Title: The Lost Apothecary
Author: Sarah Penner
Genre: Historical fiction, historical mystery, fiction
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Format: Audiobook 
Length: 10 hours

Read if you like: a London setting, rotating perspectives between history and present day, female agency, betrayal, characters in self-discovery, women supporting women

Rating: 

As you’ll know if you’ve been here awhile, I rarely read historical fiction, but I needed a book for a very long drive and this one was readily available at my library. I’m so glad that I picked it up because I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The Lost Apothecary has such an interesting premise, focused on the struggles of female agency both historically and in the present day. Where characters Nella and Eliza represented the lack of agency afforded due to the time and relationship with men, Caroline demonstrated the societal pressures that persist today. I loved that the plot rotated back and forth between these eras, and I did not see some of the plot twists coming. 

This was such a wonderful surprise of a book. If you’re not someone who reads a lot of historical fiction but feels like dipping a toe in, I feel like this book is a great option because of the weaving in of the present-day storyline. The audiobook was also a superb format with a multiple-narrator cast, which kept me so entertained that I burned through the full book in a day. I’d recommend picking this up if you’re looking for something historically relevant with a mysterious twist to it.

The Book: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary follows several characters through time. First, it follows Nella, an apothecary owner in the late 1800s who specializes in poisons designed for women to use on the men in their lives. In a time where women had so little agency over their own lives, and so little ability to influence or impact the men around them, Nella provides a desperate solution to desperate patrons. She’s not necessarily proud of the work she’s done, but she believes in providing women with the ability to take control of their lives. She diligently records each woman she works with, knowing that her records may be the only place that these women are ever remembered. 

The other 1800s perspective is that of Eliza, a twelve-year-old girl who seeks out one of Nella’s poisons for her mistress. While Eliza is young, she’s observant and sharp as well, and she takes a liking to Nella and her plight. She quickly becomes more mixed up with Nella and the apothecary than Nella wishes and soon their futures are forever intertwined. 

The final perspective is of Caroline, a present-day woman on her anniversary trip to London alone after finding out her husband has been unfaithful. In Caroline’s youth, she loved history and pursued a history degree, but upon being proposed to by her now-husband, she put most of her dreams on hold in favour of dutifully committing to being a wife and, hopefully in the future, a mother. However, her husband’s infidelity has rattled her to her core and made her question when the last time was that she made a decision that was truly for herself. 

The two eras intertwine as Caroline finds a small vial that she will come to find is related to the lost apothecary. As Caroline works to uncover the mysteries of the apothecary in the present day, Nella and Eliza demonstrate what ultimately leads to its demise, with the three stories merging under themes of betrayal and desperate hopes for a better life. 

The Review

What a lovely, quick read. I loved the premise of an apothecary that catered to desperate women from the start, it was such a bold approach to an issue that is well-known and documented, namely the oppression of women. Nella is equal parts bitter and sorry at any given time, and while she may regret the path that she’s gone down, she never really seems to regret the way she’s been able to empower the women she works with. 

I also loved the way that the past intertwined with the present. I’m not sure that I could have read an entire book that was strictly about the apothecary shop, it was almost unrelentingly dark and depressing, but when weaved with Caroline’s story, it brought a nice contrast. Caroline’s story is depressing at times, but the modern setting makes it feel less bleak and dismal.

The audiobook format for this book was also superb and I appreciated the multi-cast narrators. I had a lot of time to listen with no distractions, and it kept me fully hooked from start to finish. 

I was a bit worried I wouldn’t love this book because I hate a cheating trope, but in the end, I felt like The Lost Apothecary was so entertaining and well-executed that I was hooked. I’ll be checking out other books by this author because while this book wasn’t originally on my TBR, I now feel like it should have been.