Possibly my most loved book of 2022 and part of my best Top Ten Titles 2022!
It was wonderful to meet Elizabeth Zott – groundbreaking chemist, overwhelmingly intelligent, extremely opinionated and unintentionally very funny. Sadly, for Elizabeth, it is the 1960s and a woman has no ‘right to be in the male world’ of science, let alone serious research! Miss Zott has been brutally sidelined by male colleagues but finds love and favour with the endearing character of Calvin Evans.
But, life throws curve-balls so when Elizabeth is a single mother, she leaves the laboratory behind to take up (hoodwinked) to host a staid cooking show called Supper At Six. All she has to do is read cue cards but, of course, she doesn’t. Instead, Elizabeth adlibs her way into a role that suits her…after all, cooking is chemistry! Her role terrifies the network but makes her a national phenomenon.
Beyond the wit and fun is the hard truth that in 1961, a smart ambitious woman had very limited options and Lessons In Chemistry will have you wondering about all the real-life women born ahead of their time who were ignored or worse. Elizabeth is a reminder of how far we have come. New author Bonnie Garmus delights us from the first page with sparkling dialogue and it is quite brilliant!