Lisa Wright

Lisa Wright asked:

Am I the only one who was furious about the pink chick-lit, rom-com cover on this book? It belittles the book in exactly the same way Elizabeth Zott is belittled!

303 likes · like
3 years ago
94 answers

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Bonnie I have to agree--and I'm the author! All I can say is, the publisher did let me have input and I told them I thought it looked like chick-lit (nothing against chick-lit but this book isn't that). Still, publishers have a lot of experience knowing what an audience will respond to and they thought this was the best way. They've been great to work with; we just didn't see eye-to-eye on this. You can google other covers from the other nations and see you if you think anyone else got a little closer--I think Germany and the UK both did a nice job. I have hopes that this cover will change for the paperback.

Scribbleheart Agree! This annoyed me no end as soon as I'd read the first 30 pages and realized what was in my hands. Elizabeth Zott portrayed with eyeshadow, lipstick and cat's-eye glasses on a pink background? She would have smacked the publisher with a centrifuge!

Natalie Canning Reinartz I would have loved to see an interpretation of the family tree on the cover!

Linda Oh my goodness. I'm sorry to say I would have never picked up this book, except for the fact that my book club chose it. And even then I considered passing on it. I'm so glad I didn't!

This was the first comment in my review, before I read this question. And I created a new shelf: Despite-the-cover

After reading the author's answer to the question, I'll say that the German cover is so much better! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Amelia I see some commenters are concerned about the cover art being mis-marketed. However, we should question the idea that a pink cover conveys that a book is not serious or well-written. Maybe this is an opportunity to rethink how you look at cover art and not be so quick to judge.

Why do we truly have an issue with a book with a pink cover or a colorful design? Let's be honest; Chick Lit is maligned specifically because the primary consumer of the genre is women. But really, like all books, Chick Lit has value because people buy it and it is meaningful or enjoyable to them.

I do not think it is insulting to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was offended by the men who assaulted her, spoke down to her, and didn't credit her for her work. She wasn't offended by the color pink.

David I think I’m not the only man who would never have picked this book up except for a strong recommendation to read it. It’s a wonderful book and the cover totally misrepresents it.

Nancy J Spaeder While I am not feeling furious, I am disappointed that such a cover was chosen; it does not reflect the true depth of the book. However, it does
(as the questioner states) belittle the subject. Perhaps that irony was deliberate....

Heba Absolutely. It does not suit the book at all. Also laugh-out-loud? I would not put that in the description. I really enjoyed the book, but it was not a laugh-out-loud book, that does not reflect the contents of the book at all.

Simona Kenton The UK cover is completely different and much nicer. Nevermind Bonnie the book was FANTASTIC I loved every moment of it. It was recommended on a TV show here in the UK called Between the Covers and I knew I wanted to read this novel and I was not disappointed. Congratulations

Mary Steele I am halfway through this book and am loving it! It is hard to find novels so beautifully and cleverly written. I'm a child of the '60s and my mom was single, working as a nurse, so I could relate to it. The cover didn't offend me. I wouldn't have chosen this cover if I'd written the book (if only... sigh), but I laughed at the pencil in her hair and the formulas reflected in her sunglasses.

Rebecc Just finished reading Lessons in Chemistry & was thrilled by the writing. Agree about the unsuitable cover; the UK hardback is different from the US pink montrosity, but even so the design puts it firmly in the 'Chick Lit' category that many male readers wouldn't be seen dead with. This is especially sad as I would like as many men as possible to read this & understand the daily personal & professional barriers many women still face. What were the publishers thinking????

Missy MacDonald agreed! I picked it up at the library simply because of the buzz. From the cover, I thought it would be frothy and light. Instead it was smart and funny and provocative. I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

Brok3n Honestly, I dismissed the book because of that cover. (Yeah, I know, "Never judge a book...") It was so obviously the cover of a STEMinist romance, with a tired pun on "chemistry".

Jill Hedlund When I went to go pick up a couple of books that I had placed on hold at the library, I saw this book in the pile and I wondered why I placed it on hold. Because of the cover, it was the last book that I read from the pile, but it was definitely the best! I'm hoping that cover changes for the paperback.

Brandy Interesting. I thought the irony was intentional.

Donna Langille The no#2 pencil was apt!

Suzanne I agree! My daughter-in-law's mother gave this book to me for Christmas and I took one look at the cover and thought, no way! But after coming on Goodreads and reading about the book and the reviews, I'm really looking forward to it.

I guess the old adage applies here - You can't judge a book by its cover. But still, the publishers should have known better.

Larissa Sevenhuysen I think it’s similar to the situation in the book, of publishing the real article in Vogue. I was quicker to pick up this book because of the cover than I would’ve been otherwise. And I loved the book! I didn’t feel mislead because I don’t read too much into the message the cover tries to give.

Tee in SB I agree and I'm glad you brought that up. Unfortunately, I do tend to "judge a book by it's cover" at least when they seem like obvious fluff.

Gail Poag Smith Having worked with several authors I so agree that the cover is just not representative of Elizabeth at all!!! I was insulted for her and just disgusted. Shame on whoever made that obvious marketing choice!

phil breidenbach I agree, if this hadn't been recommended to me, I wouldn't have even picked it up. (I hate to think how many good books I've passed up because of this!) Sadly, you have to admit, a book's cover does help it get picked up!

Jelan I was fortunate to travel to Ireland in May and bought the book there. I love the UK cover!

Summer I agree, I would have passed this over based on that cover, thinking it’s chick lit. Only a very boring meeting lead me to distract myself by checking out whether it’s got anything about actual chemistry in it. The UK cover is more appropriate. I do like the design of the US cover though.

Bethany This was such an interesting question that I quoted you when I wrote about the cover design (https://medium.com/books-are-our-supe...). Thanks for doing such a job good of summarizing the complaints I've heard from other readers about the cover!

Donna D'Angelo Struck I didn't have a strong reaction to it but I do see where you're coming from. My favorite part of the pink cover graphic is the pencil in Elizabeth's hair. :)

The Chinese cover is my absolute preferred one though:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Heather Kleek I took the cover to be ironic and yet also a mirror to the story.

suz depaoli I have to say I put a lot more emphasis on the title of a book. With the word chemistry in there I fully expected much more from the book and was not disappointed!

Jennifer As a person who has worked in libraries her entire life, I have learned never to judge a book by its cover and yet, the cover was not reflective of the book at all. It definitely fits the style of covers I have been seeing everywhere in bookstores though. I chose to ignore it and read the book anyways. I am so happy I did!

Stephanie Menendez

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

Maureen No the pink is fine. I think it underlines the point of this book.

Janet Meenehan You are not alone! I find it reminiscent of the horrid Pink Tax and the silly booklet that I received with my acceptance to Georgia Tech Engineering School that featured a slide rule in a flowery and lacey cover. I didn't go there.

Jacqueline Bohr Really! you have missed the art work's point COMPLETELY!!
Can't you see your looking through glasses and seeing BLUE when her world demands she sees pink!????

The title
The writers name
The vision of Zott is all blue - despite the world serving them pink.
The cover is brilliant -

Sara Stensaas I thought the background color was meant to be litmus paper, so I liked it. I also appreciated the pencil, the simplicity, and the side eye. But I also liked the periodic table idea of the British cover.

Preethi Gudivada The cover was eye-catching when I first saw it. Later when I read the book I was surprised that the cover did not match Elizabeth Zott at all. I guess this gives a little preview into the book at how Elizabeth Zott was viewed by her peers and society putting more emphasis on her looks and stereotyping women.

Drusilla Lawton I agree as well. A friend gave me this book and I thought, "I hate chick lit. I'll never read it." Then I picked it up one evening when I was tired and needed a light read, and couldn't put it down. WTF?

Christine so glad to see this question and the answers - I have scrolled past this book multiple times because of the cover. But - have now added it to my TBR. The German cover is definitely more intriguing and something I'd pick up

Yaya507 I agree.... At 68 I usually don't pick up any books with covers like these. It is on my TBR list thanks to recommendations in my book group.

Gilit I actually read the book based on buzz and loved the cover being a chick-lit fan. But also found this book to be so much more and could not put I down!

Luci I agree, the UK cover is definitely better on this one.

I do think that this novel will appeal to lots of women who do enjoy chicklit and/or what I call henlit - there are quite a few authors who became known as chicklit authors and whose characters and their concerns have aged with the authors and their original readers. For example, I first heard of Marian Keyes and borrowed a novel by her in 1997, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, about a 20 something. I would have been 27/28, and the author was probably in her 30s. She now writes about many characters in their 40s and 50s with grown up children.

I think the UK cover is appealing to lots of readers of commercial fiction, and it's being heavily borrowed from libraries. It's still colourful and eye catching but it avoids the ugh, it's pink trap!

Stephanie Ha- same reaction! I would have passed over it based on the cover, except that it was recommended by a podcast for Australian women (Chat 10 Looks 3) that I trust not to recommend bad books!

Jane Pfeifle Agree. The cover nearly kept me from reading it. After reading, and loving, the book, I'm mystified why this made the cut.

Julie I thought the same thing! Elizabeth would not have been happy about that totally inappropriate choice for the book cover. However, it is a statement about the times. As a child of the 60’s who experienced some of the same discrimination, I loved her story and the way in which it was told.

Amy Excellent point! I assume it's because it might unfortunately mostly appeal to women. But it did mention others on society's' periphery at that time and often a "womans novel such as this can also appeal to gay men.

Coralie Hello, can anyone tell me who the illustrators are for the US pink cover and for the UK cover ? Thank you !

Pat Neblett Because of the garish color, and the drawing, I had ignored the book for the longest time. Fortunately, my daughter sent me a copy as a gift. I read it, loved it, and have recommended it, even to people in the bookstore looking for a book. Pat Neblett

Andrea Gah yes! I'm late to this conversation but I am only now listening to this incredible, empowering book and it's equally empowering protagonist. Do you want to know why I never picked it up before - BECAUSE OF THE COVER! And I know Elizabeth Zott would agree with me. It's stereotypical chick-lit rom-com style and totally missed the demographic and the point. Pink? PINK?!? I'm so glad to hear the author's experience below because YIKES. I'm listening to it on Audible which I love - and WILL buy the book with an alternative cover because I so much want it in my library. Or maybe buy both covers and use it as an ironic object lesson for my daughter.

Alison Blackmore After I read it, I thought this doesn’t really fit the story but the end result is that probably bc of the cover some did pick it up and loved it.

Charli Fulton This book cover was so terrible and misleading that I resisted reading the book for a whole year thinking it was chick lit or rom com. I had to have multiple reading friends recommend it to me before I gave in and read it. Shame on this publisher for so misrepresenting the book!

Ginny The cover is one of the main reasons I put off reading this book until now (Oct. 2023). It definitely made me think the book would be some sort of vapid chick lit. I was very, very happy to discover what a good book it is -- one of the very best I've read this year! But I suppose the cover might have attracted some readers who wouldn't have picked it up otherwise.

Jennifer Davis I put off reading the book for so long because if the cover. I’m so glad I finally did. Boo to the cover!

Melanie Pennington AMEN! A total misrepresentation of the book as a whole. I hate it when books and films are advertised as if the team knows nothing about the story/characters/plot.

Galina Licheva I think it was perfect, the book is chick-lit, and not a very good one...

Sarah Ebner The content of the book is what matters most. If while reading it, the cover is distracting, make a cover you like and put it on the book. I myself read it as a ebook.

Nicole I almost didn't read the book because of the cover art. The publisher is wrong. It looks like a romance novel cover.

Dawn Hmm, interesting, I never thought of this as pink, and still don't, until you mentioned it. I see it as an odd, eye-catching salmon/orange. I was looking at the head shot and the name. Everyone sees it different, I guess. Thanks for an interesting read.

Sarah Peters Agreed! I passed on this book for months, entirely because of the cover. I’m so grateful that my curiosity won over, and that I gave it a shot. Best shot in this decade, despite the cover, which I ignored while engrossed in the story beneath the facade. What’s that expression about not judging a book by its… ?

Sarah Mac Thank you for asking this! This book was recommended to me by two female powerhouses in my work place and I was surprised that (I thought) they were recommending me romance beach reads? So happy I picked this book up anyway because I loved it!!

Laura Dames Now I love the cover and the B&N exclusive edition blue edging. But i have to admit I bought this book for my 23 year old daughter and almost didn’t buy it because of the cover. The woman behind the counter as I was checking out at the bookstore told me it was really, really good… so I took the leap. So glad I did!

Dee I just said that in my review - the cover was so off-putting that it took me a few months to overcome it (thanks to the recommendations of several friends) and read it!

Michele The Stick The cover led me to believe this was something different. I read it because of the buzz and was expecting something lighter based on the cover. I read books in many genres so I was not/ would not have been put off by it. I did think that the main character would have hated the cover. I thought it was funny. It's definitely targeted towards women, maybe we haven't come as far as we think we have or maybe the cover helped it to reach the demographic it was looking for. There's nothing wrong with pink and the pencil was in her hair.

Susan I wouldn’t say I was furious. It was though misleading. I knew about Lessons in Chemistry for months. I kept passing it by the book store thinking the novel is Chick-Lit( as known as Rom-Com). I pick books on the cover. It looked like light reading. Then our book club picked it. I wasn’t thrilled. I already purchased the novel months ago. To say don’t judge a book by its cover is right. I was so wrong about the cover. Why the publicist chose this cover art? I know I’m not the only one. I assume they did the cover art exactly for the reason as pink stereotype for women. The face and hair is typical”dumb blonde” in the 60’s( stereotype). But still surprised by the pick. Hope the paperback is different. As I plan on purchasing a copy.

Ahaaha4 I didn’t originally read this book because of the cover, but after reading it I felt it was the perfect cover! Hmmm how can that be, but it’s the truth. I guess the publishers do know something because it is a big hit!

Dh The first thing I did was remove the dust jacket, which I always do when I read a hardcover, so I didn't focus on this. But you're absolutely right. It's odd that the publisher would be blind to this, but they probably figured they could capitalize on the full range of women readers, which I expect they are doing.

Grace I thought the cover image portrayed a warm, sharp, beautiful woman who wears red lipstick on her TV show with her hair up secured by a #2 pencil - just as described in the book! My copy's color was was not pink - I would describe it as a non-conventional color of salmon. The cover enhanced my enjoyment of the novel. I wonder if I had read the German copy would I have had a different experience of the character?

Laurarinaldi Agree completely. I chose multiple times NOT to pick up this book because of the cover. It just kept getting recommended to me. And it's not the pink that bothers me...it's the woman's illustration. It definitely belittles what's inside the cover. UK got closer for sure, but I like the family tree idea too. Something other than this! The book was fabulous.

Diane Costello I agree about the cover. I thought it was a romance beach read type of book. Thank goodness that someone I trust read it and recommended it and told me it was nothing of the sort. I loved this book. I lived this book. Thank you, Bonnie Garmus!

Laura J. Riviello I passed in this book for so long precisely because of the cover. It wasn't until I started to hear the reviews that I reluctantly purchased it.

Chris Webber Reminds me of the cover of Pink Think. A book similar in content and subject matter.

Nicole I'm not usually into chick lit, so I passed on this based on the cover until several friends kept talking about it. I agree the cover doesn't reflect the book.

Jenny I have to say, some time ago I saw the cover in a friend's reviews and I dismissed the idea of reading it just because of the cover

Jenny Hager Isn’t this the greatest book? Yes, the cover is misleading but love the title.

Marilyn I am totally turned off by the cover, and am only going to remain on my library's hold list bc a trusted friend love it. I heard from them once that it was available and passed on it. Decided I'll read the Sample on kindle and see what the feel of it is.

H I Agree! I actually did not read it for a very long time because I thought it was chic-lit. I was definitely not "furious" over the cover, but it mis characterized the story. I loved the book fwiw.

James Wilkinson Phil Ochs sang it and we are still doing it. We still use sex to make a sale.

Raeann Rose I agree. If a friend had not recommended it, I would not have bought it based on the cover.

Martha Patterson I actually liked the way the cover juxtaposed the story...and I always read the inside cover and could see that the story was most definitley not chick lit. I also think it's brilliant...drawing people who may not read a story that's about misogeny, female supression and ultimately empowerment, with a bit of mystic realism thrown in!

Robin I took it as a comment on the expectations people might have about the book. I loved this book

Tammy on the island I can’t believe you are “furious” over the cover. It actually draws your eyes to the book instead of scanning over it with all the others on display.
There is absolutely nothing belittling about Color

Carolyn Even though it has a serious message, it is a relaxing, entertaining read. I like the cover. I read it based on a review, and agree that the cover might keep people from picking it up, but that's what word of mouth is for.

Heather Same, the cover put me off the book for a bit, but I kept seeing it climbing on various lists that I follow so begrudgingly picked it up. So glad I did. UK cover is SO much better!

Lorelai Gilmore Definitely the exact opposite of the essence of Elizabeth Zott! Everything she hates and fights against is put on her like a prank. Why? We have a much better cover in Greece.

Emily 100% agree! I thought about that every time I picked it up. Thanks for speaking up about this and sparking such a great discussion

Zoe Nell I have a copy from the UK, with the periodic table sprayed edges, I have to say it's phenomenal and I think Elizabeth Zott would have approved!

Ruth Druart It seems a shame that the publishers think they have to put a cover like this to attract readers. I would respect them more if they were more like the protagonist, Zott, herself, and make no such marketing compromises. But hey, their job is to sell books. And we all know money is what makes the world go round. Or is it?

Renee Never judge a book by its cover!

Allison yup, totally agree.
And I love that the author agrees too!

Debra T I was not bothered by the cover. It reminded me of the cover for Where’d You Go Bernadette, and this book has a similar appeal. I thoroughly enjoyed both. Perhaps the publisher was trying to capture those readers. The book is successful, so maybe they were not so far off. I looked at the British cover, and didn’t care for it. Elizabeth Zott would not have liked that shirtwaist dress. The German cover looks like historical fiction, which this book is not. All that being said, cover art is tricky, and I am often left wondering what they were thinking.

Renee Don't judge a book by it's cover. I never do!

Tigs I couldn’t agree more. I can’t imagine what they were thinking. Actually, sadly I can - they didn’t look beyond ‘book written about a woman by a woman’ and assumed it could only be marketed to female audience. My inner Elizabeth Zott is downright furious.

Kath The UK cover with four squares in different colours and Zott's firm stance complete with briefcase is both eye-catching and more in keeping with the narrative. Like other readers I might have been put off by the pink cover which is very 'chick lit' and I might have missed an absolute gem. Heard about it from Between the Covers: Sara Cox' book club on the BBC and I loved it.

fitris s I'm glad that I get the hardcover UK version one which is not so-like either chicklit or romcom novel :(

Stephanie W I almost didn't read it because of the cover! But, I am glad I ultimately didn't judge their book by its cover. The portrait of Zott is interesting though--it is how people perceive her especially when she's on the show, but the reflection in her glasses reveals how she looks at the world. Kind of an interesting dichotomy, actually. That's a huge theme in the book.

Renata At first I thought you (Lisa) were overreacting.... but as I read the book I realized you are absolutely right - the cover is everything Elizabeth fought against. You hit the nail on the head. Yes I 100% agree with you - it belittled the book the same way Elizabeth was belittled. I would not have picked it up because it did look like chick-lit but a friend had given it to me, and recommended as a read I would like. He was right. And so were you Lisa. I wonder how many out there will pass it by because it does look like chick- lit ?

Eileen I was a bit put off by the cover, since it's not what I normally read, but the book was very good.

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Lessons in Chemistry

by Bonnie Garmus (Goodreads Author)

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