The Lost Apothecary

by Sarah Penner

• ISBN10: 0778311015
• ISBN13: 9780778311010
• Publish Date: 2 March 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Park Row
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[kerrydarkeyes]

A satisfying read, though the historical characters carried the book for me. A few things I got nitpicky about, like Nella's meta-awareness of how women are underrepresented in history (burning her book to protect their identities would have made more sense), Caroline's miraculous historical discovery and her subsequently mystifying decision to apply for an English degree (??? there are niche studies of history - medical, social, material, women's - that would have been right up her alley).

But ultimately, it's a book about women protecting women and I'm down for that.

I liked the book okay but I was left a bit dissatisfied and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I was hoping for a more exciting mystery. I didn't feel like it was a mystery as much as a story being told. I did like the way the book traveled between the three main characters and back and forth in time, but I felt the story was lacking. The premise was good and I enjoyed it but I felt it could have been better.

[Quirky Cat]

The Lost Apothecary is one of those novels that I have heard SO much about lately; it was impossible to resist the temptation to put down everything I was doing and just read.

It is February 1791, and Nella's latest customer is about to change everything. And not for the better. Nella is an apothecary, and while once her shop healed people, now it kills. However, Nella has a few set rules that she always follows, one of which being that nothing she makes will ever harm a woman.

Meanwhile, in present-day London, Caroline Parcewell was looking for an escape. Anything to distract her from her marital problems. Luckily, she came across an antique bottle that got the historian in her working overtime.

“To me, the allure of history lay in the minutiae of life long ago, the untold secrets of ordinary people.”

If you haven't read The Lost Apothecary yet, you absolutely must add it to your list! I was worried that my expectations were set too high, thanks to all of the hype, but it turns out that I needn't have worried.

The Lost Apothecary is an amazing work of historical fiction. It's a novel that hits really close to home in so many ways. It's powerful and beautiful and tells the story of a multi-generation battle to fight for the freedom and comfort of women.

Sarah Penner did such an outstanding job of capturing two very different worlds and bringing them to life here. The sheer amount of detail was a joy. You can really see just how much time she spent researching before she sat down to write this work of fiction.

As you might have guessed from the description, this novel is told from two different perspectives. One set in the past (Nella) and one in the present (Caroline). Their stories are so different and yet so very similar at the same time.

Better yet, by splitting the narrative and timeline into two, Sarah Penner managed to spread out the building of tension and intrigue. It was a compelling story, one that was difficult to predict how it was going to end.

“Healing by way of vengeance ... no such thing existed; it never had. Hurting others had only injured me further.”

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I absolutely adored the time I spent reading The Lost Apothecary. Perhaps that is why I was so surprised when I turned the page to find nothing left! I would have happily read another thousand pages of Penner's enchanting writing. More, please!

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks (of Books)

[chrssym]

2.5/3

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

A perfectly good dual timeline story that brought London and part of its dark history to light.

I'm just a bit over books where the woman in the present timeline reevaluates her entire life because something went wrong with a man in her life. I wanted to know more about the characters in the past timeline.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.