Spoiler-Free Review

If you like literary fiction about women-in-STEM with quirky storytelling and autistic-coded main characters, you’ll probably like Lessons in Chemistry.

While on the whole humorous and enjoyable, there are some heavier themes presented throughout. Click here for content warnings.

What’s Lessons in Chemistry about?

Set in the 1960s, this story follows scientist Elizabeth Zott through the trials and tribulations that eventually push her – reluctantly – into a role as the host of a cooking show.

This book made me feel everything.

From beginning to end, I ran the gamut of feelings and reactions. It created a moving reading experience.

First: the writing. The writing style matches the plot and main character – Zott is a scientist, and I felt like a scientist was telling me this story. So that being said, it worked better in my opinion to hear it read aloud. I will say, I tried both my eyes and my ears, and I think the audiobook still worked better for me.

The best way I can describe it is that the storytelling is quirky. It’s told from an omniscient POV, so we got to see how everyone felt in any interaction – including the dog. It has a bit of a tongue-in-cheek kind of humor about it that gave it plenty of charm.

Second: the science. Not being a scientist myself, I cannot comment on the accuracy of its presentation here. However, as a lay person, I enjoyed it immensely. At its heart, this is a feminist historical fiction that puts the gender disparities of midcentury women-in-STEM at the forefront. The actual science we did get to see felt thematically appropriate and entertaining.

Third: the characters. We were presented with a wide variety of interconnected individuals whose POVs come together to present a bigger and better whole. Each person contributed something unique to the storytelling, and I appreciated that none felt superfluous. While I did feel at times that I had to just go along with it, it didn’t diminish my enjoyment.

Should you read Lessons in Chemistry?

If you liked the TV series Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you just might enjoy this as well. I recommend it to anyone who likes feminist literary fiction, historical fiction, omniscient 3rd-person POVs, and science.