T;LDR: A tale about secrets revealed both within and without, in a past and present-day setting, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is an easy Sunday afternoon read.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A female apothecary in 1791 London administers potions and tinctures to the women who visit her secret shop. Some seek her out for health concerns, but many seek her out for something a bit more nefarious – poison to feed the men who wronged them. Meanwhile, an aspiring historian, Caroline Parcewell, arrives in present-day London reeling from the discovery that her husband cheated on her. She stumbles upon a vial with a bear etched into the glass, a relic from that long ago shop. As she digs deeper into the secrets it holds, she uncovers not only the story of the apothecary shop, but also her own.
I read this book in one sitting. While it wasn’t raining, it could’ve been for the feeling this book engenders. It left me yearning to do research and pursuing a degree where you immerse yourself in historical minutiae; all things I think I’d like until I’m facing the reality of them. The stories of the three point-of-view characters are interesting and have a well-crafted mirrored effect, the history is interesting, but there is a bit of missing depth in one of the timelines and a disconnect between the narrative and the book’s promise. For that and more, I gave this 4 stars.
The Plot
In 1791 London, an apothecary, Nella, waits for the arrival of her latest customer, a housemaid running an errand for her mistress. When twelve-year-old Eliza Fanning arrives, her avid curiosity sets off a chain of events that threatens the shop and both of their lives.
In present-day London, Caroline Parcewell is spending her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from her husband’s infidelity and processing what she wants to do about it. While there, she finds a vial of glass with a bear etched into it, a tie to the 1791 shop. Already fascinated by history, she decides to find out as much as she can about the bottle and where it came from. When Caroline’s husband arrives unexpectedly in London, her trip takes a turn she didn’t expect and suddenly more than her marriage may be at stake.
What follows is a tale of friendship, betrayal, secrets hidden and revealed. Will Nella and Eliza escape from the constabulary once the secrets of the shop are revealed? Will the secrets Caroline wants to unravel in her own time and way ultimately lead to her own trouble with the police? And will they all find what they seek?
What I liked & liked less
I liked both of the stories presented as they both have the same taint to them – infidelity and poison. I also liked how the author wove the two timelines together without skewing either one to make it fit. It had a beautiful synchronicity to it and made it easy to read.
I found myself much more committed to the 1791 storyline than the present day. Nella and Eliza felt more real and had more depth than Caroline and James.
The friendship Caroline makes with Gaynor feels quick for modern day women to form – less than two days in and already Gaynor is defending her to others (leaving this vague because spoilers) when they don’t even know anything about each other besides their love of history.
I still liked the present-day story, but that may have had more to do with the hunt for the past through newspapers, household accounts, and maps than anything else. I loved the hunt for letters and information in AS Byatt’s Persuasion and I once read a book that discussed in depth household accounts from the 1800s and what they could tell us about the people of the time and found it fascinating, so it’s obviously something of interest to me.
I liked Caroline’s character. She seemed normal, average, someone like me. She’s struggling to figure out what to do, struggling to break free of the bonds she had a hand in tying around herself as much as her husband. Her emotional struggles seemed real and her awakening, so to speak, not as far-fetched as it could have been for someone else. I would’ve liked a bit more depth to her, so that her story and her adventures were as interesting as Nella and Eliza’s.
I liked Eliza’s character, although it felt at times that she could easily become a character I would not like with a choice or a path not yet taken. She is twelve and not twelve, a child and yet almost an adult. Her naivety and innocence was in stark contrast to her ability to poison her employer’s husband with not that much protesting or emotional turmoil. I could see her turning to the dark side with very little qualms.
I had no real feelings about Nella. She is old and rotting from the inside out due to what she does for a living. I didn’t dislike her nor did I like her. She was present on the page and her backstory was interesting, but it was more Eliza’s view of her that made her appear more well-rounded.
I did not like the manipulative husband. The author does a good job at hinting at his controlling nature without outright calling him abusive, but let’s be honest, it was a fine line. Yes, Caroline had choices she didn’t make and probably could’ve, but his behavior when he arrives in London makes it pretty clear he would’ve taken those choices away from her in some manipulative way or fashion. It would’ve been just as effective if it was more about both of them making choices that led to their unhappiness, both thinking the safe road was the one the other wanted, instead of where the author took it.
This book, however, is a clear example of how not to do a synopsis. Much of what I expected from this book based on the blurb did not materialize. The synopsis gives a darker feel to the story than is present and promises something it doesn’t deliver. It presents an ominous feeling to what amounts to nothing more than a normal story arc, with a mostly happy ending.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
An engaging past and present-day story, with similar themes and echoes, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a good book. I would recommend it to friends as a rainy day read when you just want to inhale a book along with your bowl of chips. It has well-researched history, a believable plot for both timelines, and interesting characters, although the 1791 characters feel more robust. For that and more, I give it 4 stars.
About the Author
Sarah Penner is the New York Times bestselling author of THE LOST APOTHECARY (Park Row Books/HarperCollins), available now wherever books are sold. THE LOST APOTHECARY will be translated into two dozen languages worldwide. Sarah and her husband live in St. Petersburg, Florida with their miniature dachshund, Zoe. To learn more, visit SarahPenner.com.
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Originally published on Feedium.