Genre: Fantasy / Historical / Contemporary
Book Type: Audio
Author: Sarah Penner
Narrator: Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony & Lauren Irwin
Pages / Length: 320 pages / 10 hours and 18 minutes
Publisher: Park Row (March 2, 2021) / Harlequin Audio
Book Description:
A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary…
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.
Thoughts:
This is another that I’d say was a 3.5⭐️, but I rounded down because I wanted more from the book. I enjoyed the past and present timelines and overall mystery surrounding the apothecary and her work, but I had wanted a few big surprises and was left wanting a bit more.
I enjoyed the overall concept of the book and found the passages below to really stand out.
Overall a good book and glad I read it. I did the audio and the voices were great and distinct between Nella, Eliza and Caroline which made it easy to listen to without getting confused on where I was between POV and time.
Favorite Quotes:
🧪 London grants little to women in need of tender care; instead, it crawls with gentlemen’s doctors, each as unprincipled and corrupt as the next. My mother committed to giving women a place of refuge, a place where they might be vulnerable and forthcoming about their ailments without the lascivious appraisal of a man. (Page 30)
🧪 Why do we suffer to keep secrets? Merely to protect ourselves, or to protect others? (Page 256)
🧪 […] these sorts of questions - especially those about the subtle, mysterious interactions between two women - would likely not be found in old newspapers or documents. History doesn’t record the intricacies of women’s relationships with one another; they’re not to be uncovered. (Page 299)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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