Series: Standalone
Release Date: March 2, 2021
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.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Allusion to pedophilia
• Description of past miscarriage
• Infidelity
• Self-harm — Caroline’s husband purposefully poisons himself to manipulate Caroline in the hopes of winning her back
• Discussion of suicide
• (im)morality of revenge and vengeance
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
I loved the premise of The Lost Apothecary! The two timelines – present-day c. 2020 and 1791 – intersect compellingly: our modern-day Heroine, Caroline, investigates the unsolved apothecary murders after discovering a vial that’s related to the apothecary on a mudlarking expedition in London. The 1791 storyline details how the (lost) apothecary became linked to the murders in question.
What drew me to The Lost Apothecary was the (extremist) feminist twist on murders in 1791. The apothecary, Nella, creates poisons and their mode of delivery for her clients, women whose lives are being threatened by men, be that physically, emotionally, psychologically, or economically. It was Nella’s way of protecting women. who had nowhere to turn – especially considering women had few options in 1791.
Cheating was explored thematically throughout the novel in both timelines. The Lost Apothecary begins with Caroline reeling from the discovery her husband was having an affair. As a result, Caroline decides to go on her 10th wedding anniversary to London alone. In 1791, Nella meets with a new client for a “solution” for her husband’s affair. However, Nella realizes too late her new client wants to murder the mistress – despite Nella being sworn to never hurt a woman. The events of their encounter forever alter their lives.
Witchcraft and Poison
A captivating part of Nella’s storyline was the introduction of Eliza, the 12-year-old maid of one of Nella’s clients. Through an unfortunate series of events, Eliza’s fate gets tied up with Nella’s as the two work to protect each other and the legacy of Nella’s life’s work as the apothecary.
A significant part of The Lost Apothecary reflects on the implications of committing murder. Even when it’s done to protect those who cannot protect themselves and have no recourse in the law, it weighs on the soul. Eliza grapples with moral judgements when she assumes her first period is punishment for her part in the murder of her master. Of course, because it’s the 18th century, no one bothered to inform Eliza about what happens to girls during puberty. 🙄
What I found intriguing about Eliza’s assumptions – her belief that her period is a result of being haunted by her master – is that they’re treated as childhood fancy by Nella. Yet, Nella spends most of her storyline certain that her illness is a manifestation of a demon that has latched on her soul as punishment for all the lives she has taken.
Therefore, despite what Nella says to Eliza, both of them are interpreting their malaise as evidence of the occult.
Unbelievable Aspects
Most of the critiques of The Lost Apothecary were how unrealistic Caroline’s historical findings were. Weirdly, I didn’t mind how fantastical Caroline’s storyline was at the beginning of the book. But, how Caroline approached her findings at the end of the novel made me a bit… resentful of how easily she was able to fit this complicated history together.
I think the book would’ve benefitted from a scene that threw into stark relief what Caroline didn’t know. Because the reader knows Nella and Eliza’s story, we subconsciously substitute what we know into Caroline’s discoveries. Therefore, I think most readers finish The Lost Apothecary thinking Caroline knows more than she does.
As an aside, I found it laughable how Caroline framed her worst deed as disrupting a historical site. I found it to be super dramatic.
Inconsistent Pacing
After getting a quarter into The Lost Apothecary I found the pacing quite frustrating. It honestly stopped me from reading the book in one sitting. Any time I would become super invested in either the 1791 storyline or the 2020 storyline the perspective would switch to the alternate timeline. As a result, I would feel compelled to skim the other perspective to get to the part that I really wanted to get to and then that perspective would be left with a cliffhanger that just messed up the whole experience.
Therefore, I would’ve appreciated it if the editor hadn’t structured the chapters with such pivotal mini cliffhangers; my enjoyability would have dramatically increased. And, to be honest, it would’ve mitigated the anxiety I felt reading a significant portion of the book. 😅
In Conclusion
Unfortunately, Caroline didn’t have a big realization that no one ever knows another completely. I think the author was trying to make that point but failed to make its gravitas known.
Caroline’s statement of the mystery surrounding these women 200 years ago, of course, infers people in the present cannot know everything about them. But Caroline’s personal experience also shows that we don’t know everything about those closest to us, for example, Caroline’s husband’s ability to keep his affair a secret.
But it goes further than that. Caroline’s storyline is also a self-exploration, a realization that she’s been existing in willful ignorance, distracting herself with these life goals – getting married, trying to have a kid – but which masked her dissatisfaction with her job and her life.
The book’s lesson then is that many people don’t even know themselves or are unwilling to confront the truth of themselves.
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[…] 📖 Weekly Wrap: May 31st to June 6th📖 Suspenseful Yet inconsistent: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner […]
Tbh, I thought it made perfect sense that the husband makes himself ill… we see how he tried to turn the blame for everything onto her. He tells her he isn’t the one that ripped up her application to Cambridge, even though he made it abundantly clear he did not approve of her plan to go.
His narcissistic streak could cause him to do something like what landed him in the hospital, although he didn’t realize he would get *that* ill.
That’s very true! I can see how his narcissism would delude him into thinking he wouldn’t actually be at risk.
My book club read it and none of them wd recommend it.
Ya, that seems to be the general consensus with this book.