Lessons in Chemistry
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
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What you might want to know about Lessons in Chemistry
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in a 1960s research institute that does not want her. After a series of setbacks, she ends up hosting an afternoon TV cooking show, and quietly turning it into a lesson on autonomy.
Yes. Apple TV+ released a Lessons in Chemistry limited series in 2023, starring Brie Larson. The show is largely faithful to the novel and was widely praised.
Lessons in Chemistry is fictional. Bonnie Garmus has said the inspiration came from observing sexism in modern boardrooms and imagining how a particular kind of woman might have responded in the 1960s. The characters are invented.
Lessons in Chemistry was written by Bonnie Garmus, published in 2022 by Piper.
Lessons in Chemistry is 464 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Lessons in Chemistry takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
Lessons in Chemistry is a standalone novel by Bonnie Garmus, not part of a series.
Lessons in Chemistry is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
