I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Based on the trailer for the Apple TV show, I knew that the main character became a TV cooking star, and had a kid and a dog, and that was about it. I was not prepared for the one-two gut punch that was her time in higher education and her relationship with Calvin. In fact, the latter emotional devastation made me set the book down for a few days in order to recover! But when I picked it back up, I read the rest of the book (yes, 200 pages) in a day. That’s not to say that the emotional hits stop – there are plenty of struggles that Elizabeth Zott faces, and you just *feel* for her so much while she’s going through them, even as she’s stoic to the point of coming across emotionless. But her forthrightness and insistence on being only ever herself is refreshing and fascinating.
The characters around her are all fascinating as well, and even though you DESPISE some of them, you truly love others. Harriett Sloane is everything I would want in a friend, Walter is just so fun to read, and Wakely is lovely. Mad is, of course, a delight. And while some people cringe at the dog POV, I enjoyed Six Thirty a lot, even as he made me cry.
The sexism in Lessons in Chemistry is no joke, and pretty damn infuriating. I could feel my blood pressure rising while reading parts of the book. I know that the characters are made up, but so many of the gross attitudes still exist today, and Bonnie Garmus captured them in infuriating perfection. And there is one bit of comeuppance that is just *chef’s kiss*
Overall a great read, and I now understand the hype. Don’t go in expecting a romance (though there is some) or a girl boss type character, because Elizabeth Zott is not that. But she is compelling, and smart, and you’ll follow her story with interest. I know I did.