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Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus

Historical Fiction · Literary Fiction · 2022

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Context & research status ↗

About this book

Character · main

Calvin Evans

personality

  • Calvin is impatient, socially reserved and inclined to hold grudges.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 3, professional achievements and temperament · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · protagonist

Elizabeth Zott

age

  • Elizabeth is thirty at the November 1961 opening.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 1, first paragraph · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

role

  • Elizabeth hosts the television cooking program Supper at Six and is Madeline’s mother.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 1, opening and closing paragraphs · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • Brilliant research chemist researching abiogenesis who becomes an unexpected television cooking icon.Lessons in Chemistry (novel) · Synopsis · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

appearance

  • Elizabeth has an unblemished complexion.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 2, opening paragraph · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

relationship

  • Forms an intellectual and romantic partnership with fellow chemist Calvin Evans prior to his tragic death.Lessons in Chemistry (novel) · Synopsis · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Harriet

role

  • Harriet is a neighbor who looks after Madeline.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 1, Madeline removes lunchbox notes · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Madeline Zott

age

  • Madeline is five and has been reading since she was three.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 1, reading discussion · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

role

  • Highly gifted daughter of Elizabeth and Calvin who investigates her late father ancestry.Lessons in Chemistry (novel) · Synopsis · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Six-Thirty

Character · supporting

Walter Pine

role

  • Local television producer and single father who recruits Elizabeth to host a television cooking show.Lessons in Chemistry (novel) · Synopsis · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Place · primary

Commons, California

era

  • The opening is set in Commons in Southern California in November 1961.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 1, heading and final scene · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Place · primary

Hastings Research Institute

layout

  • Calvin has a large private laboratory, while Elizabeth works in cramped quarters.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 3, first paragraph · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Place · primary

Zott Home Kitchen Laboratory

layout

  • Standard residential kitchen converted into a home laboratory for conducting chemical research.Lessons in Chemistry (novel) · Synopsis · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

Details

  • In November 1961, Elizabeth prepares her daughter’s lunch before leaving for the television studio.Lessons in Chemistry official Chapters 1–3 excerpt · Chapter 1, opening and final scene · Penguin Random House / Doubleday · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • Set in early 1960s Southern California, centered on research laboratories and television broadcast facilities.Lessons in Chemistry (novel) · Synopsis · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Verified context available · 3 chapters with coverageResearch status →Contribute context →

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