Lessons in Chemistry

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

INCLUDES AN EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH PANDORA SYKES

Your ability to change everything - including yourself - starts here

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.

But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to resign, she reluctantly signs on as the host of a cooking show, Supper at Six. But her revolutionary approach to cooking, fuelled by scientific and rational commentary, grabs the attention of a nation.

Soon, a legion of overlooked housewives find themselves daring to change the status quo. One molecule at a time.

‘Laugh-out-loud funny and brimming with life, generosity and courage’ RACHEL JOYCE

'A novel that sparks joy with every page' ELIZABETH DAY

'I loved Lessons in Chemistry and am devastated to have finished it!' NIGELLA LAWSON

© Bonnie Garmus 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

The most charming, life-enhancing novel I've read in ages. A perfect delight. It's about Elizabeth Zott, a scientist who accidentally becomes a TV cook in the early 1960s. Very strongly recommend
INDIA KNIGHT, SUNDAY TIMES
This triumphant feminist fable, wittily observed, is teeming with vivid comic set-pieces
TELEGRAPH, Fiction of the Week
Polished, funny, thought-provoking. Wearing its research lightly but confidently with sentences so stylishly turned it's hard to believe it's a debut ... The real pleasure is in the dry wit of Garmus's writing
GUARDIAN, Book of the day
Not only is Elizabeth an unforgettable character, so too are her adorable dog Six Thirty and daughter, Mad. This is a truly unique book with some great life lessons
WOMAN AND HOME, Best Books of 2022
A book that sparks joy with every page. LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY is both funny and rousing: it had me laughing one minute and air-punching the next. Bonnie Garmus has created an unforgettable heroine
ELIZABETH DAY
It's the world versus Elizabeth Zott, an extraordinary woman determined to live on her own terms, and I had no trouble choosing a side. Lessons in Chemistry is a page-turning and highly satisfying tale: zippy, zesty, and Zotty
MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD, author of GREAT CIRCLE
Full of humour, heartbreak and characters who feel like real people. This is a book that everyone will be talking about
RED MAGAZINE
I haven't loved a character as much as the hero of this joyful, warm debut in a very long time
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Book of the Month
Absolutely unputdownable. I completely loved it
RICHARD E GRANT
A transporting read, recommended for fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
STYLIST MAGAZINE, BOOKS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2022

User Reviews

Book 4.4
Narration 4.8
5.0
4.0
dariam 24/04/2025
1.0
4.0
swancharlotte 25/03/2025
5.0
5.0
This is an enthralling listen. Very much enjoyed the book and all the characters within.
Molly wj 17/12/2024
5.0
5.0
I couldn’t stop listening!!! Empowering, inspiring and so very entertaining. Loved the whole thing. As my gran would say ‘Good Women’ the height of compliments haha.

100% recommend and the narration was excellently done!
Sarahmccaffreyx 24/06/2024
5.0
5.0
Eleonora 20/03/2024
5.0
5.0
What a fantastic novel! A must read/listen.
Jane333 19/01/2024
5.0
5.0
lizedmonds 28/08/2023
5.0
5.0
johanna 05/06/2023
5.0
5.0
LizKingsley 03/06/2023
4.0
5.0
Such an unusual and not too traumatic a book. I could read with comfort and enjoy!
linda 14/05/2023
5.0
5.0
This is the kind of book I genuinely believe everyone should at least read the first two chapters of, just in case they end up bingeing the whole thing in one sitting ;-) absolutely fantastic story and characters, one I won’t forget anytime soon
hyperbooktivity 04/04/2023
1.0
5.0
this was bad. its a bad book.

starting with the incredibly white feminism the portrayal of every character as absolutely hateful without any redeeming qualities except of the main character and her friends who are infalluable. the graphic sexual assaults (yes plural), the hate on faith/religion, the absolute butchery of science, and so much more. also the character talks about socialism on 1960 tv. i mean srsly?
just BAD!
christine p 02/04/2023
3.0
3.0
kirstyjemn 21/03/2023
5.0
5.0
Ugh this was good. This was GREAT. Bonnie's writing is so immersive and Zott is just an amazing character. This is what historical fiction should feel like. I loved it!
itsbusayo_xo 12/03/2023
5.0
5.0
Fabulous. Funny. Entertaining. Great characters. Thought provoking.
lesleyanncook@gmail.com 04/02/2023
5.0
5.0
Fabulous! I savoured each chapter not wanting the story to end!
helenwellbeloved 27/11/2022
5.0
5.0
gill 15/07/2022

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