Book Review: "The Lost Apothecary" by Sarah Penner
"The Lost Apothecary" by Sarah Penner
Synopsis: Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.
Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.
With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.
Rating: 4.25
Review: If I could list all of the plot characteristics of a book I knew I would love, almost all of the boxes would have checked by Sarah Penner’s remarkable debut novel: we’ve got feminism! London! centuries-long mystery! libraries! poisoning terrible men! In my opinion, the only that was missing was a touch of cheesy romance (I can’t help it, the personal pan pizza has made me loveeeee cheesy romance) — there was even a sassy sidekick in both of the timelines.
“The Lost Apothecary” is the story of two women who are working to find their own way in the world. In the late eighteenth century, we meet Nella, the titular apothecary. She’s infamous in London as the place to go when you’re a woman wronged - she’ll help you quickly dispose of a troublesome man in your life. In modern times, we spend our time with Caroline, who has come to London alone on what was supposed to be an anniversary trip — don’t worry, we figure out why in the course of the novel — and get to go down the rabbit hole with her after she starts research on a mysterious glass bottle found in the Thames. Of course, the mysterious glass bottle is connected to Nella, and figuring out how and why it ended up at the bottom of the river is what takes us through both stories.
I don’t want to spend much more time discussing the plot, only because I think you should get to experience it as you read the book, just like I did. I will say that it is a wonderful (and meandering) journey with an ending that I didn’t see coming. I will spend some more time praising the book, though, because it was just…wonderful. The pacing was excellent, the story itself was strong, the mystery was engaging, and the characters were all…well, characters. The world that she drew in both centuries was so realistic — and I say that as someone who both studied British history and reads maybe too much historical fiction.
I honestly can’t believe this is only Sarah Penner’s first novel, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
TL;DR: An astonishing debut that involves a little bit of murder and a whole lot of mayhem, told through a centuries-old mystery.
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