We Discuss Lessons in Chemistry in Person

Our meeting at the outdoor table at the Round Rock Library was a high point! The book was delightful, the weather was beautiful, and the discussion of Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, was fun!

Lessons in Chemistry is a popular book and had become difficult to get through a library! The book is worth the wait, unless you have a Book Club discussion to attend! Thanks to Carla, we had all read the book, and we had discussion questions about it.

Everyone enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry! We went through the questions, but your webmaster neglected to take very many notes, so there won’t be much of a rendition of the discussion. You had to be there! Here are some things said about the book:

Favorite Character: The majority went for Six-Thirty. This was the same as with many book clubs and readers on Goodreads!  The dog was not totally realistic but highlighted the intelligence and loyalty and protectiveness that many dogs show. Joyce chose Mad. Mad knew a little too much for her age! Joyce wondered whether Mad had become the way she was because of her upbringing or whether she was just that way.

Question 1) It seemed the relationship between Elizabeth and Calvin would have lasted, had he lived longer. The relationship was one of mutual respect, attraction, and love.

Question 2) Among us, we represented a variety of cooking styles. Most of us hadn’t thought to think about the chemistry of cooking.

Question 3) Madeline was a child, so her imagination was very active. We thought she put characters into her family tree because without them, the tree would have been too spare, plus, the strong women (Cleopatra and Pocahontas) she added were clever and fitting solutions to her tree.

Further discussion involved whether any of the book’s characters, e.g., Elizabeth, Calvin, and Mad, might have been on the autism spectrum. We discussed how libraries have changed since the 1960s, when this story supposedly took place. Ken expressed anger he had felt when he read about the assault on Elizabeth. I had felt anger during that description, too! We found a lot of the book to be unbelievable, but that was the nature of the book – to require the reader to suspend disbelief. After this well-written entertaining book, this author seems to be one to watch for further offerings!

I will add that although we didn’t discuss it, Elizabeth appeared in my mind similar to the actress who played Beth Harmon in the movie for The Queen’s Gambit (Anya Taylor-Joy). Joy would be the actress I would choose to play the role of Elizabeth!