INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNamed Most Anticipated of 2021 by Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, Hello! magazine, Oprah.com, Bustle, Popsugar, Betches, Sweet July, and GoodReads!March 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick“A bold, edgy, accomplished debut!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice NetworkA forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison … Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
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.
more
I liked this book, it was very different that other books I have read.
Nella and Eliza, long dead, but also so alive. Caroline, living in the present but fascinated by the past. I enjoyed how their lives meshed, although they lived centuries apart.
A fascinating book. Not perfect, but it held my interest and gave me many things to think about.
Wow! What a fantastic debut novel by Sarah Penner! Following two different timelines, this story takes you through the streets of London. Penner’s depth of detail has you feeling as if you are are there and in the story itself.
The depth of feeling and emotion at times have you holding your breath. I can not say enough about what an amazing and fantastic read this.
Congratulations Sarah Penner! You have got a fan in me. It would be awesome if there was a continuation to Caroline’s story.
I strongly recommend this book. So far it’s my favorite this year and this story will stay with me for awhile.
This book was right up my historical fiction lovers alley!!!!!!!!!!!! I enjoy books that are dark historical fiction stories like this one. This one will keep you reading until the last page. You will get enthralled with these characters lives and you have to know what happens to them. I am a new fan of Ms Penner and cannot wait to see what she writes us next!!!!!!!
I loved this book! I love the way the author goes back and forth in time. It was so good that when I got to the end I thought “that’s it????” I wanted it to keep going. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
This was an interesting read, and as I enjoyed the format as well (alternating POVs and times).
I enjoyed the glimpses into the past, feeling as though I was transported to these times. It was also interesting, following along a present-day character as she tried to unravel mysteries of the past … mysteries which were not mysteries to me, since I watched them unfold. Penner used a fun technique here and pulled it off very well, something not everyone can do.
At times, this read did elicit extreme feelings of rage, due to what a couple of the male characters got up to. Well done on the author’s part.
Would read more from this author, if she publishes more.
4 stars.
Note:
I listened to the audiobook; a great performance. The narrator’s voice is smooth and rather pleasant.
What a great story! And so well written. The audiobook has 3 actresses reading the different parts and it’s incredibly well done!!
This is not my typical genre but I’m very glad I read it. The prose is beautiful and the complexities of the lives and choices of the historical POV characters are engrossing & illuminating. The modern day character never grew on me and I don’t think she really added a lot to the story.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is the story of three women, alive in different times, but all have suffered at the hands of men. Nella, a female apothecary and once a respected healer, secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them. She has two rules: 1) the poison must never be used to harm another woman and 2) the names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the register. One February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella waits for her newest customer, a precocious 12-year-old named Eliza Fanning, who comes to the shop at the request of her mistress. Their meeting would set in motion a string of events that threatens to expose Nella, her shop and the women who are written in her register. Present day, London, an aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone after she discovers her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she is determined to find it’s origins. Will Caroline find the truth behind the vial? How is it linked to the events surrounding Nella and Eliza?
I was first drawn to The Lost Apothecary by it’s gorgeous cover. Not knowing much about the story, I picked up the book and dove in. The opening chapter hooked me in as Nella nervously waits for her new client. The story was an easy read, fast paced story as the action picks up when Caroline discovers the vial and half heartedly searches for clues of its past. Soon she is pulled into a mystery that she can’t help but push forward to find the truth. The characters were likeable and unlikeable at times especially Caroline. Yes, she was a woman scorned but sometimes didn’t act like it. Some of the language the author uses was a bit cringey especially at one part when Caroline realizes she has gotten her period. I had to roll my eyes. Also, there were words and phrases used by the characters in 1791 that are true to the time period. As a debut novel for Ms. Penner, I found it was a good story. With time, a bit more polishing and research, I see great works in her future and I look forward to reading more of her works. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend The Lost Apothecary.
The Lost Apothecary is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook.
So dark and wonderfully witchy! I loved how the themes of infidelity, conception, and poison were mirrored in both timelines and how those timelines came together in the end. A perfect finale!! I listened to the audio version and the narrators were amazing! The voice of Nella was just so perfect for her character.
2.5 stars
The Lost Apothecary tells the story of two women from two different centuries; Nella and Caroline and a young girl named Eliza. The story is told from each of their points of view and dual timelines.
The beautiful cover and intriguing synopsis made me want to read this book, however for such an interesting concept, this book just didn’t work for me.
Nella is the owner of a female only apothecary in 1791, who provides women with poisons to ‘liberate them from men who have wronged them’ – so, murder them. I expected a darker more intricate tale with a complex female serial killer, but what I got was a rather dull plot that is far-fetched at times and characters I just didn’t connect with.
Caroline is a woman who seems to regret her choices in life in giving up her academic dreams to marry her husband. After finding out about her husband’s infidelity, she decides to go solo on their pre-planed trip to London. Once there she goes on an ‘adventure’ by mud-larking in the Thames where she discovers an old vial of Nella’s and goes on a quest to find out more about it.
I thought Nella was interesting but wanted more character development and her friendship that formed with Eliza was sweet, but I found Caroline’s story and point of view rather boring, I found myself waiting for her chapters to end.
It’s also purely personal preference, however the writing style just didn’t work for me as I found there to be too much repetitive narration and not enough dialogue. The idea behind plot is actually very interesting, however the overall execution just didn’t have me hooked
I. Loved. This. Book. I thought that the author created two stories that although centuries apart from each other, were complimentary to each other. It was cleverly plotted, and it held my attention for the entire book. I related to Caroline and could see myself taking many of the same actions that she did. The author slipped the historical sections seamlessly into the narrative, and I was just as taken with Nella and Eliza’s stories. There were many good things about this book, so I’ll just say that it should be on your TBR pile. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books (Park Row) for a digital ARC of the book.
3 1/2 stars. Dual timelines in which the historical story is much stronger than the present day. In many ways, it may have been better to write this as a straight historical and delve more deeply into this side of the narrative.
Nella, the apothecary, and Eliza, the 12 year old servant who carries a letter requesting a potion to eliminate her mistress’s husband are interesting characters, and the setting – London 1791 – is well created. No harm is to be done to any woman through the apothecary’s poisons; only men must suffer because of what happened to Nella twenty years earlier. Until the day a nobleman’s wife arrives and demands a poison to kill her husband’s mistress. With the stage set for such an intriguing conflict, this half of the story was great.
The modern day story of Caroline is not necessary. Arriving in London on her tenth wedding anniversary, solo instead of with her cheating husband, she stumbles into a mudlarking group. So far, so good. But her ‘research’ and bumbling trespass into an undiscovered historical site are beyond belief. I struggled with the idea that someone who professed to be a History major, and to love the subject, could even begin to behave with such disregard. Also, her finding ‘answers’ in a single Internet dive were unbelievable.
Still worth reading, but more for the historical half of the story.
Just so, so, The backstory from the past was much more interesting than the present day storyline.
It’s 1791 London and a mysterious woman named Nella operates her secret business in the hidden section of her mother’s former apothecary shop where she learned the healing natures of herbs and plants. Her mother is gone and after Nella suffered a betrayal at the hands of a cheating lover, she shifts those skills to concoct potions that will be the undoing of men like him. She’s an underground secret that only women know about and protect her identity. When she allows a young girl who expresses an interest in learning more about her craft to help her, it sets up a series of events that spans forward into the future. Enter Caroline Parcewell in the present day whose marriage is falling apart and she’s in London on what was supposed to be a tenth anniversary celebration. She’s alone and when she finds a vial on the shores of the Thames, it has historic and life changing implications.
This is a tale of two shifting timelines, which I like when it’s done well as it is here. I thought I’d be more invested in Caroline’s story but it was Nella’s that captured most of my attention. She’s a complicated character living in an era where women’s fates were in the hands of men, often those behaving badly. On the surface, Nella’s answer might seem a dark form of justice but it takes a toll on her soul. When Caroline finds that vial, she sets off to research its history and origin, filling a hole in her own soul she didn’t even recognize was there. She has a degree in history but toils away at home in Cincinnati working as a glorified bookkeeper in her family’s business. This mission reawakens her in a way that provides clarity in her own life.
I’m not sure I would have ever selected this to read if not for my book club, which is another endorsement for participating in diverse reading groups where you can broaden your scope. I had a tough time pausing this story, especially because of the timeline transitions. How that vial ended up on the shores of the Thames two hundred years later is the heart of the story and the journey getting there was full of intrigue, suspense and excitement. I listened to the story and separate narrators were used for Nella, Caroline and young Eliza, which really added flavor to the performance. I especially loved Nella’s voice as she captured every emotion that character embodied. It was masterful and contributed to a wonderful listening experience of a really good story. 4.5 stars
This book is full of secrets, revenge, and the comraderie between women, even when they don’t know each other. The apothecary’ s life is intertwined with a modern day curious lover of history. The circumstances and decisions throughout the book made it so interesting! Hard to put down! Fate, magic, love, deceit, etc. all played roles in the stories. It reminded me of a Thomas Hardy novel. I love this book.
Fast, easy read with a few surprise twists.
Not quite what I expected, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I have seen mixed reviews on this one and I can understand why. It’s not a fast-paced read nor is it fantasy or witchy although it’s touted by some as reading that way. I would say it’s more of a historical/present day mystery which I found to be interesting. I enjoy dual timelines and the author does well with that here.
Even though this can be a tad slow, I would still recommend it. It’s an interesting premise and does make for a fun read.
These characters were well-rounded and the storyline moved along in a great way. I love the historical parts of this book. It makes me want to go mudlarking! Sarah Penner
When I picked up this book, I knew very little beyond the gorgeous eye-catching cover, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I am a sucker for a historical novel with present and past storylines that intertwine and converge. I loved the mystery element and the well drawn details about Georgian London. Nella, Eliza and Caroline all have interesting and complex stories to tell, but I do wish they were each given a bit more space to deepen their backstories and emotional worlds. The feminist bent to both the past and present plot lines adds an interesting angle to the novel. Overall, The Lost Apothecary is a wonderful debut and I look forward to seeing what Penner writes next. Lucky for us readers, I’ve heard she’s quit her day job to write full time.