Anthony Strong

I know little about science, and I wouldn't think that a novel about a biochemist who speaks in very technical jargon would be appealing. But Anthony Strong makes his science nerd a very appealing protagonist. I absolutely loved this book. Even more amazingly, he presents the novel in the form of a scientific paper written by the handsome but geeky Oxford biochemist, Steven Fisher, alternating with chapters written in the form of a diary blog from a subject in his study, and one extended show more passage as the diary of Steven's partner in the lab. At the heart of the story is a research project seeking to find the female Viagra to the deal with female sexual dysfunction. A beautiful, genius-level woman, Annie/Miss G. becomes one of the subjects in the research because she has never had orgasm, and has little interest in sex, but feels pressure from her boyfriend to address the problem. Immediately Steven and Annie are attracted to each other, interestingly and funnily because Steven's constant talking in scientific jargon and his penchant for providing the scientific basis for every daily event, such as rainbows, actually turns her on. But once she's in the lab, it's not clear if her feelings for Steven are real or simply inspired by the drug she's taking to give her heightened amorous feelings.

Strong conducts a very high-wire act because at times Steven's complete naivete about sex almost strains credulity, as does his innocent aloofness to how often his discussion of his sex study sound like a Lothario's pick-up lines. But Strong does pull it off - he keeps making you laugh without ever slipping over into the pit of ridiculousness.

In the midst of this funny, romantic story there's a also a great satire on the corrupting influence for-profit pharmaceutical companies can have on the supposedly objective research at a university, and how susceptible some academics can be to corporate greed. Our hero, Steven, has to fight off his department chairman, who has nothing but dollar signs in his eyes when he sees how much money Steven's research could bring into the university.

The novel also takes a lot of surprising twists and turns, and a great plot driver, as Steven is constantly trying to find a way to make sure he can present a valid paper about his "miracle drug" at the big upcoming Sexual Dysfunction conference.

It's a charming book that has great characters and an usual premise and is an absolute joy to read. (Because Steven's lab is filled with fairly elaborate stimulating devices, it reminded me of the 2009 movie HYSTERIA with Hugh Dancy about the man who invented the vibrator. If you enjoy this, I can recommend the movie. Both are very funny.) show less

Anthony Strong's Chemistry for Beginners begins with the climax. In fact the female climax, and the various degrees in which it is experienced or not, provides the tether around which many threads are woven. Supported by Strong's (Capella) customary attention to detail and thorough research of his subject, being the chemical reactions which take place within the body during sexual arousal, allows for fascinating exploration of all manner of themes from evolution and our relationship to show more bonobos, to scientific progress and the development of viagra, to family bonds, and sexual compatibility and decision making. At first sight it seems we are hard wired into our sexual behaviour and any anomaly must therefore be a chemical dysfunction, and yet the story is underpinned by an unlikely and in many ways classic romance which at time seems doomed and at others redemptive. Indeed it is the introduction of the wild card of emotion into the otherwise controlled scientific environment which provides for many comic moments; exasperating misunderstandings and mistimings abound as the clash of science and love plays havoc with the search for an elusive remedy for the female non orgasmic sexual dysfunction. There is a clever network of support characters and sub plots of subterfuge, industrial espionage, mind control and deception, which confound the reasearch as the book reaches its climax of the promised land of science divinity for the confused researcher yet is that old devil called love which is the key to unlock many of the closed doors. The book finishes with a flourish and with a climax of course, the intellectual foreplay to which had me smiling broadly. Chemistry for Beginners left me in a satisfying and warm afterglow. show less

Dr. Steven Fischer is a shy, nerdy scientist who has devoted the last few years to studying FSD - Female Sexual Disfunction and developing a pill that will help help orqasmically challenged women. Just when success seems imminent, Annie a beautiful, intelligent, sarcastic student with FSD walks into his lab. At first nothing works for Annie, then everything works, or does it? Is Annie telling the truth, does she have a mysterious new strain of FSD, or is there something tragically flawed in show more Dr Fischer's formula?

This is absolutely one of the most hysterical books I have ever listened to. I spent the entire 9 hours giggling, chuckling, snickering, and sometimes outright guffawing. The interplay between the shy and intensely scientific Steven and the witty and beautiful Annie is pitch perfect. Simon Vance and Kate Reading do a stellar job of narrating. A charming love story and a satirical look at the scientific process, Chemistry for Beginners is one of my favorite books of 2009! show less

Dr. Steven J. Fisher is an intelligent biochemist, working for Oxford University. His previous work with bonobo apes brought him to where he is today – studying the female orgasm in hopes of finding a cure for female sexual dysfunction. While Dr. Fisher is brilliant about things the size of molecules, he is your stereotypical scientist. He is nerdy and unable to pick up on the dynamics between men and women. When his lab takes on Ms. G., a final subject for their testing of his chemical show more breakthrough, KXC97, Dr. Fisher finds himself attracted to her and he doesn’t know why. In desperation to keep her as part of the stud, he agrees to teach her chemistry. All the while, this scientist who notices every nuance of what happens beneath a microscope, misses all of the drama surrounding him in the lab. It takes a major biochemical breakdown for him to see his world for what it is.

I doubt I’ll ever be able to hear the word biochemistry without thinking of Diane Court from the movie “Say Anything”. The way that the school principal annunciates “b-i-o-chemistry” during her introduction at graduation cracks me up. It’s as if he cannot believe that of someone from his high school. In many ways, Ms. G reminded me of Diane Court as a graduate student – if she hadn’t found Lloyd Dobler in high school. She is an attractive and intelligent woman who is tired of being someone’s trophy and wants to be on equal footing with her partner. She isn’t interested in sex, but perhaps that is because her English professor boyfriend has definite expectations of what she will like and how she will enjoy it. She turns to Dr. Fisher’s study because her boyfriend threatened her if she didn’t. I found it interesting how she found her passion in all possible ways as a result.

I very much enjoyed Chemistry for Beginners. I connected with both of the main characters and the way that the story was told in the form of a scientific paper. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, though. There are sections of the novel that are compilations of email and I found the repetition of the email addresses and signatures irritating. Although the novel isn’t long, there was a point where it felt long. I can’t remember the exact point where I began to feel that way, but it was after Ms. G began studying with Dr. Fisher and his team. The novel definitely picked up again once there was competition for her affection. These things were not so bothersome that I didn’t like the novel. Far from it. They do keep me from giving my highest recommendation.

This is the first novel I purchased because of the narrator, Simon Vance. I have loved him from Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy, so when I found myself with an Audible credit to spare, I searched on books that Vance narrated. This was one of the more recent novels. I did not go wrong. Chemistry for Beginners is a great farce. There were more times than I counted that I laughed out loud. In particular, the scenes where Dr. Fisher believes he is paying an actual Ph.D. for “clinically proven” ways to get a woman in bed were some of the funniest I’ve read in a long time. Anthony Strong has written an entertaining love story about nerds, for everyone. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and isn’t squeamish about the workings of sexual biology from a clinical standpoint with a vibrating apparatus or two added to the mix. show less