Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Recipe by Elle James (Shameless Elle)
About the Author Bonnie Garmus
Before Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus was a copywriter and creative director working in the diverse fields of technology, medicine and even education.
Born 1957 in sunny California, with roots in Seattle, she got her degree in writing/aesthetic studies before spending time living in Switzerland and Colombia
Living in London with her family and dog, 99, Bonnie loves open water swimmer and of course rowing.
On her move to Seattle, Bonnies love of rowing came upon her in her late 30s.
Intrigued by the ‘long thin boat’ she saw, it wasn’t long before she signed herself up for a taster session.
In an interview – apologies because I can attribute it to anything, she said, “The minute I got in the boat and we headed out on the lake, it was so much fun that I immediately thought ‘This is something I want to learn how to do,’ so I signed up for a long-term course,” she explains.
Rowing played a big role in her 2022 debut novel, and Foodie Book Club October read, Lessons in Chemistry, as a subplot to weave through the book.
Writing about rowing was easy for Bonnie, but chemistry was something she had to learn for the book, and as the story was set in the 50s, the chemistry had to be historically correct too. To do this, she set to learning the science from a contemporary textbook, making sure to check and check again that anything included was of its time.
Bonnie Garmus
Book
Bonnie Garmus and her first novel Lessons in Chemistry have won many awards.
The book has been called “polished, funny and thought provoking” by the Guardian, The New York Times thought the subplots were “entertaining” with “witty dialogue”, and even the chemistry professor Olimpia Mamula, praised the book.
With over 42 countries selling the it, Lessons in Chemistry has been made into a television series helping Garmus to win awards such as author of the year by Waterstones, The Paul Torday memorial Prize..
All main characters in the book are fictional and based on imagination, except Six-Thirty who was loosely inspired by a former pet dog of hers, Friday.
Both Friday and Six-Thirty have the same super power, an extended vocabulary of human words. “There were so many words that Friday learned that way. I probably didn’t realise all the words that she knew,” Bonnie says in another interview. about her own dog.
Elizabeth Zott, her husband Calvin Evan and their daughter, Mad, are all pulled from Bonnie’s mind and are woven throughout the book.
The main character Elizabeth, has a brilliant mind, which as a woman in the 1950s doesn’t count for that much. Her beautiful face is the thing that gets noticed first and this results in others, and by that i mean men, dismissing her..
Forced to walk through a time when the intelligence of women is not valued, their ideas stolen and sexual assault is the norm and acceptable, Elizabeth is defiant and determined to be taken seriously as a chemist and researcher..
Becoming involved with Calvin Evans, a well-respected Scientist, when Calvin is run down when walking their dog, she is left alone and pregnant.
Refusing to be ashamed because of her pregnancy, she becomes an unconventional mother refusing to talk down to her or underestimate the worth or intelligence of her daughter Mad, wanting her to grow up to be independent, brave and powerful.
As her daughter grows, Elizabeth is forced to take research roles way under her intelligence and pay grade just to keep food on the table.
A chance encounter with a tv executive leads to Elizabeth becoming a reluctant star of Supper at Six, a cookery show which takes women seriously and inspires them to take themselves seriously.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Recipe by Elle James (Shameless Elle)
My Thoughts
I enjoyed this book greatly, and fell in love with the strong women that surround Elizabeth throughout the story.
It was enlightening and quite disturbing to hear about the regular practices of the 50s and 60s, where women were concerned, and in some cases, how far things have come, or haven’t.
There was an underlining honesty about the character of Elizabeth, the way she held on to her beliefs even when things were at their blackest.
Having the ability to write a character who has the mental strength to hold onto her own sense of self during that stage of history when the levels of misogyny were so high, makes me wonder about Zotts own strength of character and whether she drew in that as a point of strength when creating Elizabeth.
A particular favourite character of mine was Harriet Sloan. Right from the start with the honest way she was brought into the book, at a time when Elizabeth was in need of another strong woman to be batting for her and at a time when Harriet was looking for something to make her feel worthwhile..
It was enlightening to follow Harriets journey as she grew in self-confidence, and watch her own quiet love story grow.
Not a conventual ending with no love triangle for Elizabeth.
I respected the fact that the book wasn’t tied up in a pretty love story red bow for the main character and that her principles weren’t compromised for the sake of a chocolate box ending.
Right up until the last moment, Elizabeth showed her daughter how worthy women in society are, to hold onto her uniqueness and celebrate that as she grows.
As for the dog in the book, Six thirty, this is how I imagine my dog to think and understand, when in reality, my dog Ellie, probably only sits and thinks about the next treat.
In conclusion, I thought this book was funny when it needed to be, and observant of human nature in a time when women were unrecognised in the workforce and in society.
The characters are strong, well rounded and full of self-appreciating humour without it being predictable.
I give it a 4 ½ Egg rating.
4 1/2 Eggs from me
Chef
This month I want to shout about an amazing person who, in an instant, said yes when asked to help Foodie Book Club out with a recipe.
Elle James, aka Shameless Elle, has a generous soul, a cheeky sense of humour and a huge following on Ticktock, Instagram and all other social media.
I first came across Ella, as most people have done, through her social media real life, yet hilarious skits.
Never in a moment of watching did I think I would get a chance to communicate with her about Foodie Book Club.
No, I’m not a stalker or a sycophant, I just really appreciate kindness and talent, and Elle has and is both of these things.
If you’d like to find more about Elle James, and if you haven’t already I think you should, check out her social links for :Instagram here, find TikTok here, Elle is on YouTube: here, and FaceBook here.
The incredibly kind and generous Elle James
Words from Elle herself about how she started her journey to making people smile:
Along with many millennials who joined Tiktok during the lockdown in 2020, Elle James started creating videos out of curiosity and boredom.
Never thinking much more of it than “an outlet for her crazy while trapped inside her house”, 4 years later she has amassed over 1 million followers on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
Growing up Elle was a very shy child with low self-esteem. But she says the past 4 years has brought a confidence and shamelessness she may have never achieved without the social media community.
“The weirder I was, the more people liked it and I slowly started letting go of the insecurities I felt on camera. I realized “perfect” was the opposite of what people wanted from me and it was the best news I’ve ever gotten. So here I am 4 years later, messy, unfiltered and the happiest I’ve ever been”
Known best for her childlike giggle and overwhelming thirst, Elle’s channel is a mixture of humour & sincerity with her only goal to deliver a small space where we can all be a little less than perfect.
“The only perfection I’ve found in life is the ability to laugh at myself” -Elle James
Elle James
“This is my mom‘s lasagna recipe. It was always my favourite as a child, and it continues to be a favourite amongst the family and all of the grandchildren. I’ll warn you now, whenever we visit she is forced to make it, so make this with caution knowing that you may be forced to make it for the rest of your life. It’s very simple with regular everyday ingredients and feeds a large group. We love comfort food, and from my family to yours, bon appétit! enjoy! ♥️”
Thats one amazing pasta dish
Recipe
Mom’s Lasagna
Feeds 6-8 people.
Ingredients
GROUND BEEF MIXTURE
2 lbs ground beef (Mince Beef)
1/2 lg white onion
2-3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp basil
1 can tomato paste
1 lge can tomato sauce
Start to layer that sucker up
COTTAGE CHEESE MIXTURE
1 lge container cottage cheese
2 lge eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Cheese mixture
NOODLES
1 box regular lasagna noodles (boiled) - Lasagne Sheets
CHEESE LAYER
2 cups grated marble or mozzarella cheese
That meat sauce goes on top of the pasta sheets
DIRECTIONS
Brown ground beef and onion with salt, pepper, garlic until 3/4 of way done.
Add mushrooms, onion powder, basil and finish cooking. (Drain excess oil if needed)
Then add tomato paste and tomato sauce and simmer for 20- 30 minutes.
Boil noodles while sauce simmers.
Mix cottage cheese, eggs, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.
More layers
LAYER IN A DEEP 10 x 14 INCH CASSEROLE DISH
Noodles
1/2 Meat Sauce Mixture
Noodles
Cottage Cheese Mixture
Noodles
1/2 Meat Sauce Mixture
Noodles
Grated Cheese
Bake for 1 hour at 350 Fahrenheit uncovered. If baking from frozen bake for 1.5 hours.
Cooked to perfection
