320 pages
English language
Published June 19, 2021 by Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.
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.
Interesting book that illustrates the parallels of a modern day woman's choices and that of an older woman living in 18th Century London. Well written and researched, it is a mix of self-discovery and historical fiction.
This book had a decent kernel of an idea, but the modern day segments were so thoroughly terrible it ruined the rest of the book. Caroline as a character was someone that left me absolutely cold, and her inner monologue is full of her reminding herself of things she already knows, (and that we the audience have already seen) which makes scenes drag. She's a former literature major who goes on about how much she loves the classics but had never heard of Brighton, which is peculiar to say the least. Also her husband was the quickest I've ever hated a character before he even showed up on the page.
I really had no idea what to expect from this book. It was picked by one of my Cocktail Hour co-hosts as a replacement for one 2 of the 3 of us couldn't get into at all so it was happening one way or another. And since I had a few more days on my Scribd subscription, what did I have to lose?
The Lost Apothecary covers two time-frames and three points of view: two from 1791 and one modern day. I'll say right off that I started out with the ebook version and was enjoying it but ended up switching to the audio version because I had lots of time during the day because of reporting... I wish I had more eyeball time with this one because the thing that I liked the least was the narrators. You might not have a problem with that but it was irritating …
I really had no idea what to expect from this book. It was picked by one of my Cocktail Hour co-hosts as a replacement for one 2 of the 3 of us couldn't get into at all so it was happening one way or another. And since I had a few more days on my Scribd subscription, what did I have to lose?
The Lost Apothecary covers two time-frames and three points of view: two from 1791 and one modern day. I'll say right off that I started out with the ebook version and was enjoying it but ended up switching to the audio version because I had lots of time during the day because of reporting... I wish I had more eyeball time with this one because the thing that I liked the least was the narrators. You might not have a problem with that but it was irritating for me. I eventually got over it but it did take a while.
Overall, I loved the idea of the apothecary and enjoyed Caroline's research during the modern era to uncover the mystery. It was fun and I wanted her to find the truth. Nella and Eliza deserved to be remembered. The way it all worked out was satisfying for the most part. I'm not going to lie, I had a really hard time believing the reasoning behind keeping the ledger but, as my wife loves to remind me, it's pretend...
