The Lost Apothecary Collector's Edition: A Novel – A NYT Bestseller Historical Fantasy of Dark Secrets

Sarah Penner is a great writer. I had been postponing reading this book because I wanted to enjoy the different romance and contemporary romance novels I had stocked up on, but I eventually decided to dive in. I started reading it in bits and pieces, but yesterday I went on a deep dive—and honestly, this book is such an amazing read. Beyond the obvious themes of loss, betrayal, and trust, this is also a book about friendship. It's about meeting new people and finding oneself, which brings me to the structure and genre itself. This is more than historical fiction—it's a novel of education, a *bildungsroman*. This book is absolutely well-written, and the writer's mind is fertile ground for historical complexities and nuances. As a researcher, I connected deeply with this story. My dissertation focused on finding bits and pieces about the life and works of Reverend J.J. Ransome-Kuti, and I was fascinated by how many parallels I found with my own research journey. Even now, I'm reflecting on what I might have missed. I learned so much from the main character in the present timeline about tracing the past and how our biases can affect how we read history. The dual timeline narrative really helps us see the past—to see history as something alive rather than something stuck in the past. We simply didn't live in those times, but history continues to breathe and influence us. The ending (no spoilers!) shows what one character thinks is like an ending, but I believe it's quite symbolic of how the past continues into the present. The past never dies; it lives on. What one person throws away will be discovered by someone else who will then begin their own research. This book has spoken to me on so many levels and is truly inspiring me not to give up on my research—to be passionate about what I'm doing because my work is important. I'm really grateful for this book.

I read this book at the recommendation of a friend. I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to discussing it with that friend soon. I liked best two unique aspects of the novel. First, I liked its work to unravel the stories of women in the past. Working family history through genealogical document, I gained an appreciation of how fewer details are recorded for females than males. Historical documents may record a woman only by her married name, or even only by her husband's name. Women in the past often didn't receive automatic guardianship of inherited money or estates; unraveling the mysteries of the stories of these women must start with examining the records of their male relatives who oversaw their finances. The second aspect I liked best about the novel was its focus on the strength of friendship to support women through exceptional life challenges when other forms of support, e.g. from parents or spouses, are insufficient. In this, it reminded me of two films, "4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days" and "Portrait of a Lady on Fire." I felt the book and these films took a focus that avoids discussion of moral controversies to focus on building understanding of human reactions, different perspectives and motives. Another interesting side of the book was a youthful, innocent viewpoint. This made the reading easier. One thing that made it harder for me was the relative abundance of unsympathetic male characters. I'd recommend the book to friends looking for books unravelling the mysteries of women's historical stories and friendships.

This book has haunted me for several months since I read it. I wish, I had the opportunity to review this sooner, as it is truly a keeper. The book opens with events happening approximately 100+ years apart in the lives of 2 women.. While the writing style alone is worth the read, the steady build-up of mystery & suspence kept me reading all night. Yet, it was the common denominator between the two protagonists that has stayed with me all these months. How do women build an identity separate from a man? Penner reaches back in time to draw on lessons of the past to help solve the problems of the present. Along the way, she creates a cast of almost entirely women whose voices haunt with the pain of their stories. Through their encounters with the Apothecary, they paint a picture of how women have long supported each other in discreet ways through some of the most painful events in life. As a reader, I found it became harder & harder to judge any of the women harshly when the reasons for their actions are made clear. I kept thinking of our current plight in the US since Roe v. Wade fell. How once again, women will band together to protect and empower other women, despite the overwhelming odds & judgements placed on us by a religious, male-dominated culture. The book was obviously well-researched. The dialogue is spot on. The reader can marvel at the ingenuity & resourcefulness of women in the 1800s and how we continue to rise above adversity in the present. This is a book worth buying in hard copy & adding to your library. Women everywhere should read it. In placing the actions of Nella in the past and linking her to Caroline's problems in the present; we are able to give some emotional distance to what are very painful events. A painful, yet beautiful story. A story of women helping women, even across centuries. This has been my favorite read so far this year. It reminded me to appreciate all the women in my life who have befriended, taught & helped me & how much we can accomplish when we work together. I look forward to more books from Penner~

It was a great summer read!! Interesting story that jumped in time from present day back to the past. Interesting characters and circumstances with a few twists!!

The topic was fascinating and the intertwined stories are brilliant, easy read and page turner that makes a lovely beach read

Uygun

This is more than just mystery and history, it is well written with much to keep you going to the end and wishing for more. Sarah Penner has a deft hand at guiding the reader through London, down onto the Thames embankments learning of the Mudlarks and from there into the twisting turning lanes of the old city in the late 1700s. There are two stories and they link in beautifully, never confusing, as the characters cope with their own problems. On the one hand the apothecary helping women with her herbs and tinctures hidden well away from the city around her where no man would find her nor even dream she existed. On the other hand there is Caroline, escaping from the distaster her husband has visited on their marriage by his affair Caroline discovered just days before they were supposed to take the trip from Ohio to London to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Instead she comes alone, upset and deeply angry by his conduct. In London and alone for the first time in her life, as she explores the small vial she discovered she finds that her life was not what she really wanted and so this trip is the beginning of how things might be in the future. Both women have learned from hard experience that men are not always as they thought them to be, and each in her own way discovers that life alone can be rewarding. There is no let up from intrigue, interest, and many a deep and meaningful awareness shared only by the women though separated by over two hundred years. It seems nothing changes and it is through her search for the apothecary that Caroline finds her own way through the life she has led for the past ten years. I was gripped by the book and found it hard to put down. The characters are very real as is the area of London both women found themselves living in. It was hard to finish and I tried my best to delay the ending but - as all good things do, it came to an end and I was immediately looking for more books by Sarah Penning. So far, this is it, and I now wait to see if there are going to be more, for she is surely an imaginative writer with a sense of true tension in her story. If you love a bit of mysterious history and enjoy finding how women, long kept under by men, have had their own ways of dealing with life under their thumbs, then this is for you.