First, there was trust. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. In her shop, Nella takes two large eggs that have been infused with rat poison to give to Eliza and two normal, slightly smaller eggs. June 2, 2021 1:45pm. Women across the city Then, there was betrayal. I read a lot of books. Fox Broadcasting Company is developing a television adaptation of the novel. Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2021). However, she returns to find Eliza in the process of mixing something up. Johanna went into labor, but both she and the baby died. Finally, Caroline notices that the report of someone jumping off the bridge was dated February 11, 1791, but the final entry is dated February 12, 1791. At the hospital, two officers await Caroline for questioning. After calling an ambulance, Caroline finds out from James that, instead of applying it topically, he ingested the eucalyptus oil that she gave him, which is toxic. 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. You cannot have one without the other. Eliza was asked by her mistress, Mrs. Amwell, to fetch a poison to kill her husband, Mr. Amwell (it's implied he is a child molester who has set his sights on Eliza). With an address, Gaynor (who works in the maps division) is able to pull up an old map which shows a tiny side street jutting off of Bear Alley (where the service door is now). Nella goes free, but she feels herself on the brink of death as her physical ailments worsen. I could not put this book down because I had to know how this story ended. and right now, im imagining the atmosphere of 1790s london. Nella goes into the city, and she retches when she sees a news item about the search for Lord Clarences murder. Nella admits it started with a betrayal by a former lover, Frederick. A secret network of women. She has recently learned of her husband Jamess infidelity and decided to go on the trip without him to reassess her marriage. BookBrowse LLC 1997-2023. In 1791, Nella runs a secret apothecary Caroline tosses the vial back into the waters of the Thames, and she looks back up to see that the two women are nowhere to be seen. This review is available to non-members for a limited time. When Eliza fails to garner Nellas help this way, she asks to remain in the shop as an apprentice so that she will not have to return to the haunted Amwell estate. This concept needs to be confiscated from Sarah Penner immediately and given to literally any other writer. Nella brings the woman her powder. In The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, Caroline Parcewell embarks on an anniversary trip to London without her unfaithful husband. Nella insists that its important to preserve the existence of these women through her logbook. There is a woman who regularly visits her with requests for poison to kill certain people. We only robbed them of the truthand the chance to grow numb to it before it arrived with a hard knock on the door.. Eliza returns to Nellas shop hoping that Nella can provide her something to expel Mr. Amwells spirit. For a non-spoiler version of the plot synopsis, see The Bibliofile's review of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Retrieved 21 December 2021. Through the news article, Nella learns that Lady Clarences maid had given the police a wax impression of Nellas engraved jar. The drama in the story is heightened too artificially. Since learning about her, Eliza has imagined that she can hear Johannas ghost in the house. This was about more than the burden of the apothecary. The maid had been told the poison was sweetener, but clearly figured out the truth, and she told the police about Lady Clarences involvement. Eliza and Nella finally hide in a carriage house, with the constables still hot on their trails. Penners novel debuted at #7 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Penner, though a corporate associate until the release of this book, belongs to both the Historical Novel Society and the Womens Fiction Writers Association. WebThe Lost Apothecary is very much a story about women controlling their own destinies. Caroline offers him eucalyptus oil to put on his throat. Back in 1791, a 12-year-old servant girl, Eliza Fanning visits Nella's shop. Lady Clarence says the police have heard word of other killings associated with these bear-etched vials. Even though the revealing the truth of what happened with these apothecary murders so many years ago would be a great academic find, the book ends with Caroline tossing the vial she found back into the water so she can protect Eliza's secret about what really happened. Instead, Eliza offers to help out at the shop. Eliza then realizes that Nella intends to jump from Blackfriars Bridge into the water. Sounds like I am heartless, that may be, but it is the superficial way in which they are depicted that did not evoke emotions in me. The pamphlet also has an address printed on it of a bookstore that sells books on magick. In 1791, Lady Clarence reports that things have gone wrong, Lord Clarence is dead and that the authorities may be searching for Nella's shop. Four months ago, James was finally ready to start trying for a baby. Her request was simple and straightforward. Eliza plans on cooking the smaller eggs for her mistress and the larger, poisonous ones for the husband. She goes on a mudlarking (looking for old objects in the mud) tour of the Thames and discovers a light blue vial etched with a bear (the insignia of Nella's apothecary shop). When Nella refuses to knowingly poison another woman, Lady Clarence threatens to report Nella to the authorities. In present day, Caroline is a woman who has been betrayed by her husband. At the Amwell estate, Nella starts feeling unwell. He had not only turned out to be married, but when Nella had told him she was pregnant, he'd secretly given Nella an herb to cause a miscarriage. Hearing this, Nella refuses to sell the woman the powder. And worst of all, I'd been too scared to even try., History doesnt record the intricacies of womens relationships with one another; theyre not to be uncovered., Why did we suffer to keep secrets? Nella heads toward the bridge to jump off, but Eliza drinks her tincture and then jumps instead, sacrificing herself. But Caroline, 34, arrives sad and alone in London for a ten-day trip theyd originally planned together. For years, the creators stayed silentrefusing to over-explain the ending. That morning, Eliza goes to serve the poisoned eggs and Mr. Amwell briefly runs his hand up her leg as she does. You cannot be betrayed by someone you do not trust., It's okay to change," I interrupted, "but it's not okay to hide, to bury parts of ourselves., To me, the allure of history lay in the minutiae of life long ago, the untold secrets of ordinary people., Healing by way of vengeance no such thing existed; it never had. While one can mudlark anywhere in the world given the right conditions, the term originally described picking up items of value along the muddy banks of the River Thames in London, where Penner's novel takes place, and still has strong ties to the area. She resolves to leave her logbook, even knowing that it would be wiser to destroy it. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. The Lost Apothecary has a lot of strengths, but it still felt to me like a debut novel. Join BookBrowse today to start discovering exceptional books! She sees a spell entitled Tincture to Reverse Bad Fortune. I enjoyed the past timeline and characters/story more than the present. This revelation of closure for Nella and Eliza aligns with the emotional resolution experienced by Caroline, and she throws Elizas vial back into the Thames, wanting to keep the details of these womens stories to herself just a while longer. In present day, Caroline thinks about how shed discovered Jamess infidelity due to a text message notifications that popped up on his cell phone, followed by a suggestive picture, from someone saved on his phone as B. I really wanted more stories about the women who visited the apothecary and for it to expand He is recovered now and inadvertently reveals that he poisoned himself on purpose to force Caroline into a reconciliation. Still, she finds herself driven by curiosity over the possible existence of a Killer Apothecary once upon a time. Craw says that they can tell papers that they chased someone and that they jumped to their death. I realized my grief was richer and more nuanced than what lay on the surface. Its 1791 and Nella is a womans apothecary, providing formulas for all sorts of womens problems, especially problem men. At the beginning of Carolines story, she finds the apothecary vial while on a mudlarking tour. Before Caroline can read the second bulletin, James calls, saying needs to get to the hospital. Yes? Temenos sighs and sits up. Claude lay on the ground, broken, both arms and one leg immobilized. She finds herself in a cellar. However, in the process the police show Gaynor the notes Caroline took, and Caroline knows she owes Gaynor an explanation for not disclosing that shed broke into the apothecarys office. Caroline is released from custody and goes to visit James in his room. See the archives. Had you heard of mudlarking prior to reading this book? In Sarah Penner's The Lost Apothecary, a historical mystery is set in motion when a character discovers a small blue vial while mudlarking. Hidden in the depths of the city, lies an apothecary that caters to womens maladies including devious husbands. When the customer arrives for her poison that inspires lust, Nella is surprised to find a very well-dressed 30-ish-year-old woman there, Lady Clarence of Carter Lane. The beginning entries of the logbook were written by Nellas mother, who Nella presumably inherited the trade from. Read-Alikes | You cannot have one without the other. 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. Then, there was betrayal. While James had been climbing the corporate ladder with the goal to become a partner in his firm, Caroline's happiness had played second fiddle. Soon, word got around somehow and Nella started getting requests from others. After a long and hard-fought battle, Thron Anguis had defeated the leader of the blacksnakes. I wanted to get to know Nella and Eliza character a lot more. Afterwards, as they rest, Eliza asks Nella about why she started dispensing poisons. I also did not pick this book up because it says it is Historical Fantasy, and I do not really do Fantasy. The bulletins that Gaynor found are from a periodical that was published in the late 1700s called The Thursday Bulletin. Ms. Gaynor is also unable to tell her more about the vial, and Caroline leaves disappointed. Refresh and try again. Web8 Reasons The Lost Apothecary Disappointed. (Meanwhile, Rose , Carolines best friend, has recently had a newborn, Ansley. WebThe premise of this book sounded so good but I found it to be pretty disappointing. 12 Feb 1791.), partially because she wants a record of Elizas existence somewhere. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon! Some I love. Meanwhile, Gaynor calls and they agree to meet up near the hotel with updates. Before they can separate, they are pursued by constables onto Blackfriars Bridge. With both of them standing there on the bridge, Nella watches as Eliza drinks her vial of the tincture (the light blue one) and jumps into the water. Hed helped her get the stores finances in order, and theyd fallen in love. The women helping women story for that time period was cool. While there, she sees Eliza in a window and believes her to be an apparition just before she loses consciousness. It's about a secret apothecary that dispenses poison to women so that they can kill their nearest and dearest, for crying out loud! For full access, Nella tells Eliza she needs to return to the Amwell house immediately. She also takes the opportunity to research Eliza Fanning. Eliza soon returns to Nella's stop, expressing an interest in Nella's trade. I did not find anything unique about the historical background, it well could be one hundred years earlier or later. She is invited to mudlark, or scrounge in the River Thames for artifacts, by an older British gentleman named Bachelor Alf. Buy This Book. This book jumps from the 1700's told by Nella and Eliza point of view and current day in the point of view of Caroline. Caroline, though vexed, plans to have the talk, but she intends to visit Bear Alley before James appears. She soon finds a small blue vial engraved with only the craggy image of a bear on all fours. She says its all gone wrong, and she ended up killing her husband instead of the mistress. 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 fateand not everyone will survive. ^ "Historical Fiction: A story that centers around women that immerses you in 1970s London. Eliza later recounted to Mrs. Amwell how he had talked with her and put his hand on her stomach, but then hed had been called urgently out of the room. Caroline is curious about the provenance of the bottle, and Alf suggests going to a glassmaker or the British Library. There are additional recipes at the back of The Lost Apothecary. Nella reluctantly fulfills the order with Eliza's assistance. I lifted the blush-colored paper, illuminated by the dying flame of a single rush wick candle. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is set in two different timelines that are crossing their paths, Eighteenth Century and the present day. NYT Bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary (Park Row Books/HarperCollins), to be translated into 40 languages worldwide. Lady Clarence claims it is a lie, so the police are now looking for the dispensary of the poison to clear up their stories. WebThe Lost Apothecary Quotes Showing 1-30 of 79 First, there was trust. Have you ever stumbled on something that you consider to Find books by time period, setting & theme, Read-alike suggestions by book and author. Genres & Themes | She is convinced it will save her. Chapter 8: Caroline (Present Day, Monday June 2). She also surmises that the light blue vial she found is likely the one that Eliza drank from before jumping into the river. In the morning Nella meets Eliza Fanning, who purchases two raw eggs, spiked with nux vomica, on behalf of her mistress; Mrs. Amwell plans to murder her husband for incapacitating Eliza with liquor and attempted to rape her. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner About the Book Hidden in the depths of 18th-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of Chapter 34: Caroline (Present Day, Wednesday June 4). I found the information on poisons fascinating (Catherine S)continued. The Lost Apothecary is a dual timeline story set in both the 1700s and present day London. The premise of this book sounded so good but I found it to be pretty disappointing. They hadnt had much luck in those months. An Apothecary shop that caters to your every needwhether it be helping with an ailment or kill your husband? Nellas latest client is the very wealthy Lady Beatrice Clarence of Carter Lane, immediately characterized as arrogant and entitled. Nellas father had been a boatman passing by who shed never known, so Nella was completely alone and worried about how to keep the store afloat. She returns to the shop to mix the tincture, but Nella also sees that theres a letter there for her. Eliza awakes with a stomachache and anxiety over what is to be done that day. The writing was not great, the characters didnt seem fully developed, the ending seemed like a last minute thoughtless WebThe Lost Apothecary reminds me of my favorite kind of stories involving women and girls, the ones where an author or artist embarks on an archeological dig through history in order to unbury alternative storylines. When James stabilizes, he reassures the officers that the whole thing was an accident. She finds Nellas shop and takes photos of it, particularly the late apothecarys register. 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