The Lost Apothecary on March 2, 2021 Source: Blog Tour, Netgalley Arc
Genres: Fiction, Literary, Women, Magical Realism
Pages: 320
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Format: Ebook Arc
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Named Most Anticipated of 2021 by Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, Hello! magazine, Oprah.com, Popsugar, Betches, Sweet July, and GoodReads!
"A bold, edgy, accomplished debut!" --Kate Quinn, New York 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.
Review
An engaging historical fiction narrative told between the past 1700s and the present time. I was intrigued by both storylines. Usually, I connect more with one over the other. In the past, we have Nella, the apothecary who inherited the shop from her mother and served to help women get caught up in dangerous situations or need some good medical help. She vows to never kill or harm other women with her crafted poison, but a dangerous situation with a customer and a young child of 12 unravels all that she has strived to do.
Present-day, we have Caroline, who has come to London on her wedding anniversary trip alone after being betrayed by her husband. It all starts with an adventure in Mudlarking, which to me sounds like a lot of fun. What she discovers unravels everything in her life and helps her to rediscover what she lost over the years.
Despite the picture painted of men in this book, it is historically accurate and can ring true still today; the actions of the men in these women’s lives placed them on a path and, in the end, propelled them toward brighter futures. This one may bring out the mudlark in you.
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