The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner  – 320 pages

ARC provided by Park Row and Netgalley for an honest review

Book Blurb:

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register. In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

My Review: 4 stars

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The Lost Apothecary was an amazing dual timeline narrative that will take you deep into the past then jump back to the present. Fantasy has slowly and surely worked its way into mainstream fiction. I’ve always enjoyed fantasy-light: time travel, magic, ghosts, time-looping, etc. Lately, more and more books have a touch or even a spoonful of these fantastical aspects. I really hope this will be trending into a norm.

In the 1700s, Nella inherited her mother’s apothecary that holds a secret room where women can find tinctures to help them with all issues regarding their love interests, husbands, lovers, etc. This hidden room is behind a false wall that women only learn about by word of mouth. Nella is surprised that a young girl, Eliza, visits the shop as a representative for her mistress. Surprisingly, an odd and beautiful relationship ensues between the two.

Fast forward to the present and we meet Caroline, a woman traveling solo in England. She should be with her husband, so to pass the time she goes on a mudlarking adventure. While on this excursion, she finds part of a vial that once held these elixirs. In order to avoid thinking about her relationship issues, she sets out to discover the history of this artifact. 

The book portrayed three strong feminine characters in the book and each grew into women who defied their own emotional and/or physical limits. I could’ve stayed in the 1700s for the whole book, but Caroline’s findings were the window into Nella’s story.

I highly recommend this debut author’s novel. For more on mudlarking check out the author’s informative website.

Quotes I liked:

(From an ARC, and may be altered in finished copy.)

The world is not kinds to us…There are few places for a woman to leave an indelible mark.”

“Vengeance is its own medicine.”

“How had I only just learned that happiness and fulfillment were entirely distinct things?”