BOOK OF THE WEEK

Lessons in Chemistry

If you love The Marvelous Mrs Maisel or the women of Mad Men then Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus should be at the very top of your TBR. This sparkling debut follows the story of Elizabeth Zott, a 1960s woman who is challenging the era's status quo by being both a chemist and a single mother. Due to an unexpected twist of fate, Elizabeth ends up as the host of a TV cooking show called Supper at Six. Soon, she's on her way to becoming a cultural icon – which is something the men in her life aren't happy about.

The Lives of Diamond Bessie

The Lives of Diamond Bessie by Jody Hadlock is the story of a woman fighting against the societal standards of the 1860s. At 16, Annie is sent to a convent for fallen women, where she is separated from her baby daughter. As soon as she's able to escape, she begins searching for her child, and ends up changing her name to Bessie in order to get by. However, she falls in love with a wealthy man who she believes could reintroduce her to society. But when he proves to be just as cruel as all of the other men she has known, Bessie finds a way to redefine her story.

To Marry and to Meddle

The author Martha Waters is putting her own spin on the marriage of convenience trope. After six seasons, Lady Emily Turner still hasn't found a husband, and the only suitor she has is her father's lecherous business partner. Meanwhile, Lord Belfry runs a less than respectable theatre that has left him on the outskirts of society. When he meets Lady Emily at a house party, he suggests a union could be mutually beneficial for them – she would have a suitable match and he would have a wife to lend some credibility to his establishment. What he doesn't anticipate is Emily finding passion at his theatre just the way it is.

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