans.  They fall in love, she gets fired from her job, and a number of other events occur before she becomes a widely acclaimed star of public television cooking show, Supper at Six.

These twists and turns might sound confusing but the story is the basis for more sophisticated themes of a woman’s place in scientific endeavors in the 1960’s and the many stereotypic challenges women have had to face and overcome.  The book is about the balance of power or lack of power; it is about honest research and deceitful superiors; it about family secrets and how money can be used to influence others and about how men and women react and interact.

The author, Bonnie Garmus, has written three novels but this is the first to be published.  At 65, she is experiencing international fame with this book, which has been translated into about 40 languages.

I am already looking forward to watching Lessons in Chemistry when it is released on HBO Max in March!

Mimi O’Donnell, a dynamic officer of the Residents’ Council, has many varied interests, including travel and photography. She has presented ELLIC programs and a previous book review.