At the end of last week I was able to pickup two books I had on hold at the library. The timing was perfect because I had just finished The Four Winds. And I was excited to get these books, since they were two I expected to be waiting on for a while!
This week I am reading The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.
A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman. Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive . (Description from Goodreads.com)
This is the debut novel by Ms Penner.
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, and so far this novel is no exception. I usually know I've picked a winner when I find myself wanting to learn more about the historical period, events, or people referenced in the story. I'm only about a third of the way into The Lost Apothecary, and I've already googled about a dozen things I wanted to know more about! That's a good sign.
The story switches back and forth between 1790s London to the current day. I know some people don't care for multiple points of view, but in most cases it doesn't bother me. Especially since the narratives are divided by chapter.
What are you reading this week?
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