Robin’s Rave Reviews – 2022
THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner was sitting on my TBR (To Be Read) pile for awhile. I’m so glad I finally got to it! Although it’s classified as women’s historical fiction (which I do enjoy reading), this isn’t a typical women’s fiction novel. The dark premise is what caught my attention: A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them – setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.
Nella is an apothecary in 1790’s London. Although she learned the art of healing from her mother, Nella has personal reasons for making poisons. Her women clients want to kill off their husbands, lovers, and other men who have hurt or betrayed them. The potions are never to be used to harm other women. Nella keeps a record of each transaction with the client’s (and intended victim’s) name(s). Her world begins to change when a 12-year-old servant girl picks up a potion for her mistress and, to Nella’s annoyance, she continues to hang around. Then, an aristocratic client’s attempt to poison someone goes very wrong. A police investigation threatens to uncover the record of her clients and what Nella has been doing from her back alley store. This timeline in the story kept me turning the pages.
The other timeline follows a modern American woman, Caroline, who is visiting London. She discovers an old blue vial in the Thames while mudlarking (searching the mud near a river for interesting or value items). Due to her love of history, she uncovers information about the vial that connects it directly to Nella’s apothecary. This timeline was the weaker part of the story; however, due to my love of history, I was interested to see how she tracked down the connections. I wasn’t as connected to her personal life and her cheating husband.
Some of the themes in the book weren’t what readers might think from reading the blurb. Revenge was expected. I wasn’t expecting Nell’s reason for recording the women clients’ names. She felt the attitude that women were inferior in that time period most likely meant their names would be lost to history unless she recorded it. I also didn’t expect some of the themes: sacrifice for another, the importance of friendship, women supporting women, and getting your dreams back on track.
I would have liked a darker, mysterious ending for the apothecary’s story. It felt a bit forced – tied up too neatly. Still, overall, I enjoyed the read. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars. (Keep in mind, I only write reviews of books I enjoy and would recommend.) So if THE LOST APOTHECARY sounds like your type of story, try it out. I would not have guessed this to be Sarah Penner’s debut novel. I look forward to seeing what she has for us next!
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