Lessons in Chemistry

Anne's Review

Elizabeth Zott falls in love with scientist Calvin Evans who seems to be one of the few males of the then 1960s that does not have a fixed and limited idea of the role of women in those times. But life is unpredictable, Calvin is killed in a car accident, his loveable dog Six-Thirty beside him. (The dog is very much part of the story). Almost by mistake Elizabeth finds herself the mother of a child as well as the lead in a new television programme on cooking. But Elizabeth is not your average cook. Using science, not conventional baking as a grounding she teaches woman to defy the norm without even being conscious of what she is achieving. The programme is a huge success – but wait! I can’t tell you any more without giving the game away. Suffice to say Elizabeth’s life is worth reading about.

One of the best books of the year!

Other Reviews

'Elizabeth Zott is an iconic heroine - a feminist who refuses to be quashed, a mother who believes that her child is a person to behold, rather than to mould, and who will leave you, and the lens through which you see the world, quite changed' PANDORA SYKES

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

'I loved LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY and am devastated to have finished it!' NIGELLA LAWSON

'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