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The Atomic Weight of Love
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
In the spirit of The Aviator's Wife and Loving Frank, this resonant debut spans the years from World War II through the Vietnam War to tell the story of a woman whose scientific ambition is caught up in her relationships with two very different men. For Meridian Wallace--and many other smart, driven women of the 1940s--being ambitious meant being an outlier. Ever since she was a young girl, Meridian had been obsessed with birds, and she was determined to get her PhD, become an ornithologist, and make her mother's sacrifices to send her to college pay off. But she didn't expect to fall in love with her brilliant physics professor, Alden Whetstone. When he's recruited to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to take part in a mysterious wartime project, she reluctantly defers her own plans and joins him. What began as an exciting intellectual partnership devolves into a "traditional" marriage. And while the life of a housewife quickly proves stifling, it's not until years later, when Meridian meets a Vietnam veteran who opens her eyes to how the world is changing, that she realizes just how much she has given up. The repercussions of choosing a different path, though, may be too heavy a burden to bear. Elizabeth Church's stirring debut novel about ambition, identity, and sacrifice will ring true to every woman who has had to make the impossible choice between who she is and who circumstances demand her to be. "Oh, what an incandescent debut! . . . Church follows one extraordinary woman who is brave enough to challenge the times, take defiant wing, and chart her own extraordinary flight path . . . I never wanted the story to end." --Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You
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JoyBlue
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
Bailedbailed
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FelinesAndFelonies
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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January feels like it has been at least 8364 days long. But I finished 14 books and I'm feeling pumped for next month.
My highest ranked and only five star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ recommendation: The Atomic Weight of Love.
My lowest ranked reads: hard choice between Bloodline and The Wrong Family. Both ⭐⭐ books in my opinion.
Here's to February 2nd and anticipating Punxsutawney Phil's predictions.

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FelinesAndFelonies
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

I took my time with this one. I loved it so much. I didn't want it to end and prevented myself from reading more than a third of it a day. The story is beautifully written. The dialogue was authentic.
I loved the promise of falling in love and out of love and back in love- that our definition of love changes. The love of two people transcending time and distance. How pure love can be in its truest form. ⬇️

FelinesAndFelonies Maybe it's because I'm 35 and understand what it feels like to look back and wonder "what if"? I understand the resentment of loving and sacrificing. 3y
FelinesAndFelonies This was my first five ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read this year. And I am glad that it was this remarkable and beautiful novel. ❤️ 3y
26 likes2 comments
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BookishShelly
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Mehso-so

The first half of this book was so good. The second half, though, was like a bad soap opera plot.

Cinfhen I‘ve always loved the title 🤷‍♀️ 5y
hermyknee @Cinfhen it does have a beautiful title and a gorgeous cover. I hate when pretty books are just meh. 5y
Cinfhen Me too @hermyknee so many books have been bought for title or cover design😝 5y
Eggs Well said @BookishShelly. It had a great start... 5y
35 likes4 comments
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Eggs
Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J Church
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Cinfhen I‘ve never read the book but I‘m always intrigued by the title!! 5y
Cathythoughts Great cover ♥️👍🏻 5y
BookwormM I loved this one 5y
85 likes4 comments
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Crazeedi
Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J Church
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Pickpick

I read this 333 page book in a day. It was that good. Just a beautiful story about a woman of the era of 1950s who finds herself over the course of her lifetime. It was a different era. Very thoughtfully written. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
#litsypartyofone

Eggs Loved this too❣️ 5y
97 likes6 stack adds1 comment
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Crazeedi
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Reading this before I start my next Boyne story

BookwormM I loved this one 5y
Crazeedi @BookwormM I'm enjoying it 5y
79 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Eggs
Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J Church
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#manicmonday @JoScho

Atomic Weight of Love
Armentrout, Jennifer
Absentia
Apricot

TaylorMay I've only read a few by Jennifer Armentrout. What is your favorite? I started with the Lux series 6y
JoScho Thanks for playing Sherri 🤗❤️ 6y
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Eggs @JoScho My pleasure ❣️ I do like how you mix it up😘😍 6y
JoScho @Eggs thanks! I‘m digging deep at this point! We might be doing the alphabet for a while! 6y
Eggs @JoScho Works for me! 😉 6y
CouronneDhiver Ooo - apricots are a good choice 👍🏽 6y
Eggs @CouronneDhiver Thanks 🌸 6y
82 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Eggs
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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@Mommamanzi Thanks for the giveaway opportunity ❣️❣️
My book is The Atomic Weight of Love ❤️
I'll tag @Velvetfur and @MayginReads

MayginReads I absolutely LOVED The Atomic Weight of Love! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 6y
Eggs 😊 I'm sort of a bird girl so the cover drew me in. And so glad I was! 6y
65 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Eggs
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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My June favorites💖
The Atomic Weight of Love
Long Way Down
Free Verse
The Good Goodbye

Pamwurtzler 42 books? Wow impressive! 6y
lostinabookbrb That is a massive amount of books read. 6y
emmaturi How do you manage 42 books? 6y
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CouronneDhiver You‘re a champ 🏆 6y
JennyM 42 books! Wowwe, that‘s fabulous 📚🌟 6y
Eggs @Pamwurtzler @lostinabookbrb @emmaturi @CouronneDhiver @JennyM Thanks! 😊 I retired last year and, besides my grandchildren, I have few responsibilities, so I read 1-2 books/day. So many books, so little time 6y
Pamwurtzler That‘s awesome! I retired last year & don‘t have grandchildren. Hmmm . . . 6y
74 likes7 comments
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Eggs
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

A debut novel that spans fromWWII years in Chicago to the desert of New Mexico 1970, Meridian Wallace, ornithologist, is a character you'll want to know.

Crazeedi I just ordered This, it looks good! Thanks for posting! 6y
Kaye I put it in my basket too. 😊 6y
Eggs @Kaye @Crazeedi I hope you love it 😍 6y
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JamieArc I really liked this story. I got it through a GoodReads giveaway and had little expectation, so I was surprised to find just what a good story it was. 6y
TheSpineView It has been on my TRB list for over a year. Maybe it is time to move it to the top. 6y
Eggs @JamieArc @TheSpineView Yay!! Thanks for commenting 😊 6y
83 likes7 stack adds6 comments
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Laughterhp
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

This book was really great, not something I would typically read, but I‘m glad I did. I didn‘t agree with a lot of Meri‘s life decisions, but I loved reading and seeing the journey of her life. I also learned some fun bird facts! Great pick @Ajessgirl

#LitsyTeaLoversPostalBookClub #GroupD

DebBates101 Can‘t wait to read it 😃 6y
53 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Yossarian
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Trying to finish this one at an outdoor cafe while my daughter takes the SAT subject tests.

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ginganinja
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

The beginning of this book started really slow, but the last half made the book. I almost gave up on this one, but I'm glad I didn't. I loved the way this book ended.

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Laughterhp
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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1. Tagged book
2. Umm I have no idea..
3. Nope, my husband won‘t let me.. maybe I‘ll do my own next weekend.
4. Two little potatoes are standing on the street corner. One is a prostitute...
How can you tell which one is the prostitute?
It's the one with the little sticker that says...
I - DA - HO
5. 👍🏻👍🏻
#friyayintro

sammisho Omg!! 😂😂😂 6y
BookwormAHN 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
dsfisher 😂😂😂😂😱😱😱 6y
rubyslippersreads 😂🥔😂 6y
37 likes4 comments
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Laughterhp
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Wow, what a great package I got this weekend from @Ajessgirl for the #LTLPBC round 1. I‘m so excited to try the tea and the goodies! I‘ve never had a toblerone, so I can‘t wait to try it (hopefully it‘s gluten free)! I‘m also excited to read this book! 😊

Laughterhp Also, my husband wants to steal all the snacks and tea in it! He loves chamomile tea! 😊 6y
xicanti Toblerone is so good! And yes, it's gluten-free. A couple months back I had a big search for GF chocolate I could get my cousins with Celiac disease and Toblerone came up over and over again. 6y
Ajessgirl Yay!! I bet your husband will love the tea - it‘s like chamomile plus! 6y
51 likes3 comments
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laduper
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
Pickpick

Beautiful.

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Minor rips on dust covers and a few dents in the paperbacks. However, at least four of these are practically pristine. So, don't be afraid of BookOutlet's scratch and dent copies. Just think how it'll stretch your book budget! Now I just need to start that book buying ban I keep threatening! #iregretnothing #bookhaul #bookmail #scratchanddent

Mdargusch They just look loved. I love your #iregretnothing 😁 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Mdargusch I agree. And I plan on loving them just a little bit more! 6y
Notafraidofwords A house of my own is amazing ❤️💚❤️ 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Notafraidofwords I'm glad to hear. Out of all the books in the picture, this one's in the best condition too. Can't wait to get to it! 6y
kspenmoll Never heard of these! Thx! 6y
106 likes5 comments
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Bookartbookmarks
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Starting this beauty. 📖❤️

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BkClubCare
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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I am pondering why this is not being identified as "multi highlighted text". (And why some other lines have been highlighted lots and lots.)

"...bone-tired of having men pronounce and presume."

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Mindyrecycles
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

A lovely #debut and a beautiful cover. It was a unanimous hit for my #bookclub. #junebookbugs

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Mindyrecycles
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

I only finished these four this month and they were all good. I have to award #bestofmay to Atomic Weight of Love, though. It's also my RL #bookclub pick for this month. I think it'll be a good discussion. #maybookflowers

Suelizbeth Fabulous book. 7y
goodbyefrancie A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my lifetime favorites. Always good! 7y
Suet624 All fantastic books! 7y
EllieDottie How did you like the sport of kings? I'm thinking about picking it up! 7y
101 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Mindyrecycles
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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#meetthelittens

1. Florida native living in Tucson.
2. Pride and Prejudice.
3. Chet and Bernie mysteries.
4. Amadeus.
5. All in the Family.
6. Colm Wilkinson.
7. Green.
8. I enjoy almost everything except fantasy.
9. Cataloguer at an academic research library.
10. 2 cats, orange Oscar and torti Darla.

DGRachel Hooray for Chet and Bernie!! 7y
LeahBergen Oh, I LOVE Amadeus. ❤️ 7y
SusanInTiburon Chet the Jet! 7y
YouBookMe P&P forever! 7y
Tanner Oh yeah, Chet the Jet! 7y
99 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Joysiam
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
Pickpick

Beautiful, sad and surprisingly triumphant.

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BookishBron
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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I'm about halfway through this and finding it entirely delightful!

14 likes3 stack adds
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auntie_jenn
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

i loved this story of a woman who struggled with putting her academic career aside for her husband. this book takes place between the 40s and early 70s, and tracks the evolution of the women's movement in the Los Alamos community. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jokila Loved this one too! I thought it was a love story when I picked it but was pleasantly surprised rather than frustrated when it turned out to be about choosing yourself rather than a man 7y
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MeJeMiller
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

Better than originally thought. I went though a whole range of emotions with Meridian. Hate, frustration, tolerance. Love her name and her journey, even if I wanted to yell at her to not be stupid. I really liked the ending.

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auntie_jenn
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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next up!

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Suelizbeth
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

When I first began reading this book, it reminded me of H is for Hawk; about birds, about a woman finding herself. But this book is about so much more. It is about one young woman whose life turns out completely differently from the way the she imagined it, but through all of her disappointments, trials, heartbreaks, turns out better than she could have imagined. This book is for our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, ourselves.

32 likes1 stack add
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Suelizbeth
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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In an odd way, this reminds me of H is for Hawk. There is a bird theme and a finding-yourself theme. Well written, engaging, a book I can see myself reading again.

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Ncostell
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Mehso-so

I have mixed feelings about this book. It tells the story of a woman who gives up her pursuit of a PhD in ornithology to follow her husband to Los Alamos where he works on the creation of the atom bomb. I just had a hard time connecting with and feeling empathy for the main character and many of the choices she made. Here's hoping I enjoy my next read more.

Cinfhen Oh well, It's a cool cover! 7y
Ncostell @cinfhen Yes, I do love the cover! That's what originally drew me to pick this one up. 7y
28 likes2 comments
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ruthemmielang
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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I've always loved the expression "A murder of crows." After watching Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, it makes perfect sense... ?

CrowCAH Beautiful pic setup; love the feather! 😊 7y
ruthemmielang @CrowCAH Thanks! 😊 7y
LizzyM I love "The Birds"! I've watched it several times:) And it does make sense of the saying... 7y
ruthemmielang @LizzyM I have to! I still get scared every time 😳 7y
102 likes4 comments
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Smrloomis
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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This is on sale for 1.99 - at least in some places 😄

75 likes1 stack add
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ruthemmielang
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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I'd like to say that the light from my window fell perfectly on the paragraph I was reading, but it didn't haha. This pic took a little maneuvering on my part. I know this is tomorrow's Riotgram (#6) but I couldn't resist. #CurrentRead #riotgrams

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EvieBee
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Here are a few #2016booksimissedouton from my Kindle library. I have many more! Most of these I bought on sale toward the end of the year. #TBR #readjanuary

Donna_sBookMinute I'll probably read "News of the World." 7y
EvieBee @Donna_sBookMinute Oh yes, I've heard such good things about it. 7y
79 likes2 comments
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CherylC
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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I chose this book because I liked the cover. I'm recommending it because I found it so satisfying.

5 likes1 stack add
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LWagoner
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

This story is about love, about knowing ones' self; it's about discovery, deep emotion; it's about perseverance; it's about the untapped strength of women. Beautifully written.
P.233 "In practice, it's difficult to resist the impulse to fill the silence, to let the person you love off the hook, to let them be."

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LWagoner
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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LWagoner
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Taking some time to rest & regroup. Loving this book. It's reaching the science geek in me. The sentences are beautiful.

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mjdowens
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

This book. No amount of words can describe how much I enjoyed it. Only have as an ebook, but will still buy the actual book. Love, war, physics, feminism, and just so much more. Read this now📚👌

DeborahSmall 👍🏼💕 7y
19 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ScorpioBookDreams
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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What a beautiful cover! 😍😍 #competitionwin

Lacythebookworm This book sounds really good! The cover is lovely ❤️😊 7y
Cinfhen I love the title and the cover is gorgeous 💜can't wait to hear your review! 7y
KimM Very good. Reading it now. 7y
105 likes6 stack adds3 comments
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Megabooks
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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My #LitsyAtoZ!! Thanks @BookishMarginalia 😃👍🏻 This is going to be fun!!! 🎉🎉🎉

BookishMarginalia I have quite a few of the same books in my TBR! 💜#abecedarianTBR 7y
kricheal The Time Traveler's Wife is very good! 7y
Megld4 Loved Invisible Man! Such an important discussion to be had over that one. 7y
Reese_Pearly.Pages Great list!! You can probably pass on #Girlboss. I bought it when it came out. It's not that good. DNF and donated to the library. 7y
73 likes4 comments
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shelf-improvement
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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#photoadaynov16 Reading Companion

This little jerk doesn't like when I pay attention to things other than her.

MrBook 😹😻! 7y
BookishMarginalia Gorgeous! 😻 7y
KVanRead Those eyes!😻😻😻 7y
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rubyslippersreads So pretty! 😻❤️ 7y
Megabooks Sweet!! 💕💕 7y
Eyelit 💚🐱💚 7y
CherylDeFranceschi ❤️😻! 7y
43 likes7 comments
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NovelVisits
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

The Atomic Weight of Love started a little slowly, but then took off and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Stayed up until 1:00 am to finish it! I'll do a full review on my site soon.

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Snakes6atx
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

I enjoyed The Atomic Weight of Love and I look forward to more books by this author. The book covers a lifetime of the main character and I would have liked more time spent in some of the parts of her life. I would have liked some of the characters to have more depth as well. That is mostly personal preference though. The challenges of being a woman in the 1950's were highlighted and I found that quite interesting.

15 likes3 stack adds
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Seonjoon
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Mehso-so

The book was meh for me. I listened to it, and I wonder if the narrator's style had something to do with my lack of enthusiasm for the story and characters. As a whole, the book felt predictable and a little stale, a blunt feminist look at a woman and her social and sexual awakening in the 1970s. The initial curiosity of things taking place as Los Alamos and the Manhattan project didn't sustain or even connect for most of the book...

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Jokila
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

The Atomic Weight of Love is a love story, but a love story about a woman who solves the problem of her love triangle NOT by choosing the "right" man, the more "enlightened" man, but by choosing *herself.* And today, for the first time in American history, a female presidential candidate was able to cast that vote, for herself. ✌️

BookishMarginalia 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 7y
45 likes1 stack add1 comment
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krismlars
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

I didn't always understand Meridian or her choices, but we're all doing the best we can. P.S. I don't like birds! P.P.S. I LOVE that name, Meridian! #prisma

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krismlars
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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As Americans decide whether or not Hillary Clinton will be our first female president, I decided it is an apt time to read this book. Described on GR as a 'novel about ambition, identity, and sacrifice [that] will ring true to every woman who has had to make the impossible choice between who she is and who circumstances demand her to be.'

9 likes2 stack adds
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Kboltz
The Atomic Weight of Love | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

The love of birds, history of the atomic bomb, WW11 and Vietnam, a sprinkling of other sciences and a love story with a woman who does her own thing. What more could you ask for?!