Category: Historical Fiction

Title: Lessons in Chemistry
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

Review:

In the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott stands out as the only woman in the chemistry department at Hastings Research Institute. Most of the men who she works with put her down and don’t see her as an equal. The exception is Calvin Evans. Calvin is a famous chemist who falls in love with Elizabeth. A few years later, Elizabeth is a single mother with a hit TV show that teaches housewives how to cook with chemistry lessons. Elizabeth has become a success despite the men who tried to hold her back throughout her career. But there are still some secrets in her life and Calvin’s that she must learn to become the chemist she’s destined to be. 

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book but I’m so glad I read it. This is an original story about a woman who challenged the status quo in the 1950s in the US. She had to deal with sexism and assaults, which unfortunately isn’t all a thing of the past. I wish Elizabeth’s story and the sexism she experienced wasn’t still relevant today. Though many industries are more welcoming to women, a lot more work has to be done to actually achieve equality for women and people of colour. 

I highly recommend checking out Lessons in Chemistry for a unique read!

Content warnings: death of parents, suicide, rape, sexual assault

What to read next:

The Maid by Nita Prose

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Have you read Lessons for Chemistry? What did you think of it?

Title: The School of Mirrors
Author: Eva Stachniak
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher, Tandem Collective Global
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A scintillating, gorgeously written historical novel about a mother and a daughter in eighteenth-century France, beginning with decadence and palace intrigue at Versailles and ending in an explosive new era of revolution.

During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished but lovely teenage girls from all over France are sent to a discreet villa in the town of Versailles. Overseen by the King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, they will be trained as potential courtesans for the King. When the time is right, each girl is smuggled into the palace of Versailles, with its legendary Hall of Mirrors. There they meet a mysterious but splendidly dressed man who they’re told is merely a Polish count, a cousin of the Queen. Living an indulgent life of silk gowns, delicious meals, and soft beds, the students at this “school of mirrors” rarely ask questions, and when Louis tires of them, they are married off to minor aristocrats or allowed to retire to one of the more luxurious nunneries. 

Beautiful and canny Veronique arrives at the school of mirrors and quickly becomes a favorite of the King. But when she discovers her lover’s true identity, she is whisked away, sent to give birth to a daughter in secret, and then to marry a wealthy Breton merchant. There is no return to the School of Mirrors.

This is also the story of the King’s daughter by Veronique—Marie-Louise. Well-provided for in a comfortable home, Marie-Louise has never known her mother, let alone her father. Capable and intelligent, she discovers a passion for healing and science, and becomes an accredited midwife, one of the few reputable careers for women like her. But eventually Veronique comes back into her daughter’s life, bringing with her the secret of Marie-Louise’s birth. But the new King—Louis XVI—is teetering on his throne and it’s a volatile time in France…and those with royal relatives must mind their step very carefully.

Review:

King Louis XV of France has teenage girls from all over the country come and live at a nearby villa. His mistress Madam de Pompadour oversees the training of these girls as courtesans for the King, though they are told they will be visiting with a Polish Count. Thirteen-year-old Véronique is one of these girls whose mother sends her away because she can’t afford to keep her. Véronique becomes a favourite girl of the King, but when she becomes pregnant, she’s whisked away to give birth in secret and then she must marry a merchant that has been chosen for her. Véronique’s daughter Marie-Louise has to grow up without her parents. She isn’t treated well by her guardians, until she is sent to be trained by a midwife in Paris. The woman who teaches her treats Marie-Louise like her niece, and gives her a good life. However, when Marie-Louise finds a piece in the puzzle to her parentage, she tries to find the secret of her birth. 

This was quite a difficult book to read. There were some terrible things that happened to women and girls in the book, many of which were because of the time period but some still happen today. One thing that was interesting was the medical side of this story. Medicine has come a long way since the eighteenth century, but there was a female labour machine that mimicked the way a woman would give birth to teach midwives. This was an interesting piece of history that I didn’t know existed before reading this book. 

The School of Mirrors is a tough read but it’s a touching story. 

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and Tandem Collective Global for providing a copy of this book. 

Content warnings: child abuse, child death, mother death, childbirth complications, nonconsensual sexual encounters

What to read next:

The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

Have you read The School of Mirrors? What did you think of it?

Title: In the Shadow of a Queen
Author: Heather B. Moore
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Based on the true story of the free-spirited daughter of Queen Victoria.

Princess Louise’s life is upended after her father’s untimely death. Captive to the queen’s overwhelming mourning, Louise is forbidden to leave her mother’s tight circle of control and is eventually relegated to the position of personal secretary to her mother—the same position each of her sisters held until they were married.

Already an accomplished painter, Louise risks the queen’s wrath by exploring the art of sculpting, an activity viewed as unbefitting a woman. When Louise involves herself in the day’s political matters, including championing the career of a female doctor and communicating with suffragettes, the queen lays down the law to stop her and devotes her full energy to finding an acceptable match for her defiant daughter.

Louise is considered the most beautiful and talented daughter of Queen Victoria, but finding a match for the princess is no easy feat. Protocols are broken, and Louise exerts her own will as she tries to find an open-minded husband who will support her free spirit.

In the Shadow of a Queen is the story of a battle of wills between two women: a daughter determined to forge her own life beyond the shadow of her mother, and a queen resolved to keep the Crown’s reputation unsullied no matter the cost.

Review:

Princess Louise was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. She was close with her mother, becoming the Queen’s personal secretary after her sisters had married and moved away. Louise was a sculptor, which was scandalous for a woman at the time. She was also interested in women’s rights, though her mother didn’t support that cause. It took a long time to find her a match, but she ended up breaking protocols to marry the man she loved. Princess Louise was an extraordinary woman. 

When I began reading this story, I realized I didn’t know anything about Queen Victoria’s children. I had read stories about the Queen’s early years, but not about her life during her reign. Though Louise made controversial decisions, her mother supported her. Even when Louise wanted to do something that Queen Victoria didn’t approve of, she eventually came around and allowed her daughter to do what made her happy. 

Princess Louise’s mark is still present today. She made the sculpture of Queen Victoria that sits in front of Kensington Palace. That’s one of my favourite statues and I had no idea Princess Louise had made it. Canada’s province of Alberta is named after Princess Louise, as Alberta is her middle name after her father Prince Albert. I didn’t realize she had a strong connection to Canada, living here for many years while her husband was Governor General. I’m glad to see she left a legacy in the world, and I hope it becomes more well known. 

In the Shadow of a Queen is a wonderful story about Queen Victoria’s daughter. 

Thank you Shadow Mountain for sending me a copy of this book.

What to read next:

An Indiscreet Princess by Georgie Blalock

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

Have you read In the Shadow of a Queen? What did you think of it?