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.
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. I loved this story and read it in one sitting because I literally couldn’t put it down. I usually don’t like reading dual times books especially if it’s older than 1980 because I don’t know much of those time periods and I’m too lazy to learn more about them.
I loved how now heroine,Caroline didn’t cave after her husband betrayal and how that makeshifts concludes into an unexpected and very interesting story from now onwards. I wanted to know so much more about Eliza and I honestly couldn’t predict what will happen next for her because I was waiting for a shoe to drop off.
As for the police investigation, that was just hilarious because it was bound to happen.
I know I’m very vague but wouldn’t want to give more spoilers up because it’s a story that needs to be read and savour.
This is a mystery from 1791 solved in present day. Nella is an apothecary, Eliza is the 12yr old to get the potion from Nella and Caroline is the present day amateur sleuth. I like hearing the point of views from 3 different people. The characters are so well written and you just fall in love with them. It’s unbelievable that this is a debut novel. It’s gonna be book of the year, i bet. This book lives up to the hype. Everyone will love this book, no matter what genre is liked most.
I am so very delighted that I requested an ARC of this debut novel by Sarah Penner. This reads as if it were written by a seasoned author.
This is a dual POV, historical fiction that alternates between 1790’s and present time. Nella was raised by her mother who treated women from her apothecary shop. Nella learned everything she knew from her mother, even those remedies that could be fatal if administered in the wrong dose. When Nella is wronged she takes her passion of helping women to a sinister level and soon no man who treats a woman badly is safe. Fast forward to present time and Caroline is in London alone on what would have been her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead of doing the local tourist things she finds herself along the shore of the Thames with a group of mudlarkers. Hidden in the mud she finds an apothecary vial with a bear etched into it. Thus begins her journey into the past as well as a journey of self discovery and who she might discover she has become now that her life has taken a drastic change.
The only thing that I could have asked for in this book was the ending a little longer, more details on Caroline’s ending in the present. I felt it was a tad bit too rushed so at the end I felt like it wasn’t the end. Overall this is a fantastic, must read.
**Received an ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**
Thank you Harper Audio and Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.
This story goes back and forth between two-time lines with three different points of view (POV). The first time line takes place in present-day London and the POV is from Caroline. The second time line takes place in 1791 and this is where the other two POVs take place, first we have Nella an Apothecary and then we have Eliza a 12-year-old girl.
Nella who was wronged in a horrible way has turned to the darker side of her profession. She begins creating poisons for women in dire situations to free them of the men who have harmed them. Nella records every transaction as a way to record these women since she wants their stories to be remembered. Nella has let her loss and grief harden her until she meets Eliza a 12-year-old girl who has come for her mistress. Eliza takes a liking to Nella and comes back to the shop and their fates become intertwined.
Caroline who has taken her anniversary trip to London alone after finding out her husband has been cheating on her. She came to London to figure things out and she gets much more than she has bargained for. This is a story about Caroline’s self-discovery as she unravels the past connected to an old vile she found mudlarking along the Thames. Caroline learns how much of herself and her passion she has buried these past 10 years when she gave up her dreams to take a safe job and get married.
This was such an amazing story and I think that there is a lot to learn from Caroline’s journey. I won’t spoil anything but what her husband does in the end just infuriates me so much. I am just happy that Caroline had come so far even though the time was short to see what he was doing.
If you want to read a beautiful story then pick this one up.
This is a story that reaches across time to bring together three women who need each other. It’s a story of the oppressed fighting their oppressor in ways that might be illegal and yet feel like justice. While the book doesn’t condone the actions of the apothecary, it makes her understandable and sympathetic. It’s a fascinating, engrossing tale, and a pleasure to read.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Who wouldn’t like to solve a hundred-year-old mystery and especially one that had to do with poisons that were used to kill unfaithful husbands or boyfriends.
Caroline came to London for a tenth anniversary celebration, but found out her husband had been having an affair so she came alone.
She didn’t want to follow through with her itinerary she was to have had with her husband and happened upon a man who suggested she go mudlarking with a group.
Mudlarking was done in the 1800’s as a means of survival by finding things washed up on the shore, but this group did it for fun.
Caroline finds a vial with a bear on it. Her curiosity as a historian had her searching for what the vial may have been used for and the place where a shop probably existed in 1791 that could have created remedies.
While Caroline is looking for clues, we flash back to 1791 and meet Nella who made remedies, actually poisons, for women who needed to be rid of their husbands. A young girl, Eliza, who came to the shop to have Nella make a potion for her mistress, took an interest in the shop.
Nella, Eliza, and Caroline collide virtually in present day through research and poisons.
THE LOST APOTHECARY is very clever, enjoyable, different, unique, and very well researched.
I loved the information about the maps of London and finding clues to how others lived and worked in past times.
History buffs, those who love solving years-old mysteries, and those who love Old London won’t want to miss this book.
ENJOY!!
An amazing debut!! 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed half of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, but found myself skimming a lot of the modern day story. I did think the concept of the two timelines was interesting, and I can even overlook how far-fetched it was that Caroline solved the old mystery, what I didn’t enjoy was the repetition of Caroline’s questioning of the last 20 years of how she lived her life. It felt like this story belonged in another book, perhaps a romance or women’s fiction.
Being an herbalist, the tinctures and recipes that were included were very realistic as to how they can help or harm one’s life. The feminist aspect of The Lost Apothecary was very well written too. And the relationship between Nella and Eliza was a wonderful and touching part of the book.
Although I did find myself skimming large chunks, I would still recommend The Lost Apothecary since others may enjoy those sections more than I did, and I am looking forward to seeing if this turns into a series. I would read another book by Penner (especially if The Lost Apothecary becomes a series) to read more about Caroline’s research escapades and to see how her relationship with the librarian progresses… plus if it includes more about herbs, I’m all in!
The talented Penner bursts onto the historical fiction scene with a dual-timeframe novel that follows three fascinating women: an apothecary who only allows her poisons to be used to kill misbehaving men, a clever girl whose curiosity about the apothecary leads her to quickly get in over her head, and the modern-day woman whose discovery of an 18th-century apothecary vial spurs her to investigate the unknown as a distraction from her crumbling marriage.
Caroline is spending her 10th wedding anniversary trip alone in London. She needs this time to digest just what her husband has done. Caroline found out he was having an affair right before the trip. She left without him. She just needs her space!
While Caroline is wandering around London and taking in the scenery, she comes across a group of people getting together to go mudlarking. On a whim, she decides to join them. She ends up finding and antique bottle that sends her on a quest.
As most of you know, give me a book that I learn something and I am hooked. I have never heard of mudlarking…Yep, that is a thing. It is digging in the mud on a river, like the Thames, to find ancient artifacts. This sent me down a rabbit hole. I started researching and watching videos. This is now on the bucket list.
This story is told in two different time periods, present day and the 18th century. It is part family drama and part mystery. I was captivated all the way through. The characters, the time period, the science, the reasons behind the murders, the old maps with the clues…oh boy! What a book!
Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Contemporary and historical women’s fiction. Alternating chapters from 1791 and present day.
1791 Eliza, a twelve year servant tasked with killing her employers husband with a poison from the hidden apothecary.
1791 Nella, an aging and sick spinster has been disbursing poisons to women since she lost her own child in death.
Present day Caroline, a woman traveling alone in London after finding out her husband has had an affair. She finds an intriguing glass vial when joining a mudlarking tour on a whim. So begins her search for a lost apothecary.
A journal of adventure and self discovery. Intriguing and easy to read. I found both time frames fascinating and even a bit suspenseful. I also think Caroline found things a little too easy but no one would find hundreds of hours of research fun to read about so it made sense for the story. Loved the ending and resolution.
Excerpt:
“My eyes began to sting as I considered the odds of finding this object in the riverbed: a historical artifact, probably once belonging to a person of little significance, someone whose name wasn’t recorded in a textbook, but whose life was fascinating all the same. This was precisely what I found so enchanting about history: centuries might separate me from whoever last held the vial, but we shared in the exact sensation of its cool glass between our fingers. It felt as though the universe, in her strange and nonsensical way, meant to reach out to me, to remind me of the enthusiasm I once had for the trifling bits of bygone eras, if only I could look beneath the dirt that had accumulated over time.”
Excerpt from The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
This was so fascinating a story full of secrets.
It follows two POV, both in London, one in 1791 and the other in our present time.
• Nella is a talented healer, secretly uses her knowledge to help women kill their husbands or men of whom they are victims.
• Caroline is a young historian. When she finds a old vial apothecary she does not resist investigating a 200 year old mystery.
The stories of both women are intertwined, they may be 200 years apart, but both have suffered the same disappointments and yearn for the same.
Caroline is determined to solve the mystery of apothecary, she visit the library for records in the library and soon discovers that there is not much information.
Nella has a double life, selling remedies to heal everyone and products to kill men. She has promised to help every woman who asks for her help until someone arrives and she will have to reject her, putting her life in danger and her assistant Eliza, a 12 year old girl.
Through the newspapers, Caroline finds an old article about the murders, but not the author or motive behind the murders. She is determined to find out who did it and the reasons.
Alternating between the two women, you are part of the mystery, the novel is fast-paced and rich in detail.
This book was fascinating, a twisting and turning tale of three women across two different time periods. I loved the Nella and Eliza parts, which were heartbreaking and fascinating and filled with such detail, the time period truly came alive. I also loved the present day part of the story, with Caroline who is hurting and searching for a way forward, if only her husband would give her time to herself to figure out who she is and what she wants. Truly a lovely book!
The Lost Apothecary
Release date: 3/2/2021
In 1791, we meet Nella, an apothecary. Not just any apothecary, but one who helps women specifically. With the knowledge of plants and such passed down from her mother, Nella is the one women seek when they are wronged by men through things such as abuse and infidelity and that wish to take care of them. One day 12 year old Eliza seeks out her assistance at the request of her mistress. Eager and curious to learn the trade, Eliza becomes more than just a customer in Nellas’ life when the two end up in more of a predicament than they anticipated.
In present day, we meet Caroline who is about to celebrate her 10th anniversary with her husband. Just days before their planned trip to the UK, Caroline discovers that her husband has been keeping a secret from her. With her heart broken she goes forward with the trip alone determined to make the best of it. One of the first jaunts she makes as a tourist involves her being knee deep mudlarking alongside others when she spots something that catches her eye. A small blue vile. With a passion for history, she sets out to find out more details behind this treasure which not only leads her on a path she thought she had long ago left behind, but unravels the history behind this blue vile as well as the two individuals linked to it.
I received this audio book as an ARC from Netgalley and Harper Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. I have recently gotten into historical fiction books and I’m so thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to be able to read this one. I absolutely loved it! The three narrators did a great job and the storyline was unique and easy to follow with a quite surprising ending. This is definitely a must read in my opinion. I rate this book
This has the good stuff that makes me pick up a book… strange female murderers with a cause, dysfunctional families on vacation, creepy 18th century back alley London settings, mudlarking, recipes for noxious tinctures and a librarian.
The Lost Apothecary is a dual time story in London switching between the late 1700’s and our current time. In the 1700’s we spend time with Nella, the owner of a small apothecary whose main business is whipping up poisons for women to distribute to their male abusers. In the current time we hang out with Caroline, who is on her celebratory anniversary vacation (sans husband) and stumbles upon an old apothecary bottle. You can see the connection.
This is an entertaining story with some sweet historical action going on. It is a page turner! (I audiobooked it, so it’s a time turner). There were some places where I thought the characters seemed a bit too naive. Me: “Why are these complex women not seeing the obvious? Hello? No way are you going to do that. That was brainless. You just did it again!”
It was an enjoyable read. I am really looking forward to more by Sarah Penner.
Thank you so much Harper Audio, Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for providing me an ARC version of this book in exchange for my honest review.
#TheLostApothecary #NetGalley
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time as far as being transported into another place and era. Although if you are looking for hope or redemption, this is not the book for you.
It’s a dark thriller about an 18th century female killer who uses poison to murder villainous men. Her motivation is based on her own past heartbreak, and also on the premise of situational ethics when it comes to men who deserve punishment for their wicked behavior.
This story is eloquently contrasted and tied to the account of a betrayed 21st century wife who rediscovers herself on a trip to London where the murders occurred centuries earlier. Dual timelines are my favorite, and while the novel is both historical and contemporary, the historic research and setting especially appealed to me as a former investigative journalist.
This book is incredibly suspenseful and brilliantly written by debut author, Sarah Penner. The only reason it wasn’t a five star read for me was due to the ending. I refuse to spoil it for other readers, as it might be a perfect ending for you. I read an ARC provided by the publisher.
This was a well written book that is told by three different characters. It has a dual time line and both were really interesting. It was a quick book for me . I really enjoyed it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
I had the opportunity to review this book as ARC in audiobook format thanks to Netgalley. On reading the description, I was immediately drawn to the story: three women of different age (Nella, Eliza and Caroline), living in different times (Nella and Eliza in 1800’s England and Caroline in present day America) but dealing with the same problem: betrayal at the hand of men. Sarah Penner weaves the lives of these women: Nella, the apothecary, with a penchant for poison bend on a path of revenge; Eliza, the murderous child; and Caroline, the person that will, centuries later, uncover the mystery behind their existence one chapter at the time. The story is related from the POV of the 3 main characters, back and forth between the events from the past and present time. The story had enough intrigue and kept me guessing until the end. However, for me, the book was just OK and left me wishing for more. In particular, Caroline’s unrevealing of the apothecary’s secrets and her own predicament were not very believable even though I did appreciate the parallel between her story and Nella’s and their very different solutions to their problems. A good first effort for this first-time author.
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The cover is so pretty! It’s absolutely what pulled me in. Coupled with the title, it seemed so full of promise. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. I did not like Caroline. She felt younger than her age and was rather annoying most of the time. It was hard to have any sympathy for her.
I loved Eliza, though! She was darling and really drove that story. There was a timelessly charming quality about her. And Nella was great, too. I think the older story was done better than the present-day story. It was more interesting and better written, I felt. Caroline’s story beat me over the head with the importance of living a fulfilling life, of standing on your own, and following your dreams. It’s like, “Okay, I get it”.
The importance Nella placed on remembering the names, the lives of the women she helped, that made sense. It fit with the times and wasn’t too heavy-handed. I almost would have preferred to just read about Nella and Eliza. But I appreciated the ending. It was beautifully vague and I liked that things were still left to my imagination.
I kind of feel like I was suckered by a pretty cover. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one.