Lessons in Chemistry | it's a no from me...
TLDRThe reviewer expresses strong dissatisfaction with 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmu, criticizing the book for its mismarketing, lack of authenticity, and heavy-handed approach to themes like feminism and anti-religion. They argue the book's portrayal of characters and 1960s society is unrealistic and the narrative is more of an agenda-pushing soapbox than a compelling story. The inclusion of a dog's perspective and inaccuracies regarding Swedish policies further detract from the book's credibility, leading to a negative review.
Takeaways
- 📚 The reviewer expresses strong dissatisfaction with 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmu, stating they will not read anything by this author again.
- 🚫 The reviewer does not recommend the book, citing it as mismarketed and not living up to its promotional descriptions.
- 🤔 The reviewer finds the book's portrayal of the 1960s and its feminist themes to be heavy-handed and lacking authenticity.
- 😡 The reviewer is annoyed by the book's characters, feeling they behave more like plot devices than real people, particularly in their interactions around social and political issues.
- 🔬 The book's main character is a chemist who faces sexism and assault in her academic career, but the reviewer criticizes the character's portrayal as unrealistic.
- 📺 The story includes a subplot where the main character becomes a TV personality, which the reviewer finds implausible given the character's confrontational and uncooperative behavior.
- 🐶 The book attempts to include a dog's perspective, which the reviewer finds to be a bizarre and unsuccessful narrative choice.
- 🤨 The reviewer criticizes the book's handling of religion, describing it as virulently anti-religious and unnecessarily aggressive in its portrayal.
- 👶 The reviewer comments on the character's daughter, a prodigy, whose behavior and experiences are deemed unbelievable and poorly integrated into the story.
- 🎓 The book contains inaccuracies regarding historical facts, such as incorrect assumptions about social policies in Sweden during the 1960s.
- 🎬 The reviewer finds the entire narrative to be more of an author's agenda-driven soapbox than a compelling story, leading to a negative reading experience.
Q & A
What is the main complaint the speaker has about the book 'Lessons in Chemistry'?
-The speaker's main complaint is that the book is mismarketed, overly didactic, and lacks authenticity in its portrayal of characters and events.
How does the speaker describe the book's portrayal of sexism?
-The speaker criticizes the book for its one-dimensional portrayal of sexism, where every man is depicted as either a misogynist or a rapist, which the speaker finds unrealistic and reductive.
What is the speaker's opinion on the character development in the book?
-The speaker believes that the characters in the book do not behave like real people but rather like plot devices to convey a political or social message.
How does the book handle the topic of religion according to the speaker?
-The speaker finds the book to be virulently anti-religion, with characters making broad and negative statements about religious people and institutions.
What issue does the speaker have with the book's depiction of the main character's intelligence?
-The speaker is annoyed by the clichéd portrayal of the main character as a 'quirky science girl' who is socially awkward and possibly on the autism spectrum, which feels inconsistent and manipulative for comedic or dramatic effect.
What is the speaker's view on the book's use of humor?
-The speaker feels that the humor in the book is often forced and used to make light of serious issues, which comes across as inappropriate and poorly executed.
How does the book handle the narrative perspective of the dog?
-The speaker finds the dog's perspective to be a bizarre and ineffective narrative choice that does not add value to the story and is not convincingly written.
What historical inaccuracies does the speaker point out in the book?
-The speaker notes that the book inaccurately portrays social policies in Sweden from the 1960s, which did not align with the actual policies in place at that time.
What is the speaker's final recommendation regarding the book 'Lessons in Chemistry'?
-The speaker strongly recommends against reading the book, giving it a zero out of ten rating due to its numerous issues and lack of storytelling quality.
What does the speaker find problematic about the book's representation of the main character's television show?
-The speaker finds it implausible that a cooking show hosted by the main character, which is filled with scientific jargon and lacks relatable content, would be popular among housewives.
What aspect of the book's marketing did the speaker find misleading?
-The speaker found the book's marketing misleading because it was pitched as a humorous and light-hearted feminist story in the style of 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' but the book turned out to be much darker and more serious than advertised.
Outlines
📚 Disillusionment with 'Lessons in Chemistry'
The speaker expresses strong dissatisfaction with the book 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmu, criticizing the book's misleading marketing as a humorous feminist piece set in the 60s. They mention feeling misled by the comparison to 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' and being disappointed by the book's dark and serious tone. The speaker also criticizes the book for being poorly researched and misrepresenting the time period and scientific elements, despite the author's claims of thorough research.
🤔 Unconvincing Characterization and Plot
The summary addresses the lack of authenticity in the book's characters and plot, noting that the protagonist's interactions and experiences with sexism and sexual assault are depicted in an unrealistic and heavy-handed manner. The speaker finds it hard to believe that the police and academic institutions would act as described, and criticizes the book for its portrayal of every male character as either a misogynist or a rapist, which they argue is an oversimplification of the issue.
🚫 Overly Political and Didactic Narrative
The speaker describes the book's narrative as overly political and didactic, with characters acting more as mouthpieces for social issues rather than as believable individuals. They express annoyance at the book's constant preaching about social and political positions, arguing that it detracts from the storytelling and makes it difficult to connect with the characters on a personal level.
🎭 Inconsistent Character Behavior and Misrepresentation
The speaker criticizes the book for its inconsistent character behavior, particularly the protagonist's odd mix of hyper-awareness of sexism and lack of social understanding, which they find implausible. They also take issue with the portrayal of the protagonist's daughter as a prodigy, arguing that it stretches credibility and lacks emotional and cognitive plausibility for a child of her age.
📺 The Unlikely Success of a Science-Based Cooking Show
The summary delves into the protagonist's unlikely success as a TV host of a science-based cooking show, which the speaker finds hard to believe due to the show's complex scientific explanations and the protagonist's confrontational attitude towards the show's format and sponsors. They argue that the show's premise would likely alienate the target audience of housewives rather than empower them.
🙅♀️ Anti-Religious Sentiments and Inaccuracies
The speaker criticizes the book's virulent anti-religious stance, which they find unnecessary and overly aggressive. They also point out factual inaccuracies, such as the incorrect portrayal of Swedish social policies of the time, which further detract from the book's credibility.
🐕 Unconvincing Dog Perspective and Final Thoughts
The summary concludes with the speaker's criticism of the book's attempt to include a dog's perspective, which they find unconvincing and unnecessary. They reiterate their overall dissatisfaction with the book, highlighting its lack of authenticity, research, and plausible storytelling, and express a strong recommendation against reading 'Lessons in Chemistry'.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mismarketed
💡Trigger Warnings
💡Feminism
💡Authenticity
💡Soapboxing
💡Patriarchy
💡Sexual Assault
💡Atheism
💡Prodigy
💡Anti-Religion
💡Sexist System
💡Quirkiness
💡Dog Perspective
Highlights
Reader expresses strong dissatisfaction with the book 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmu/Garma Scarmu.
Mismarketing of the book as a light, humorous, and feminist read set in the 60s, contrasting with its darker themes.
Comparison to 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' as a marketing strategy that misleads potential readers.
Trigger warning mentioned for two on-page sexual assault scenes.
Critique of the book's portrayal of the main character's interactions with men, depicting them as either misogynists or rapists.
Author's perceived lack of research into the time period, science, and authenticity, as mocked in the author's interview.
Discussion of the main character's portrayal as a 'quirky science girl' who may be on the autism spectrum.
Inconsistencies in the character's understanding of social cues and her awareness of sexism.
The character's unexpected success as a TV show host, despite her unconventional and demanding approach.
Book's antagonistic stance towards religion, with characters making derogatory remarks about religious figures and beliefs.
Inclusion of a dog's perspective that is deemed ineffective and unnecessary by the reader.
The character's public declaration of atheism on her TV show and the lack of negative consequences.
An inaccurate reference to Swedish social policies that did not align with the book's timeline.
The character's pregnancy leading to her dismissal from work, highlighting gender inequality in the workplace.
Final verdict of the reader strongly recommending against reading 'Lessons in Chemistry'.
Transcripts
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