I don’t love admitting I fell victim to judging a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what I did here. The original US cover for this book looked like a fluffy romcom and nobody could convince me that it wasn’t. In fact, there is very little romance in Bonnie Garmus’ novel. Pretty early on there’s both rape and a death…so basically the opposite of what I assumed. There is – as strange as it seems after I dropped the bombshell of assault – a good bit of comedy, though, which makes the sour realities of life for women in the 60s much more palatable.
Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. A great one – and she knows it. But strong-willed, smart women don’t just get disrespected, they are blatantly offended and pushed out. Because men are garbage. After she is forced to resign from her job at the lab, she tumbles into a new role as the host of a televised cooking show where she infuses her knowledge of chemistry into the one thing women are allowed to do: cook. And women across the country love it. Zott becomes a sensation, which means people want that much more to hold her down.
This is a remarkably easy read without being cotton candy. There is a happy ending but not a utopian one. Change happens slowly and I appreciate that the book doesn’t dismiss the fact that many of us are just given a bad lot. And that’s not magically fixed. And many, especially in the 60s, especially women, have been let down repeatedly and forced to make sacrifices. It makes it that much sweeter when one of them grabs a slice of success.
4.75 out of 5 stars.
Pair with: Screwdriver – with fresh squeezed orange juice
Peaches to Apples 