Jodé Millman's Blog, page 5
February 12, 2024
Here's my latest Booktrib.com Review- The Women by Kristin Hannah
Imagine you are a veteran returning home from war after serving in the terrifying jungles of Vietnam. Then imagine that no one ever acknowledges your service. In fact, you are spat upon, shamed, and ignored by the country whose freedom you have sworn to protect.
In Kristin Hannah’s latest novel, “The Women” (St. Martin’s Press), Frances “Frankie” McGrath faces those heartbreaking hurdles, and more. Frankie comes of age in a dark and dangerous period in United States history—The Vietnam War. She is used to a carefree, spoiled existence on Coronado Island, California; a world of country clubs, beach parties, and private schools.
However, throughout her entire life, Frankie’s wealthy father has drilled into her the belief that there is no greater sacrifice than to serve one’s country. So, at twenty-one and fresh out of nursing school, Frankie enlists as an Army nurse to serve in Vietnam. While her parents believe women should marry, stay home, and raise a family, Frankie naively believes she can make a difference in the war effort. However, life has other adventures and tragedies in store for her.
To her dismay, Frankie is assigned to the Thirty-Sixth Evac Hospital, a small mobile surgical hospital located sixty miles from Saigon. She has barely unpacked when she faces soldiers with missing limbs, boys on the verge of death, or emotionally devastated by the horrors of war. The situation demands that Frankie grow up, and that she quickly learn to navigate life under fire within a military pressure cooker. Alongside exemplary doctors and skilled nurses, Barb and Ethel, she thrives. Through times of heartbreak, romantic entanglements, relentless monsoons and blistering heat, constant bombings, and the influx of soldiers injured at the hands of “Charlie,” the Viet Cong, the three women develop a unbreakable bond.
Frankie’s tours of duty leave her a changed woman. Back at home, Frankie discovers an America different from the one she left behind. The country is politically divided by the war, and protests for civil rights and women’s equality. Further, Vietnam veterans are viewed as pariahs, and she finds no support for either the physical or emotional battle scars left by Vietnam.
Frankie is shocked that society, her friends, and family ignore her contributions to the war effort. She is repeatedly informed, “women were not in Vietnam.” But nothing could be farther than the truth. Frankie saved lives. She is a hero. However, now all she feels is shame for her participation in an unpopular, futile, and expensive war which Americans now oppose. And where POWs have been forgotten and lie rotting in Vietnamese prisons.
Hannah excels in spinning tales about heroines overcoming the tragedies defining their times in history. In “The Nightingale,” she wrote about sisters separated and trapped by the ravages of WWII. Her next bestseller, “The Four Winds,” examined women battling the Great Dust Bowl, and the sacrifices they made for a new life. In “The Women,” Hannah addresses the invisible women of the Vietnam War.
“The Women” is the story of Frankie’s struggles to merge her post-war illuminated self into the restrictive chauvinistic anti-war society of 1970s America. Hannah shines a light on the maltreatment of the heroic men and women veterans by their fellow Americans and a warmonger government. It is estimated that over ten thousand women served during the war in medicine, air traffic, and military intelligence. It was not until 1993 that the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was created in their honor.
While the plot of “The Women” is predictable, and even a bit soapy, Hannah’s message rings true. Women volunteered to go to war in Vietnam and placed themselves in harm’s way to help others. Sadly, it took our country decades to recognize their sacrifices. In this expansive novel, Kristin Hannah refuses to mince words about the courage of “The Women” under fire, and how they defined a generation of American heroes.
The Women
In Kristin Hannah’s latest novel, “The Women” (St. Martin’s Press), Frances “Frankie” McGrath faces those heartbreaking hurdles, and more. Frankie comes of age in a dark and dangerous period in United States history—The Vietnam War. She is used to a carefree, spoiled existence on Coronado Island, California; a world of country clubs, beach parties, and private schools.
However, throughout her entire life, Frankie’s wealthy father has drilled into her the belief that there is no greater sacrifice than to serve one’s country. So, at twenty-one and fresh out of nursing school, Frankie enlists as an Army nurse to serve in Vietnam. While her parents believe women should marry, stay home, and raise a family, Frankie naively believes she can make a difference in the war effort. However, life has other adventures and tragedies in store for her.
To her dismay, Frankie is assigned to the Thirty-Sixth Evac Hospital, a small mobile surgical hospital located sixty miles from Saigon. She has barely unpacked when she faces soldiers with missing limbs, boys on the verge of death, or emotionally devastated by the horrors of war. The situation demands that Frankie grow up, and that she quickly learn to navigate life under fire within a military pressure cooker. Alongside exemplary doctors and skilled nurses, Barb and Ethel, she thrives. Through times of heartbreak, romantic entanglements, relentless monsoons and blistering heat, constant bombings, and the influx of soldiers injured at the hands of “Charlie,” the Viet Cong, the three women develop a unbreakable bond.
Frankie’s tours of duty leave her a changed woman. Back at home, Frankie discovers an America different from the one she left behind. The country is politically divided by the war, and protests for civil rights and women’s equality. Further, Vietnam veterans are viewed as pariahs, and she finds no support for either the physical or emotional battle scars left by Vietnam.
Frankie is shocked that society, her friends, and family ignore her contributions to the war effort. She is repeatedly informed, “women were not in Vietnam.” But nothing could be farther than the truth. Frankie saved lives. She is a hero. However, now all she feels is shame for her participation in an unpopular, futile, and expensive war which Americans now oppose. And where POWs have been forgotten and lie rotting in Vietnamese prisons.
Hannah excels in spinning tales about heroines overcoming the tragedies defining their times in history. In “The Nightingale,” she wrote about sisters separated and trapped by the ravages of WWII. Her next bestseller, “The Four Winds,” examined women battling the Great Dust Bowl, and the sacrifices they made for a new life. In “The Women,” Hannah addresses the invisible women of the Vietnam War.
“The Women” is the story of Frankie’s struggles to merge her post-war illuminated self into the restrictive chauvinistic anti-war society of 1970s America. Hannah shines a light on the maltreatment of the heroic men and women veterans by their fellow Americans and a warmonger government. It is estimated that over ten thousand women served during the war in medicine, air traffic, and military intelligence. It was not until 1993 that the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was created in their honor.
While the plot of “The Women” is predictable, and even a bit soapy, Hannah’s message rings true. Women volunteered to go to war in Vietnam and placed themselves in harm’s way to help others. Sadly, it took our country decades to recognize their sacrifices. In this expansive novel, Kristin Hannah refuses to mince words about the courage of “The Women” under fire, and how they defined a generation of American heroes.
The Women
Whisk yourself away to a Scenic Scottish Village in MC Beaton's "Death of a Spy"
Poor Hamish MacBeth. In “Death of a Spy” (Grand Central), the 39th Hamish MacBeth murder mystery, his neighbors still view him as an outsider in his patch in the Scottish Highlands, Lochdubh. His community views him as a lazy copper, and he craves to be left alone to do his job and get in some fishing. Yet, when his village is in trouble, the residents rely upon him and hound him relentlessly. There is no escape for Hamish since he lives at the police station with his dog, Lugs, and his cat, Sonsie.
In “Death of a Spy,” the tall, red-haired sergeant becomes entrapped in international intrigue when the American man of mystery James Bland reappears in Lochdubh. In the last mystery, “Death of a Traitor,” Bland appeared as a tourist, and had left Hamish wondering about Bland’s true identity. Now, Hamish is shocked to discover that Bland is posing as a police sergeant. With a letter from the Home Office in hand, he is claiming he is on an exchange program to learn about policing methods in Scotland. Hamish’s superiors have bought the ruse, but the story is a cover, leaving Hamish to wonder about Bland’s motive and the need for Hamish’s assistance.
Bland reveals that a decades-old coded list of payments and names, including those of Hamish’s superiors, has been deciphered. It contains a list of spies called “The Despicable Dozen.” He enlists Hamish to hunt down the surviving members of the Russian spy ring hiding out in the highlands. In his heart, Hamish believes his job is to keep the peace in his community, not play cloak-and-dagger with the evasive American. Against his better judgment, Hamish agrees to assist Sergeant Bland despite the secrecy surrounding Bland’s sudden interest in the ancient crimes.
As they are about to begin their search, a sudden rainstorm washes out the bridge into Lochdubh. The residents are left stranded and they demand that Hamish get the bridge repaired. Hamish calls in the troops and gets the job accomplished, but not without placing his life in danger. Fortunately, Bland is on hand to help save the day.
Seeking out the remaining members of the “Dozen” proves to be a tricky and deadly task. Hamish and Bland encounter mobsters, mysterious suicides, and uncooperative witnesses as they crisscross the remote villages and lochs to track down their prey. All the while, Hamish is trapped between protecting his locals against a sudden rash of violent nocturnal burglaries, and doing his duty to his country.
A tale of international intrigue mixed with local Scottish flavor, “Death of a Spy” is a fast-paced read, and will thrill all Hamish fans. Once again, Rod Green, writing as M.C. Beaton, creates a masterful and fun spy tale, which incorporates all of Beaton’s beloved Scottish characters. Hamish’s former fiancées Priscilla and Elspeth have returned to terrorize him and create tension with his new girlfriend Claire, the paramedic. Mates Freddy and Silas also play an integral part in helping to identify “the boss” of the spy ring. Naturally, the culprit is the last person any reader or Hamish would suspect.
The Hamish MacBeth mysteries are like peanuts. When you read one, you cannot stop. After finishing “Death of a Spy,” readers will itch for the next Hamish MacBeth installment. Maybe next time, he will finally get the girl and the peace and quiet he desires.
Death of a Spy
In “Death of a Spy,” the tall, red-haired sergeant becomes entrapped in international intrigue when the American man of mystery James Bland reappears in Lochdubh. In the last mystery, “Death of a Traitor,” Bland appeared as a tourist, and had left Hamish wondering about Bland’s true identity. Now, Hamish is shocked to discover that Bland is posing as a police sergeant. With a letter from the Home Office in hand, he is claiming he is on an exchange program to learn about policing methods in Scotland. Hamish’s superiors have bought the ruse, but the story is a cover, leaving Hamish to wonder about Bland’s motive and the need for Hamish’s assistance.
Bland reveals that a decades-old coded list of payments and names, including those of Hamish’s superiors, has been deciphered. It contains a list of spies called “The Despicable Dozen.” He enlists Hamish to hunt down the surviving members of the Russian spy ring hiding out in the highlands. In his heart, Hamish believes his job is to keep the peace in his community, not play cloak-and-dagger with the evasive American. Against his better judgment, Hamish agrees to assist Sergeant Bland despite the secrecy surrounding Bland’s sudden interest in the ancient crimes.
As they are about to begin their search, a sudden rainstorm washes out the bridge into Lochdubh. The residents are left stranded and they demand that Hamish get the bridge repaired. Hamish calls in the troops and gets the job accomplished, but not without placing his life in danger. Fortunately, Bland is on hand to help save the day.
Seeking out the remaining members of the “Dozen” proves to be a tricky and deadly task. Hamish and Bland encounter mobsters, mysterious suicides, and uncooperative witnesses as they crisscross the remote villages and lochs to track down their prey. All the while, Hamish is trapped between protecting his locals against a sudden rash of violent nocturnal burglaries, and doing his duty to his country.
A tale of international intrigue mixed with local Scottish flavor, “Death of a Spy” is a fast-paced read, and will thrill all Hamish fans. Once again, Rod Green, writing as M.C. Beaton, creates a masterful and fun spy tale, which incorporates all of Beaton’s beloved Scottish characters. Hamish’s former fiancées Priscilla and Elspeth have returned to terrorize him and create tension with his new girlfriend Claire, the paramedic. Mates Freddy and Silas also play an integral part in helping to identify “the boss” of the spy ring. Naturally, the culprit is the last person any reader or Hamish would suspect.
The Hamish MacBeth mysteries are like peanuts. When you read one, you cannot stop. After finishing “Death of a Spy,” readers will itch for the next Hamish MacBeth installment. Maybe next time, he will finally get the girl and the peace and quiet he desires.
Death of a Spy
December 12, 2023
A Special Interview with Agatha Raisin's RW Green
Don't miss out on a special interview with Agatha Raisin's RW Green in my Holiday Newsletter. No spoilers here, but we learn how he and MC Beaton worked together on the last few books in the series. Plus there are lots of other holidays goodies inside the newsletter. Here's the link! Enjoy and Happy Holidays.
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Jodé Millman
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Jodé Millman
THE EMPTY KAYAK named one of the Years Best
Many thanks to BestThriller.com for naming THE EMPTY KAYAK one of the years best and naming it a FINALIST in this year's Best Thriller Contest.
The Empty Kayak
The Empty Kayak
November 26, 2023
MC Beaton Fans - My Interview with RW Green
Here's an excerpt of my interview with RW Green. Watch the full interview at www.jodemillman.com
Chatting with R.W. Green about Marion and Agatha
Recently, I had the honor of chatting with Rod Green about M.C. Beaton and all things Agatha Raisin. Here’s an excerpt from our wide-ranging conversation.
When did you start working with Marion (M.C. Beaton)?
I’d know Marion for over twenty years as my wife was her publisher, and the first book I worked on with Marion was “Beating around the Bush.” Marion was amazing. She had lots of ideas and a wicked sense of humor, but she wasn’t well enough to sit at the computer and pound out the words. I became involved to help her complete that book and I first received credited on “Hot to Trot”.
What did you and Marion talk about?
We talked about lots of things that could happen to Agatha and Hamish, which she’d stored all away in her mind. I’m still working with some of the ideas that we discussed over three years ago. (Marion died in 2019). While Marion dredged all the ideas from the back of her mind, I took copious notes about the characters and places like Barfield House, Carsely, and the Church. I don’t want to spoil anything for the Agatha fans. I don’t want to feel like I’m letting them down.
Was Marion open about sharing her stories with you?
Because we knew each other, she was quite happy to talk about her Birmingham upbringing, and what she’d accomplished professionally in her life. We had a lot in common (and she’d done them better than I had). Marion was happy to share. She knew I would understand what she was talking about. I was there to help. It was a huge honor and privilege for Marion to trust me with her inventions. It was scary.
Agatha seems haunted by her past. Does Agatha want to be someone other than who she is?
Agatha is very competent and she likes to get her own way. She doesn’t like anyone bettering her under any circumstances. During her past in PR, she owned the world. Now, underneath it all, she’s retired to the Cotswold and is a reasonably wealthy woman. Agatha didn’t need to set up Raisin Investigations. She didn’t need the income. Agatha did it because she couldn’t stand doing nothing. Investigating provided her with a sense of satisfaction, and she’ll carry on doing it. And Agatha will never get any older. Neither will Hamish. They will defy the aging process.
Will Agatha ever find true love?
Agatha never recognizes it when it’s staring her in the face. However, she’s fond of Detective John Glass who appears in “Dead on Target”. She’ll be seeing him again although he’s off globetrotting the world. James Lacey is still next door but he’s finally accepted that he and Agatha can work better if they remain friends rather than getting married. James will still be a confidante and comfort because they care for each other. James has had his time as her romantic interest.
What’s next for Agatha Raisin?
The next book is called “Killing Time” due out in 2024.
Dead on Target
Chatting with R.W. Green about Marion and Agatha
Recently, I had the honor of chatting with Rod Green about M.C. Beaton and all things Agatha Raisin. Here’s an excerpt from our wide-ranging conversation.
When did you start working with Marion (M.C. Beaton)?
I’d know Marion for over twenty years as my wife was her publisher, and the first book I worked on with Marion was “Beating around the Bush.” Marion was amazing. She had lots of ideas and a wicked sense of humor, but she wasn’t well enough to sit at the computer and pound out the words. I became involved to help her complete that book and I first received credited on “Hot to Trot”.
What did you and Marion talk about?
We talked about lots of things that could happen to Agatha and Hamish, which she’d stored all away in her mind. I’m still working with some of the ideas that we discussed over three years ago. (Marion died in 2019). While Marion dredged all the ideas from the back of her mind, I took copious notes about the characters and places like Barfield House, Carsely, and the Church. I don’t want to spoil anything for the Agatha fans. I don’t want to feel like I’m letting them down.
Was Marion open about sharing her stories with you?
Because we knew each other, she was quite happy to talk about her Birmingham upbringing, and what she’d accomplished professionally in her life. We had a lot in common (and she’d done them better than I had). Marion was happy to share. She knew I would understand what she was talking about. I was there to help. It was a huge honor and privilege for Marion to trust me with her inventions. It was scary.
Agatha seems haunted by her past. Does Agatha want to be someone other than who she is?
Agatha is very competent and she likes to get her own way. She doesn’t like anyone bettering her under any circumstances. During her past in PR, she owned the world. Now, underneath it all, she’s retired to the Cotswold and is a reasonably wealthy woman. Agatha didn’t need to set up Raisin Investigations. She didn’t need the income. Agatha did it because she couldn’t stand doing nothing. Investigating provided her with a sense of satisfaction, and she’ll carry on doing it. And Agatha will never get any older. Neither will Hamish. They will defy the aging process.
Will Agatha ever find true love?
Agatha never recognizes it when it’s staring her in the face. However, she’s fond of Detective John Glass who appears in “Dead on Target”. She’ll be seeing him again although he’s off globetrotting the world. James Lacey is still next door but he’s finally accepted that he and Agatha can work better if they remain friends rather than getting married. James will still be a confidante and comfort because they care for each other. James has had his time as her romantic interest.
What’s next for Agatha Raisin?
The next book is called “Killing Time” due out in 2024.
Dead on Target
Agatha Raisin dodges slings and arrows in “Dead on Target”
M.C. Beaton, with R.W. Green, hits the bulls-eye with her latest, and 36th, Agatha Raisin mystery, “Dead on Target” (Minotaur). Feisty, middle-aged Agatha is attending the Carsely Village fete when she’s enticed to participate in an archery exhibition presented by the Anscombe Archers. Before a large crowd, Agatha nails the golden circle with her bow and arrow, but this is just the beginning. Afterward on a walk in the adjoining woods, she stumbles upon the body of a wealthy landowner, Sir Godfrey Pride, who has been shot with an arrow. Miraculously, Sir Godfrey is still alive. He whispers a cryptic message to Agatha and dies in her arms. Sir Godfrey had wanted to professionally meet with Agatha before his death, and now the reason for the meeting will remain a mystery along with the identity of his killer.
However, her nemesis, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, has other ideas. He believes that this death scene scenario provides proof that, along with the intended meeting, Agatha is the prime suspect in Pride’s murder. Desperate for a reason to pin the murder on her, Wilkes argues that one of her stray arrows from the exhibition accomplished the evil deed.
Determined to clear her name, Agatha and her quirky investigative team—Toni, Patrick, and Simon, set out to uncover the real killer. They quickly discover that Pride’s son and daughter are at war over Sir Godfrey’s vast land holdings, and the siblings are fraught with inheritance issues, infidelity, and paternity scandals. An dangerous London gangster named Freddy Evans is mixed up in the plot when Agatha’s former protégé Roy Silver reveals that Sir Godfrey backed out of a real estate development deal with Evans, which Roy was brokering. In “Dead on Target,” there are more suspects than arrows in a quiver, with motives as deadly as their tips.
While on the hunt and fending off Wilkes’ wild accusations, Agatha still has time for love. She strategically juggles the three men in her life—the reliable and lecherous Sir Charles Fraithe, her loyal ex-husband James Lacey, and her current beau and dance partner Detective John Glass. Each suitor holds a special place in her life, but with whom will she share a future?
As in all Agatha Raisin mysteries, mayhem trails Agatha throughout the murder investigation. Neither fashion disasters, nor pesky reporters, nor the sales of fake sporting team apparel will deter her hot pursuit of the killer. Once again, Agatha finds her life and freedom imperiled as she ducks Wilkes relentless accusations, and the flight of arrows at every turn.
“Dead on Target” proves, once more, that Beaton is the gold standard of cozy English village mysteries. She and her co-author, R.W. Green, provide a fun and fast read where vain and dependable Agatha continues to tickle your funny bone until the last page.
Dead on Target
However, her nemesis, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, has other ideas. He believes that this death scene scenario provides proof that, along with the intended meeting, Agatha is the prime suspect in Pride’s murder. Desperate for a reason to pin the murder on her, Wilkes argues that one of her stray arrows from the exhibition accomplished the evil deed.
Determined to clear her name, Agatha and her quirky investigative team—Toni, Patrick, and Simon, set out to uncover the real killer. They quickly discover that Pride’s son and daughter are at war over Sir Godfrey’s vast land holdings, and the siblings are fraught with inheritance issues, infidelity, and paternity scandals. An dangerous London gangster named Freddy Evans is mixed up in the plot when Agatha’s former protégé Roy Silver reveals that Sir Godfrey backed out of a real estate development deal with Evans, which Roy was brokering. In “Dead on Target,” there are more suspects than arrows in a quiver, with motives as deadly as their tips.
While on the hunt and fending off Wilkes’ wild accusations, Agatha still has time for love. She strategically juggles the three men in her life—the reliable and lecherous Sir Charles Fraithe, her loyal ex-husband James Lacey, and her current beau and dance partner Detective John Glass. Each suitor holds a special place in her life, but with whom will she share a future?
As in all Agatha Raisin mysteries, mayhem trails Agatha throughout the murder investigation. Neither fashion disasters, nor pesky reporters, nor the sales of fake sporting team apparel will deter her hot pursuit of the killer. Once again, Agatha finds her life and freedom imperiled as she ducks Wilkes relentless accusations, and the flight of arrows at every turn.
“Dead on Target” proves, once more, that Beaton is the gold standard of cozy English village mysteries. She and her co-author, R.W. Green, provide a fun and fast read where vain and dependable Agatha continues to tickle your funny bone until the last page.
Dead on Target
THE EMPTY KAYAK is a Finalist for theBestThrillers.com Book Awards
I'm so excited to announce that
"The Empty Kayak is one of the year's best legal thrillers." - BestThrillers
The Empty Kayak
"The Empty Kayak is one of the year's best legal thrillers." - BestThrillers
The Empty Kayak
October 27, 2023
FOLLOW ME ON GOODREADS & BE ENTERED TO WIN AN AMAZON GIFT CARD
📖Love discovering new authors? Goodreads is your go-to place! Follow fab, new-to-you authors (LIKE ME!) and enter to win an Amazon gift card! Don’t wait, snag your entries now!🌟>> Contest runs Oct. 27- Nov 8th!
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#BookAddict #BookLovers #Goodreads #Readers #LitRingGiveaways
The Empty Kayak
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#BookAddict #BookLovers #Goodreads #Readers #LitRingGiveaways
The Empty Kayak
Author Appearance : Poughkeepsie Library District
Join me at the Poughkeepsie Library District (Boardman Road) on Saturday, November 18th at 2:30 p.m. as I discuss THE EMPTY KAYAK: Geography, History and Murder— the true crime behind the novel.
The idyllic Hudson Valley has a dark underbelly—the perfect setting for murder, mayhem, and crime in fiction and reality. In this presentation, Jodé will discuss the latest mystery in her series, The Empty Kayak, and the true crime that served as its inspiration. The Empty Kayak: Secrets and deceptions are uncovered as Detective Ebony Jones and Attorney Jessie Martin investigate a suspicious drowning in the murky, majestic Hudson River. But this time, the victim was someone near and dear to them both. Was it an accident, suicide or something more sinister? Registration required.
https://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekfo...
The idyllic Hudson Valley has a dark underbelly—the perfect setting for murder, mayhem, and crime in fiction and reality. In this presentation, Jodé will discuss the latest mystery in her series, The Empty Kayak, and the true crime that served as its inspiration. The Empty Kayak: Secrets and deceptions are uncovered as Detective Ebony Jones and Attorney Jessie Martin investigate a suspicious drowning in the murky, majestic Hudson River. But this time, the victim was someone near and dear to them both. Was it an accident, suicide or something more sinister? Registration required.
https://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekfo...
September 20, 2023
Excited about "Lessons in Chemistry" on Apple TV+?
Here's my Booktrib.com review:For more than a year, Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel, “A Lesson in Chemistry,” has clinched a berth on the New York Times bestseller list. On October 13th, the beloved characters will leap off the page and into an Apple TV+ miniseries. Oscar-winner Brie Larson stars as the uncompromising chemist-turned-television chef-Elizabeth Zott, and this will be Ms. Larson’s first starring role in a series in over a decade.
The underdog story is set in the Mad Men era of the 1950s America where Elizabeth, a young single-minded chemist, has battled hard knocks her entire life. Her unscrupulous preacher father is in jail. Her mother has fled to South America to start a new life, and her older brother has committed suicide. For most of her life, she has been a loner, fighting sexism in the ivy-covered walls of her graduate education and her workplace, Hasting Research Institute.
Elizabeth does not want to fall in love, but she cannot deny the chemistry she feels with Hasting’s brilliant, Nobel-Prize nominated chemist, Calvin Evans. After all, love is chemistry. Hormones plus attraction. And she and Calvin, both misfits, have both. They cannot suppress their feelings, but allegations of nepotism and jealousy by her all-male team make Elizabeth’s life miserable and threaten her career as a chemist.
She believes that she, and all women, can accomplish anything a man can. After being dismissed from the lab, Elizabeth is presented with the opportunity to prove her credo as a single mother and reluctant host of America’s most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth is determined to not only teach women to cook, but to challenge the sexist societal conventions that have suppressed women in the home and workplace. Each night she greets her audience with a yellow pencil tucked into her hair as “both a weapon and symbol of her ability to define her own future” explains Garmus.
Garmus also incorporates her personal obsession with rowing into the plot as a metaphor for the necessity of balance and cooperation in our lives. Scull rowers operate as a team, rowing as one, and any incongruity can make the difference between winning and losing a race. Unlike the society of Elizabeth’s time, there are no tensions instigated by religion, race, or sex in the boat. Through Calvin, Elizabeth is introduced to the sport and quickly understands and respects this non-scientific lesson.
The supporting cast of quirky cohorts: her neighbor and friend, Harriet Solan, her producer Walter Pine, her precocious daughter Madeline, and Reverend Wakely buttress Elizabeth on her rocky journey to stardom. Even her overachieving rescue pup Six-Thirty, instills laughs into this funny, charming, and thought-provoking novel.
The novel was born when Garmus, a Bay Area advertising executive and the only woman in a pitch meeting for a major technology campaign, received no feedback for her presentation. Then, as she tells it, one of the vice presidents in the room, a man, regurgitated her presentation and he received credit for the campaign. Garmus told the Seattle Times: “I put up a fight because I’m not exactly a shrinking violet... And everyone ignored me. I basically stomped back to my desk. But you know what? It was a really great thing in a way because I was in such a bad mood that instead of working on the deadline that I was supposed to be working on, I sat down that day, and I wrote the first chapter of ‘Lessons in Chemistry.’”
The success of “Chemistry” and its TV adaptation came as a surprise to the perseverant 65-year-old Garmus. Thankfully, like her alter-ego Elizabeth, she never quit although her manuscript had been rejected 98 times.
The TV adaptation was green-lit in January 2021, more than a year prior to “Chemistry’s” publication in March 2022. The eight episode period drama will air exclusively on Apple TV +. Besides starring the series, Larson is one producer of the project.
So, this autumn, slip on your lab coats and goggles, and get ready for “Lessons in Chemistry,” life, and love.
Lessons in Chemistry
The underdog story is set in the Mad Men era of the 1950s America where Elizabeth, a young single-minded chemist, has battled hard knocks her entire life. Her unscrupulous preacher father is in jail. Her mother has fled to South America to start a new life, and her older brother has committed suicide. For most of her life, she has been a loner, fighting sexism in the ivy-covered walls of her graduate education and her workplace, Hasting Research Institute.
Elizabeth does not want to fall in love, but she cannot deny the chemistry she feels with Hasting’s brilliant, Nobel-Prize nominated chemist, Calvin Evans. After all, love is chemistry. Hormones plus attraction. And she and Calvin, both misfits, have both. They cannot suppress their feelings, but allegations of nepotism and jealousy by her all-male team make Elizabeth’s life miserable and threaten her career as a chemist.
She believes that she, and all women, can accomplish anything a man can. After being dismissed from the lab, Elizabeth is presented with the opportunity to prove her credo as a single mother and reluctant host of America’s most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth is determined to not only teach women to cook, but to challenge the sexist societal conventions that have suppressed women in the home and workplace. Each night she greets her audience with a yellow pencil tucked into her hair as “both a weapon and symbol of her ability to define her own future” explains Garmus.
Garmus also incorporates her personal obsession with rowing into the plot as a metaphor for the necessity of balance and cooperation in our lives. Scull rowers operate as a team, rowing as one, and any incongruity can make the difference between winning and losing a race. Unlike the society of Elizabeth’s time, there are no tensions instigated by religion, race, or sex in the boat. Through Calvin, Elizabeth is introduced to the sport and quickly understands and respects this non-scientific lesson.
The supporting cast of quirky cohorts: her neighbor and friend, Harriet Solan, her producer Walter Pine, her precocious daughter Madeline, and Reverend Wakely buttress Elizabeth on her rocky journey to stardom. Even her overachieving rescue pup Six-Thirty, instills laughs into this funny, charming, and thought-provoking novel.
The novel was born when Garmus, a Bay Area advertising executive and the only woman in a pitch meeting for a major technology campaign, received no feedback for her presentation. Then, as she tells it, one of the vice presidents in the room, a man, regurgitated her presentation and he received credit for the campaign. Garmus told the Seattle Times: “I put up a fight because I’m not exactly a shrinking violet... And everyone ignored me. I basically stomped back to my desk. But you know what? It was a really great thing in a way because I was in such a bad mood that instead of working on the deadline that I was supposed to be working on, I sat down that day, and I wrote the first chapter of ‘Lessons in Chemistry.’”
The success of “Chemistry” and its TV adaptation came as a surprise to the perseverant 65-year-old Garmus. Thankfully, like her alter-ego Elizabeth, she never quit although her manuscript had been rejected 98 times.
The TV adaptation was green-lit in January 2021, more than a year prior to “Chemistry’s” publication in March 2022. The eight episode period drama will air exclusively on Apple TV +. Besides starring the series, Larson is one producer of the project.
So, this autumn, slip on your lab coats and goggles, and get ready for “Lessons in Chemistry,” life, and love.
Lessons in Chemistry
