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Wow. Without a doubt, Lessons in Chemistry will be in my top reads for 2022. I went in with little expectation and little knowledge of the plot and was suddenly overwhelmed with how much I was engaged by this novel and intrigued by Elizabeth Zott.
Elizabeth is incredibly smart and strong in character. Though she is clearly heads and shoulders above any of her coworkers, she is consistently belittled simply for being a woman. Regardless, she refuses to take this treatment and braves more than one uncomfortable and/or harrowing situation with incredible poise.
The writing is witty and infused with a wonderful sardonic humor. Mixed in with this are some incredibly dark and difficult topics, yet it is representative of believable moments. It is incredibly smart and intricately composed. There is a smidge of magical realism rolled into the plot, as the point of view does occasionally shift to Six-Thirty, Elizabeth's dog. At first, I wasn't sure this approach was going to work, but oh boy...Garmus pulls it all off brilliantly.
The atmosphere of the 1960s is incredibly well dramatized. There is something of a Mad Men feel to the professional world in the novel and everything about it felt so fully genuine, though clearly distilled to move the plot and hit hard. The judgment towards women's motivations, appropriate attire, and place in the world were so brutally laid out on the page. I at once felt, angry, disbelieving, disgusted, and proud of Elizabeth for her refusal to accept any confines based on gender.
Beyond Zott, the other characters are also amply dynamic. They are tangible and well-balanced, though there is admittedly a bit of hyperbole here and there. Still, this also moves the plot forward quite well and did nothing to detract from my ability to enjoy the story...it may have actually enhanced it (everyone loves a well-written baddy). For those questioning the believablity of young Mad's character, I could believe every bit of her. I have a precocious 5-year-old myself, so some of her actions, predilections, and knowledge base were highly reflective of our daily life.
I have to say that I am quite stunned to read such a quality novel as a debut. There is high polish to the plot and characters. It felt nearly seamless, with clearly researched background and excellent detail that gave everything a well-rounded feel. Highly recommend.
Elizabeth is incredibly smart and strong in character. Though she is clearly heads and shoulders above any of her coworkers, she is consistently belittled simply for being a woman. Regardless, she refuses to take this treatment and braves more than one uncomfortable and/or harrowing situation with incredible poise.
The writing is witty and infused with a wonderful sardonic humor. Mixed in with this are some incredibly dark and difficult topics, yet it is representative of believable moments. It is incredibly smart and intricately composed. There is a smidge of magical realism rolled into the plot, as the point of view does occasionally shift to Six-Thirty, Elizabeth's dog. At first, I wasn't sure this approach was going to work, but oh boy...Garmus pulls it all off brilliantly.
The atmosphere of the 1960s is incredibly well dramatized. There is something of a Mad Men feel to the professional world in the novel and everything about it felt so fully genuine, though clearly distilled to move the plot and hit hard. The judgment towards women's motivations, appropriate attire, and place in the world were so brutally laid out on the page. I at once felt, angry, disbelieving, disgusted, and proud of Elizabeth for her refusal to accept any confines based on gender.
Beyond Zott, the other characters are also amply dynamic. They are tangible and well-balanced, though there is admittedly a bit of hyperbole here and there. Still, this also moves the plot forward quite well and did nothing to detract from my ability to enjoy the story...it may have actually enhanced it (everyone loves a well-written baddy). For those questioning the believablity of young Mad's character, I could believe every bit of her. I have a precocious 5-year-old myself, so some of her actions, predilections, and knowledge base were highly reflective of our daily life.
I have to say that I am quite stunned to read such a quality novel as a debut. There is high polish to the plot and characters. It felt nearly seamless, with clearly researched background and excellent detail that gave everything a well-rounded feel. Highly recommend.
There should be much more hype out there for this novel! The Ink of Elspet is a debut novel and the first in a middle grade fantasy series that needs to get more publicity. It is a fantastic adventure perfect for readers who also enjoyed the Narnia, Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson, and Keeper of the Lost Cities series.
The writing is fun and charming and the plot is just perfection. There is such amazing creativity to the story and the plot is fast-paced and heavily atmospheric. The characters in the story are so well-balanced and unique. Two siblings, an additional child, some quirky adults, some seriously devious bad guys, and a great helping of magic. There is a slight religious component to the novel (the author is a pastor, as is the father of the children who is the focus of the locus for the story), but this is not a heavy-handed thread and it is very well-handled throughout the read.
I loved nearly everything about this.It will definitely be a middle grade read that you will find me recommending profusely. I will also be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series as I am ready for another fantastic adventure.
The writing is fun and charming and the plot is just perfection. There is such amazing creativity to the story and the plot is fast-paced and heavily atmospheric. The characters in the story are so well-balanced and unique. Two siblings, an additional child, some quirky adults, some seriously devious bad guys, and a great helping of magic. There is a slight religious component to the novel (the author is a pastor, as is the father of the children who is the focus of the locus for the story), but this is not a heavy-handed thread and it is very well-handled throughout the read.
I loved nearly everything about this.It will definitely be a middle grade read that you will find me recommending profusely. I will also be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series as I am ready for another fantastic adventure.
My first completed read of 2023 and it was a magnificent one! This 8th installment in the Wayward Children series is near perfection.
I love this series so incredibly much. I'm a big fan of portal fantasy to begin with, but Seanan McGuire just has a way with words. Her characters are wonderful, her stories both heartbreaking and uplifing. The narrative is beautifully written and atmospheric. The Shop Where Lost Things Go is magnificent and I really enjoy the creativity of all the worlds that she manages to create. The only downside to this book is that it is a novella. I would devour each of these reads even if they were 1000 pages long. They are just incredibly magical.
There is some gut-wrenching and potentially triggering content at the introduction of the story, but it is gracefully handled and does a wonderful job of setting the scene. McGuire is nothing if not authentic to her work and I appreciate how many different facets and ways of life she brings to her tales. She is so effortlessly inclusive that I am just constantly in awe.
The plot is full of wonder and magic, but also contains her trademark nature of allegory and life lessons. An absolutely perfect read to begin 2023.
I love this series so incredibly much. I'm a big fan of portal fantasy to begin with, but Seanan McGuire just has a way with words. Her characters are wonderful, her stories both heartbreaking and uplifing. The narrative is beautifully written and atmospheric. The Shop Where Lost Things Go is magnificent and I really enjoy the creativity of all the worlds that she manages to create. The only downside to this book is that it is a novella. I would devour each of these reads even if they were 1000 pages long. They are just incredibly magical.
There is some gut-wrenching and potentially triggering content at the introduction of the story, but it is gracefully handled and does a wonderful job of setting the scene. McGuire is nothing if not authentic to her work and I appreciate how many different facets and ways of life she brings to her tales. She is so effortlessly inclusive that I am just constantly in awe.
The plot is full of wonder and magic, but also contains her trademark nature of allegory and life lessons. An absolutely perfect read to begin 2023.
Julia Whelan is amazing. She has long been one of my favorite audiobook narrators, but she has now proven herself as an excellent author as well! Within the first twenty minutes of listening (I highly recommend listening since the author is among the best in her profession as a narrator), I had a gut feeling that this was going to be a stellar 5-star read. I wound up listening to the whole thing in less than 24 hours because it was just so entertaining.
Whelan's writing is witty and quippy. Her characters are fun and the banter was magnificent. Sewanee is great, as are the other main characters, but Whelan's creation of Blah (Sewanee's grandmother, Barbara) is an absolute kick and I loved her so much. Each character interaction is well thought out and filled with realistic moments that make everything incredibly full of depth. Regardless of how minor a character was to the story, it felt like Whelan went out of her way to make sure they were all very tangible and unique.
The plot is somewhat predictable, but still totally lovable. It is cute, emotional, swoony, smart, and very funny. I literally laughed out loud at several points and recommended it to a friend as an immediate read before I was even finished.
Book lovers will definitely get an extra kick out of this because of all of the little Easter eggs peppered throughout the plot. There are a lot of references to book tropes and cliches, discussions on genres, and a lot of information about how audiobooks are created. I appreciated all of this and Whelan's experience definitely lent heavy authenticity to the plot.
This is such a fun romp. It's a light rom-com, but still has heavier elements layered in for a few more serious subplots that still go well explored. A fantastic read and a great amount of fun. This will be in my top reads for the year, without a doubt.
Whelan's writing is witty and quippy. Her characters are fun and the banter was magnificent. Sewanee is great, as are the other main characters, but Whelan's creation of Blah (Sewanee's grandmother, Barbara) is an absolute kick and I loved her so much. Each character interaction is well thought out and filled with realistic moments that make everything incredibly full of depth. Regardless of how minor a character was to the story, it felt like Whelan went out of her way to make sure they were all very tangible and unique.
The plot is somewhat predictable, but still totally lovable. It is cute, emotional, swoony, smart, and very funny. I literally laughed out loud at several points and recommended it to a friend as an immediate read before I was even finished.
Book lovers will definitely get an extra kick out of this because of all of the little Easter eggs peppered throughout the plot. There are a lot of references to book tropes and cliches, discussions on genres, and a lot of information about how audiobooks are created. I appreciated all of this and Whelan's experience definitely lent heavy authenticity to the plot.
This is such a fun romp. It's a light rom-com, but still has heavier elements layered in for a few more serious subplots that still go well explored. A fantastic read and a great amount of fun. This will be in my top reads for the year, without a doubt.
