The Lost Apothecary by Sarah PennerAs I closed the book after reading it, the book left me with a lonely feeling. The world presented in the book was so immersive and intriguing that it had such an effect on me. I did not want to leave this world once dived into it.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a bestselling historical fiction novel based in the setting of London. It is a story of 3 women, and countless other women who desired to take control of their lives.
The novel presents the story of three protagonist women character named Nella, Eliza and Caroline. While Nella is a 17th century apothecary, Caroline is a present-day aspiring historical researcher.
Nella has a shop in which she secretly sells poisons to the women who want to get rid of the men who have betrayed or wronged them. She works hard to brew every poison working day and night in the disguised corner of her shop. She has only two rules – that her poisons will never be used against any woman, and second, the names of all her women customers will be recorded in her apothecary register.
One day Nella has a customer, who she expects to be a woman, but who turns out to be 12-year old girl named Eliza. Eliza works as a maid in the house of a woman who wants to get rid of her husband, and who has sent Eliza to get some poison for her purpose. Over time, Nella, a forty-year old woman and Eliza began to form a close bond of friendship. Nella shares some of her buried secrets with her.
Whereas in the present day, Caroline, a middle-aged woman is experiencing betrayal and infidelity from her husband James. She sets out on a solo trip to London to process her emotions and have some alone time. There, while on a mudlarking tour near a river, she discovers a blue-colored vial with an etching of bear. Upon researching in the library and on the internet, she comes across the story of Nella and Eliza, only discovering much more than what the world knows about them.
The novel beautifully blends the flavours of a contemporary fictional world and intriguing historical ingredients with a tinge of mystery concocted into it. The Lost Apothecary is a captivating read both for a reader’s mind and for a writer’s mind. The language is simple yet weaving an engrossing world of storytelling. So, if you are a fiction lover, do add this book to your reading list. It’s absolutely worth it, and therefore, a bestselling hit!
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