MY FIRST BOOK REVIEW FOR 2022 : THE LOST APOTHECARY BY SARAH PENNER

 

THE LOST APOTHECARY BY SARAH PENNER

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.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.

Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

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 THOUGHTS

My year is off to a great start. This has been my first book for the year and what an excellent choice it was. This in my opinion was about life's choices and missed opportunities. 

As the book switches between the 18th and 19th centuries and the present day, we learn about the lives of three females who, in their own special way was searching for happiness.

Nella was an apothecary who mixed potions intended to poison and kill men who have wronged their partners. Motivated by events of her past, Nella's mission in life was to help women get revenge. When twelve year old Eliza Fanning, who, sent by her mistress for a poison intended to kill her husband, Nella had no clue that this meeting would connect her and Eliza and shape their future. Eliza was such a captivating character in my opinion. 

I enjoyed reading about her the most. However, I think the end of the book there was a time where I did not fully understand her motives for some of what she was doing. (When you read the book you may get what I mean).

In the present day we meet the third protagonist, Caroline. A young woman, trying to escape a turning point in her marriage, finds herself mud larking on a trip to London where upon finding a vial with a bear etched to the front. This vial leads Caroline to find a deep connection with the apothecary. This discovery impacts Caroline's trip as well as allows her to make some changes to her life. 

This author was very skillful in how she crafted these character and this book was well researched indeed I loved learning about the time period. I enjoyed it.