Lessons in Chemistry Audiobook By Bonnie Garmus cover art

Lessons in Chemistry

A Novel

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Lessons in Chemistry

By: Bonnie Garmus
Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

#1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN 8 MILLION COPIES SOLD • Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention” (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. • STREAM ON APPLE TV+

This novel is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel” (
The New York Times Book Review) and “witty, sometimes hilarious...the Catch-22 of early feminism” (Stephen King, via Twitter).

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:
The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek

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.

©2022 Bonnie Garmus (P)2022 Random House Audio
Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Funny Inspiring Witty Feel-Good Heartfelt

Interview: Why Bonnie Garmus decided to break the rules with "Lessons in Chemistry"

'When I was writing Elizabeth Zott, I was really writing my role model...'
-0.00
  • Lessons in Chemistry
  • 'When I was writing Elizabeth Zott, I was really writing my role model...'

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks to Give and Hear This Mother's Day


Moms are some of the most resourceful, hardworking, and amazing people on this earth. And as anyone who is or loves a mom knows, they need more than a day of celebration—they deserve a supportive culture all year round. Whatever motherhood means to you, we put together a list of our favorite listens that reflect the beautiful spectrum of this foundational relationship and show appreciation to all the different moms of the world.

Compelling Protagonist • Emotional Depth • Pleasant Voice Quality • Engaging Plot • Well-developed Characters
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Bonnie Garmus took a serious topic about inequality and told it in an empowering way. I laughed, cried, and enjoyed the story very much!

Heartwarming and Empowering

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is one of the BEST books I’ve read in 2022. I can not believe this is the debut novel for Bonnie Garmus, it is perfection! This book made me laugh out loud, cry tears of both joy and sadness, gasp in horror and cheer on the INCREDIBLE protagonist, Elizabeth Zott. It took me a little bit to get invested but after 50 pages I could not put it down! I became so deeply intrenched in the pages, it’s powerful message and fell in love with the many quirky characters. This will be a reread for me as I need more time with these lovable characters. Thank you Bonnie Garmus for writing such a treasure!

Wow is right!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What an outstanding story! I finished the book today, and am so sad it ended, I wish I could follow Elizabeth Zott’s life story for a bit longer.
It took me a while to connect to the story – but once I did – I LOVED it! The characters, the narration, the twists and turns of the story – everything. I hope Bonnie Garmus published more books, she is a talented writer.

One of the best books I listened to in a while

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The characters are very, very colorful. They are well described. Issues are handled In an interesting manner.

Wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Enjoyed every moment of this book. From author, content, and narrator not a flaw in my ‘book’😊

Wonderful book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great book! I loved the interview with the author at the end, too! Highly recommended!

Great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Being a chemist who became a physician was my first attraction to this book. However, this book teaches about life and inspires us to go further.

Great chemistry!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I usually gravitate to romance for my non fiction picks. I only knew that this book was raved about but I didn’t know exactly why. This book made me swoon, then broke my heart then put me back together. Enjoyed this book very much.

Broke my heart then put it back together

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

One of the better reads - interesting, witty, and heart-warming. I switched back and forth from paper reading to audio just so I can finish faster. Audio was just as good, and the narrator made it that much more enjoyable.

Enthralling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

From the start to the end, I just loved this novel! It is funny, fascinating, and full of heart. It follows Elizabeth Zott, a rare woman attempting to make her way in the world of science in the early 60's. This is a love story; it is about barriers to women; it is about science, motherhood, rowing, cooking, and TV celebrity celebrity culture. And it is so much more. In tone, it reminds me of the early John Irving novels (Garp, Owen Meany, Cider House Rules), books I loved, and this is even better. This hits every note so perfectly, I hated to reach the end.

One of my all-time favorites!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews