Feel good books are a rare find! Especially ones that are well written and explore the darker side of life while not losing that spark of hope in humanity. Garmus, however does that and more in this lovely and lively book, Lessons in Chemistry. You will definitely want to put this on your “beach read” list!

Elizabeth Zott is working hard to find her way in a man’s world. It is the 1960’s and although she is a gifted chemist no one at the Hastings Institute takes her seriously. No one, that is except the difficult genius, Carl Evans who has been nominated for a Nobel prize. It could only be true chemistry, as they both find in each other a sharp intellectual curiosity and a deep and abiding attraction.

However life doesn’t always of the way we plan, and Elizabeth soon finds herself as a single mother without income or a career. Reluctantly she decides to become the host of a TV show called Cooking at 6:00 and despite her quirky ways of explaining cooking using words like acetic acid or sodium chloride rather than vinegar and salt, her show proves to be extremely popular. The show is actually quite revolutionary because along with her delicious recipes she also dispenses a powerful message to women to stand up to the status quo and live their lives fully. 

I found myself laughing one moment and having to choke back tears the next. Garmus, evokes a time that is sadly not that much different than our own, and encourages all of us to challenge the limitations of our culture and society so that we can live lives that are life affirming and full of integrity!

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Lauren, Sharon and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.