Saturday Adaptation is a weekly post comparing books to their adapted counterparts. My first review in this series is Lessons in Chemistry, which I reviewed earlier this year.
The book
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, Miranda Raison, Pandora Sykes
Published by Random House Audio
Publication Date April 5, 2022
Goodreads
11 hours, 55 minutes
A delight for readers of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this blockbuster debut set in 1960s California features the singular voice of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show.
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
Lessons in Chemistry is such a well-thought-out book with vivid characters and an engrossing plot. Bonnie Garmus slowly developed Elizabeth Zott so the reader could get a chance to become acquainted with her creating a strong bond and connection to Elizabeth’s story. Honestly, I mostly read it because I wanted to see the Apple+ limited series. I reviewed the book here so I won’t reiterate too much and instead, get to the movie.
The Adaptation
Release Date October 13, 2023 Adapted From Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Actors Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King
Director Bertie Ellwood, Tara Miele, Millict Shelton, Sarah Adina Smith, Amber Templemore
In the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott's dream of being a scientist is challenged by a society that says women belong in the domestic sphere; she accepts a job on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of housewives way more than recipes.
Brie Larson shines as Elizabeth Zott, bringing her to life the way I imagined with her no-nonsense attitude but with an exterior that can be easily thawed. The sets were lively and colorful and with a few small adjustments stayed pretty true to the book. However, they removed a scene where Elizabeth’s boss gets his comeuppance in a way that is much more satisfying in the book but, I guess you can’t have everything. My one complaint is that the series was one episode too long, episodes 7 and 8 could have been condensed into one and still had the same result with feel like the series was dragging. But, overall Lessons in Chemistry was a very good limited series
Does it Adapt?
Yes, Lessons in Chemistry was a faithful adaptation and is worth viewing. However, because the series dragged a little at the end, I’d have to say that the book comes out slightly ahead; in this case, the book is better than the adaptation.
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