The Apothecary`s Daughter by Julie Klassen

The Apothecary`s Daughter (Superior Collection)

by Julie Klassen

Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance--as well as clues about her mother--Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart.

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

3 of 5 stars

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Even as an English major I was never of those girls that swooned over the book version of Mr. Darcy. (Although I will confess I do have a major crush on Colin Firth.) The Regency period has never seemed all that fashionable to me with all the rules. The women always seem so constrained even if they long to break the mould, they never do. The Apothecary’s Daughter fits firmly into this period and doesn’t stray from the predicable route. Although I certainly had hopes after our heroine, Lilly, returned home after just over a year in London and took over her father’s shop.

I did enjoy listening to The Apothecary’s Daughter which I borrowed from the library. Tavia Gilbert had a soothing voice and mastered a variety of different English accents for both the male and female characters. It was mostly her narration that allowed me to get through this sugary sweet predictable romance despite some technical issues that apparently occurred when the CDs were ripped to the MP3 version available via Overdrive.

I did get frustrated with the main character. Lilly had a lot of promise as a medical professional and each time she got a chance to use her gifts, I had hopes that perhaps she would actually get the life I felt she desired and perhaps deserved. I often forget that not every historical fiction book can have characters willing to buck the social norms of the time. So in the end, I was disappointed with the path that Lilly chose, but she seemed satisfied with it.

My decision to listen to The Apothecary’s Daughter happened at the right time. Work was stressful. I needed a soothing voice and predictable storyline to get me to and from work. At a different time and if I had read my copy of the eBook vs. listening to the audiobook, I’m not so sure that Lilly’s story would have sat so well with me.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 November, 2015: Finished reading
  • 14 November, 2015: Reviewed