Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Lessons in Chemistry
- Author: Bonnie Garmus
- Narrator: Miranda Raison
- Length: 11:56:37
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 05/04/2022
- Publisher: Penguin Books LTD
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Historical Fiction, Feminist Fiction
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
There’s a particular alchemy that happens when an exceptional story meets the perfect narrator – a transformation I first witnessed years ago while driving through Chile’s Atacama Desert, listening to García Márquez’s words dance with the narrator’s voice. That same magical transformation occurs in Bonnie Garmus’s “Lessons in Chemistry”, where Miranda Raison’s narration turns Elizabeth Zott’s revolutionary story into something transcendent.
Garmus’s debut novel arrives like a perfectly timed chemical reaction – equal parts humorous, poignant, and intellectually stimulating. Set against the backdrop of 1960s America, we follow Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist whose uncompromising intellect and refusal to conform to gender norms make her an outcast in her field. When she’s forced into hosting a cooking show, “Supper at Six”, she unexpectedly becomes the unlikely hero of housewives across America, teaching them chemistry and empowerment in equal measure.
Raison’s narration captures Elizabeth’s razor-sharp intellect and dry wit with precision. There’s a particular scene where Elizabeth explains oxidation while making pot roast that had me pulling over my rental car in rural Portugal (where I was listening) to fully appreciate Raison’s delivery – the way she balances scientific terminology with wry humor mirrors how my Oaxacan host grandmother used to weave complex life lessons into simple cooking instructions.
The audiobook shines in its secondary characters too. Raison gives life to:
– Six-Thirty, the philosophical dog whose inner monologue provides surprising depth
– Calvin Evans, Elizabeth’s Nobel-nominated love interest whose vulnerabilities emerge through Raison’s subtle vocal shifts
– The chorus of 1960s housewives whose awakening feels viscerally real through Raison’s empathetic portrayals
Garmus’s writing carries echoes of modern feminist classics like “The Feminine Mystique”, but with a distinctly 21st century sensibility that makes historical injustices feel urgently contemporary. The scenes at Hastings Research Institute particularly resonated with me – they reminded me of interviewing female scientists in Lisbon who still face similar biases today.
What makes this audiobook special is how Raison handles the tonal shifts:
– The laugh-out-loud moments (like Elizabeth’s deadpan reactions to sexism) land perfectly
– The heartbreaking scenes (particularly involving Elizabeth’s daughter) ache with restrained emotion
– The scientific explanations become lyrical through Raison’s crisp enunciation
Some listeners might find Elizabeth’s character initially off-putting in her rigidity – but Raison’s performance helps us understand this as armor rather than coldness. And while the 1960s setting occasionally feels like it simplifies complex social dynamics, Garmus’s sharp writing and Raison’s nuanced performance keep the story feeling fresh rather than nostalgic.
For fans of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”‘s feminist humor or “Hidden Figures”‘ celebration of women in STEM, this audiobook delivers that same potent mix of entertainment and enlightenment. It’s particularly powerful when listened to during mundane tasks – I found myself scrubbing pans with new purpose after hearing Elizabeth reframe domestic work as chemistry.
The interview with Pandora Sykes included at the end provides fascinating context about Garmus’s own experiences that shaped Elizabeth’s character. It’s a rare bonus that actually enhances rather than merely supplements the listening experience.
With a chemist’s precision and a storyteller’s heart, always seeking the next transformative narrative – Marcus
Marcus Rivera
