The Lost Apothecary Collector's Edition: A Novel

Gripping, historic and modern tale of an Apothecary shop! I loved the two separate tales of the past and modern merging together. Beautifully written,I was enthralled from the beginning! A wonderful tale that will stay with me forever.

This is a thoroughly gripping read that I found myself wanting to read whenever I got a spare moment. I enjoyed that each of the chapters ended on mini cliff-hangers which kept the reader wanting to continue even though on many occasions I found myself reading for far longer than initially intended, but these are the best type of books. It isn't a genre that I'd usually choose but there was something about the synopsis and the beautiful cover that drew me in and I'm so glad that it did as this is probably my favourite new-read of 2024 so far and I immediately looked up the authors other work when I had finished reading. The writing in the Victorian sections is atmospheric and you get a sense of what it must have felt like to have been in that era and there was clearly a lot of research put into the book as the tinctures all felt realistic and believable. However the present day sections lack this sense of atmosphere and realism and could have been set anywhere in the world except for there being a couple of London references thrown around. I've seen other reviewers complaining that it wasn't fast-paced enough but I don't think it needed to be, I enjoyed the slower pace of this book and I felt it added to the atmosphere within the past sections as it isn't meant to be fast-paced as the murders took place over several years. I liked that Caroline wasn't a total push-over romance storyline and I enjoyed the narrative about her finding herself after years of pushing down her interests but the sideline of her husband's infidelity added nothing to the story and simply seemed to be there to make a reason for her being in the UK in the first place. If I were to criticise the book it would be that I wished it had more focus on the characters, the method of having a present day character discovering the past was a nice one but it probably wasn't necessary as at times it was pointless reading the present day character discovering what the reader had already read during the 'past' sections. I'd have preferred instead for it to have just focused on the past and for the central characters, victims and perpetrators to have had their backstories explored as I feel this would have allowed for more depth. I enjoyed the past story more than the present and it felt like more thought had been put into the past part of the story, the present day storyline felt a little as though it had been shoe-horned in to add something a bit different to the narrative. I also felt the present day storyline had too many coincidences and despite the book being set in the UK there were a few american-ism's that clearly fell through the editing process and I found them irritating, such as when apparently British characters referred to shoes as sneakers, or when the NHS ambulance service arrived and knocked the door shouting "medics". This might be a little picky but it bothered me that Alf approached Caroline to ask if she wanted to join their group as this just wouldn't happen in London, it's a running joke that Londoners avoid eye contact with everyone let alone ask them to join in their group. There were also too many coincidences that were clearly there to move the story along, simple things such as in the present day storyline Caroline's fully charged phone is used for the torch function and drains the battery in about 20 minutes which isn't realistic or when Caroline applies one evening to Cambridge and gets accepted by the next morning, or when after meeting Gaynor literally 4 times we are expected to believe they are lifelong best-friends planning a trip to Paris. I feel that I have been quite critical in my review but I did really enjoy the book, I've been conscious to avoid giving away any spoilers and so that has meant that I haven't fully discussed the storyline and it's strengths. It's a really interesting debut novel and I look forward to reading Sarah Penner's future work, I highly recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this book, it had me hooked from the first page. The two time lines worked perfectly for me, both stories moved at a good pace. The characters Nella & Eliza will stay in my mind forever. Victorian London was described so well I felt I was watching a movie in my head! I loved the strong sense of feminism in Nella's world. My favourite quote ' You cannot be betrayed by someone you do not trust'

[Spoilers] I enjoyed this book overall, but I felt it missed the opportunity to truly develop its characters, relying instead on repetition. Eliza’s bleeding, Nella’s miscarriage, Caroline’s regret over her unfulfilled ambitions.. while these are central to who they are, the narrative often revisited them without much evolution. As a result, their arcs felt static rather than deepened. The writing itself is often rich and evocative, but at times it tipped into indulgence. Descriptions that might have built tension or atmosphere instead slowed the pace, leaving me impatient to move forward. This was especially noticeable when emotions or inner conflicts were reiterated from previous chapters. For example, Caroline’s decision to keep her discovery a secret was given such dramatic weight that it felt disproportionate, especially since, after all that build-up, she never revisits the shop. Similarly, some scenes like James’s time in the hospital, didn’t seem to add much new insight. They mostly reinforced what we already understood about Caroline’s dissatisfaction with her life, which made the pacing drag. That said, I did enjoy Eliza’s character and found her story compelling. Her death could have been more emotionally resonant if the narrative had more strongly reminded us of her vitality and potential. Instead, the impact of that moment was softened by the surrounding repetition.. particularly of Nella’s physical decline and emotional burden. Overall, I appreciated the concept and the intertwining timelines, but I wished for more progression and emotional depth rather than repetition of themes we already understood.

I found this a really riveting read and such an original idea. Usually, when there are women working with plants and herbs in historical fiction, they are creating medicinal remedies and often are accused of witchcraft. Nella was working with very powerful ingredients but with a very different aim. Her talents had fatal consequences and I was so intrigued to find out why she shifted from remedies to help women’s ailments to those with a deadly outcome. Young Eliza seemed quite wise for her years and perhaps a little blasé at what she became inveigled in but I suppose that children in those times grew up faster and took on adult responsibilities at a much younger age. In the present day, poor Caroline is hurting and angry at a betrayal and spending what should have been a tenth wedding anniversary trip to London alone. A chance discovery when mud-larking piques her interest and sets her on an investigative trail which I found really gripping. I loved the way that the past and present almost seemed to touch and that there were similarities in both. There were a few moments in the present day where I had my heart in my mouth! One thing I enjoyed, although it almost seems wrong to say this, is that Nella was determined there would be a record of the women who came to her for help. As we all know, history often erases that which relates to women and by recording the women’s names, Nella was acknowledging them and their reasons for coming to her. I couldn’t help but think that this was also potentially dangerous both for Nella and her clients, leaving a written trail of what had happened. I did enjoy the historical aspect of the story more than the modern day part but could see why the author chose to have a dual timeline. This was a great mix of history, mystery and danger. I really enjoyed finding out about the poisons and how they were prepared and used. I wondered if there really were apothecaries carrying out the same kind of work as Nella and how many people were their victims? If they all were as methodical and careful as Nella, no-one would ever suspect! This is an atmospheric and engrossing historical tale of murder, betrayal and morality with the latter also featuring in the modern day part of the book. The Lost Apothecary is a thoroughly enjoyable story bringing together the past and the present.

The Lost Apothecary really caught me by surprise. I wasn’t totally sure what I expected going in, but I ended up loving it. The multiple POVs and shifting timelines worked so well and kept me completely hooked. I didn’t know I cared about mudlarking at all… and now I think it sounds genuinely fascinating. The pace is fantastic and the whole book feels incredibly immersive, I honestly couldn’t put it down. While it’s obviously fiction, as historical fiction it feels pretty wild and painful to sit with, especially knowing how often women were forced into impossible positions like this. It’s gripping, atmospheric, and quietly devastating in places. If you like immersive historical fiction with tension, strong women, and dual timelines, this one is absolutely worth picking up

I read this for my bookclub and found it a compelling read. Written between the present day and the 1700s, this book tells the tale of a female apothecary who helps women resolve problems in their life by using natural ingredients as poisons. This is a different and unique kind of crime thriller in terms of its storyline, but is written in what is becoming the standard format for all crime novelists at the current time: switching chapters between characters written in first person. It creates a fast pace and keeps the reader reading forward as they are left on cliff hangers. This story follows an American woman who comes to London on what should have been an anniversary trip with her husband, but after discovering his infidelity she travels alone and rediscovers herself. As her life is unravelling, she unravels the story of a female apothecary back in the 1700s after discovering an object on the banks of the Thames. Having not been able to go to my hometown, London, for the last two years due to the pandemic, it was nice to revisit some of the area, which was near when I used to work, and see it in my mind's eye again. I enjoyed the character development as it flicked back and forth and eventually crossing over as each step was told in the past and discovered in the present day. I loved the idea that there could still be derelict and hidden buildings in London that contained secrets to be revealed. For a fast paced read that will pique your curiousity and keep you reading, I definitely recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and was gripped by the intriguing storyline and plot twists that kept me guessing until the end. Set in both the eighteenth-century and the present day in London, the authors descriptive narrative really brought the setting and era vividly to life. In the eighteenth-century the story follows a mysterious figure named Nella, who’s name is whispered by women across the city. Nella runs a secret apothecary shop which supplies disguised poisons to use against oppressive men. When she gives such a poison to a twelve year old, who then makes a fatal mistake the apothecary’s fate is in jeopardy. In the present day, historian Caroline Parcewell is running from her own demons and is spending her tenth wedding anniversary alone. Whilst looking into the unsolved apothecary murders that occurred in London two hundred years ago, Caroline discovers a clue. Caroline’s life then collides with Nella’s in a twist of fate, and one which not everyone will survive. This is an engaging and immersive read and I was hooked from start to finish. I did find that some of the language used, especially during the eighteenth-century, was a bit to ‘modern’, but it did not distract from the wonderfully written narrative and well defined characters. I enjoyed the dual timeline aspect to the story and thought this worked well. An enjoyable and engaging read and I look forward to reading future books by this author.

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.