Philippa Wightman

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An outstandingly wonderful read! A triumphant first novel by Bonnie Garmus - I'm now eagerly awaiting more from Bonnie. I thoroughly enjoyed this witty insight into the stereotypical issues faced by so many during the 50s and 60s - and to some extent are still very prevalent today. The characters - especially Six-Thirty, Mad and Harriet - were brilliant and Elizabeth's trials and tribulations and the way she steadfastly refused to be defined by them were truly inspirational. However, the inherent humour in Bonnie's writing made the read totally delightful and outstanding. Very few books elicit a true "laugh out loud uproariously" effect, but Lessons in Chemistry certainly delivered so very, very many laughs! Witty. Poignant. Wonderful characters - some inspirational, some dire, some niaive - but all thoroughly believable and well crafted. I loved this book and am sure there will be only positive reviews. Do yourself a huge favour and immerse yourself in Lessons in Chemistry.

Have had a wonderful trip down memory lane over the last couple of days... Watched The Beatles - Get Back on Disney+ ... yes, it took 3 days because it's a 7 hour 48 minute tribute to (IMHO) the best band ever, write, rehearse and live-recording of the Let It Be album. Amazing to see their creative processes and banter, the obvious delight they had in creating this iconic album and so many 'behind the scenes' video clips which made the Fab Four that much more amazing. Paul's conception for their future was evident and while I'd always felt that perhaps John was the more forward-thinking in terms of the band's future path, it became obvious that Paul was probably more of a 'leader' than we'd been led to believe. Must say I felt the only drawback was the ever-present (seemingly bored-out-of-her-brain but there for FOMO - fear of missing out) Yoko almost stalking John in most scenes. A complete third wheel, and when she actually got up to the microphone and (screeched/screamed) I thought she sounded dreadful. I can thoroughly recommend it to any fans and in fact all music lovers - their impact on modern music was and remains profound. A fantastic series in 3 parts - Pt 1: 2hrs 37min; Pt 2: 2hrs 53min; Pt: 3 2hrs 18min