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Lessons in Chemistry gave us Elizabeth Zott: a brilliant chemist in 1960s America who won't be patronised, and who ends up the reluctant star of a TV cooking show. The novels our editors have picked below share her wit, her stubbornness and the warmth underneath.
The short answer
- Closest match
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt — the same humour and heart
- Best misfit heroine
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman — prickly, funny, unforgettable
- Best period setting
- The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams — the words about women that men left out
What to look for in a Lessons in Chemistry readalike
Look for a character who refuses to be what everyone expects, a sharp, funny voice and a story with real feeling under the comedy. Some are set in the past and some now, but all of them leave you rooting for someone the world has underestimated.
Our pick of books like Lessons in Chemistry
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A widow, a night shift at the aquarium and an octopus who notices everything; the same wit and warmth.“Exploring loss, loneliness, community and the revolving cycles of life, and taking in the miraculous intelligence of a giant octopus, this extraordinary debut is an enchanting original”Our review, by Joanne Owen
Reviewed by Joanne OwenEleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Another heroine who will not fit in, told with the same dry humour and big heart.“A page-turning, compulsive read of great charm”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstThe Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
A genetics professor designs a questionnaire to find the perfect wife; a very funny, very warm love story.“One of the Top 10 Lovereading Reader Review Panel Summer Read selections”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstThe Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
A girl growing up among the makers of the Oxford English Dictionary collects the words about women the men leave out.Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A self-reliant heroine raised by the marsh; the book club phenomenon that sat alongside Lessons in Chemistry.“One of Liz Robinson’s favourite books of the year, this is a story that crosses genres in style - being crime, literary, family drama, and a relationship story”Our review, by Liz Robinson
Reviewed by Liz RobinsonA Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A curmudgeon with a soft centre and neighbours who will not leave him alone; funny and moving.“59-year old Ove is quite possibly one of the grumpiest people you’ll meet but, he has been an upstanding pillar of the community for decades”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstThe Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
An ordinary man does something extraordinary; gentle, surprising and full of heart.“A moving and poignant, yet comic, story with such affecting characters it’s hard to stop reading”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstOlive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
A prickly, unforgettable retired teacher in small-town Maine, told in linked stories; a Pulitzer Prize winner.Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
A friendship and a creative partnership across thirty years; clever, funny and big-hearted.“An intimate alliance of a lifetime, the power of play, the pull of work - this outstanding love story set in the gaming world is a soulful joy”Our review, by Joanne Owen
Reviewed by Joanne OwenThe Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
For the same wit and warmth in a very English mystery: four pensioners who solve murders.“Four septuagenarians from a retirement village set out to solve a murder in this wonderfully entertaining, warm, and amusing mystery”Our review, by Liz Robinson
Reviewed by Liz Robinson
Who chose these books, and why that matters
This is not a list pulled from a bestseller chart. Every title here was read and chosen by the LoveReading editorial panel, and we turn far more books down than we put forward.
The panel includes a judge of the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger; a past Chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals; a former children’s editor of the Guardian, who is also Children’s Director of the Hay Festival; a Managing Director of the Hay Festival of twenty years; the founder of the Murder One bookshop, who has reviewed for the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph; and two UK School Librarians of the Year.
Each is named, with a photograph and full biography, on our editorial experts page.
Members of the panel include:
Joanne OwenAuthor, publishing expert, and LoveReading’s Literary Fiction Champion and YA Lead Reviewer
Liz RobinsonLoveReading reviewer since 2014 and former judge of the CWA Gold Dagger
Lyndy CookeFormer Managing Director of Hay Festival, with more than 35 years in books and literature
Maureen StapletonWriter and journalist with international publishing experience
Their judgements are informed by our Reader Review Panel — several hundred readers across our adult and children’s sites who read titles before publication and tell us plainly whether a book delivers.
LoveReading has been recommending books since 2004 and has reviewed more than 33,000 titles in that time. Every physical book bought through us donates 25% of the cover price to a school of your choice — more than £100,000 in books so far.
Where to start
For the same big-hearted humour, start with Remarkably Bright Creatures. For another unforgettable misfit, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine; for a period setting and a heroine ahead of her time, The Dictionary of Lost Words.
Your questions answered
What is Lessons in Chemistry about?
Set in the early 1960s, it follows Elizabeth Zott, a chemist pushed out of her laboratory who ends up hosting a TV cooking show - and teaching the nation's women far more than recipes.
Is Lessons in Chemistry a true story?
No, it is a novel, though it draws on the very real barriers women in science faced in the 1950s and 1960s.
Are these recommendations generated by an algorithm?
No. They're curated by LoveReading's editors and informed by our 800-strong Reader Review Panel, who read widely across every genre. We've recommended on merit, not sales rank, since 2004.
Which should I read first?
For the same humour, Remarkably Bright Creatures; for another misfit heroine, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine; and for a period setting, The Dictionary of Lost Words.
More from the LoveReading blog
- May 2022 Book Club Recommendation: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusMay 2022
- What To Read After Eleanor Oliphant is Completely FineJanuary 2022
- 20+ Novels of Community Unity – the best feel-good fiction about communities coming togetherOctober 2023