All the Colours of the Dark

At over 570 pages it is long. Thank goodness for the short chapters. It made the reading that much easier. Having said all of that…it was entirely worth it. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Loved the writing. At times rather funny. Loved the characters. And like all good crime mysteries…plenty of twists and turns.

The characters didn't really seem believable which made the plot hard to get into

A scientist struggles against the sexism of the fifties while eking out an unconventional path to belonging. Funny, warm, spirited and a damn delight to read, our heroine Elizabeth battles sexism with unrelenting force and a healthy measure of autistic focus. My only problem was that I am too cynical to believe it- I rather feel like when the whole world tells you that you are stupid and should stay at home and make babies, it is impossible to free the mind from such nonsense. Elizabeth's utter lack of self-doubt and perfectionism seemed an anachronism, as if she was a modern woman interacting with the fifties rather than a fifties woman interacting with her time. Despite this flaw, the wit and lovable characters made this a book that I could not put down.

I loved it, but I also found it hard to keep reading in places because of the sexual assault and relentless sexism the main character faces. It’s laugh out loud funny and filled with observations sharp enough to cut.

I’m a chemist and a mom and Zott felt so familiar, even (and sometimes especially) in her weirdness.