Notes from the Shelf

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The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a 301-page historical fiction/mystery novel. The story is about a female apothecary who secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from men who have wronged them. She has two rules: 1. The poison must never be used to harm another woman and 2. The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register. The story jumps between 1791 London with the apothecary Nella and present-day London with aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell, who discovers the lost apothecary and its records.

Sometimes dual timelines can be a hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed it for this story, with Caroline piecing together the hidden apothecary’s story and Nella sharing her own story. The pacing was really good; it was a quick and interesting read. I liked Nella helping women with what they needed to get out of an abusive marriage or accidental pregnancy, although it was grim that these women felt desperate enough to kill their husbands since they weren’t allowed to divorce or leave without being destitute. I thought the book was well researched.

I didn’t find the present story to be as interesting as Nella’s first-hand account, and a few things Caroline did didn’t really make sense to me, but I enjoyed the ending very much. I give The Lost Apothecary 4 stars.

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