Bonnie Garmus: Lessons in Chemistry

Published: Aug. 1, 2022, 2:46 p.m.

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Bonnie Garmus talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her debut novel, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, which has been getting a ton of buzz since it came out in April. It was a \\u201cGood Morning America\\u201d Book Club selection for April and an instant New York Times bestseller. Bonnie shares that one day she walked away from a meeting, headed to her desk, and banged out the first chapter of the book --- and explains what inspired that. She also talks about Elizabeth Zott being a character in an earlier book draft, where her role was not part of the main storyline, and why she loves writing her. She studied chemistry to write this book and brought on chemist friends to check her work lest the publisher\\u2019s copywriters needed to brush up on their science skills. She discusses why she wanted to set the book against the timing of the late \\u201950s and \\u201960s. Carol guesses why Bonnie\\u2019s dog is named 99; Bonnie likes her idea, but that is not the reason. They also explore the rest of the characters, including the amazing dog Six-Thirty.

Books mentioned in this interview:

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677234/lessons-in-chemistry-by-bonnie-garmus/

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Photography Credit: Greg Fitzgerald

Produced by Jordan Redd Productions

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