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Lessons in Chemistry

Written by: Bonnie Garmus
Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
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Publisher's Summary

#1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN 8 MILLION COPIES SOLD • Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention” (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. • STREAM ON APPLE TV+

This novel is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel” (
The New York Times Book Review) and “witty, sometimes hilarious...the Catch-22 of early feminism” (Stephen King, via Twitter).

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:
The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek

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.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

©2022 Bonnie Garmus (P)2022 Random House Audio
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What the critics say

GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Elle, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads, Bookpage, Kirkus

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Bustle, Real Simple, Parade, CNN, Today, E! News, Library Journal

“In Garmus’s debut novel, a frustrated chemist finds herself at the helm of a cooking show that sparks a revolution. Welcome to the 1960s, where a woman’s arsenal of tools was often limited to the kitchen—and where Elizabeth Zott is hellbent on overturning the status quo one meal at a time.”—The New York Times

"Strikingly relevant...Darkly funny and poignant...Lessons in Chemistry’s excellent experiment [is] quirky and heartwarming."—The Atlantic

"The most delightful novel I read this year—fresh and surprising—was Lessons in Chemistry: a fish-out-of-water story about a feminist hero who never stops pushing for what’s right. (I laughed out loud!)"—Philip Galanes, The New York Times

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What listeners say about Lessons in Chemistry

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Smart. Entertaining. Moving

Best read in a long while. Starts slow but picks up momentum and delivers beautifully.

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A brilliant first novel

This was a pleasure to listen to!! It made me laugh out loud but it wasn't only funny. It was a well researched, well written history lesson, not just a chemistry lesson.

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Loved it!

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I think the narration was part of it, very well done. Maybe because I am a scientist I was rooting for Elizabeth Zott (my undergraduate training is as a chemist). I enjoyed the dry humour and Elizabeth Zott's indomitable spirit and refusal to compromise.

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Whimsical brilliance

Light yet powerful - beautifully written fun read with such an important theme. A brilliant book and a must read!

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Fun story

Entertaining and fun. A lot of social insight and quality writing. I loved the characters and the layers of plots. Several scenes were too over the top into unbelievable territory. The daughter was too mature for her age. Making her 10 would be more believable.

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Simply fantastic.

One of my favorite books of 2022!! Loved this character and i love her strength and unflinching courage.

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Good book

A good read! I liked it and I would recommend it to my people in the future

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Original

I especially loved the humour in this novel and found it strangely interspersed with tragedy and pain. Usually stories have a consistent tone throughout but this story sometimes dives deep into darkness and then surprises by skipping along hilariously. Overall I enjoyed the book very much.

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Words cannot describe! This is a book of the era.

Great story telling
Great narrating
Already plan to re-listen, buy physical books, and anxiously await the planned Apple TV adaptation.
This is a book for change-makers, science lovers, literacy lovers, animal lovers, and also “true-love” chasers. Every character, in addition to the main protagonist, has a full and engaging profile.
This is not a book for doubters not non-believers.

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Amazing characters, especially Zot

I could relate to the feelings the facts and treatment of women and in some cases the men. Well done book 2 of this series please pleaseeeeee. Bravo Bonnie 👏

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