The Lost Apothecary
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- Create Date：2021-04-15 08:31:09
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Sarah Penner
- ISBN：B08BXB3JVY
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Summary
10 hours， 18 minutes
A forgotten history。
A secret network of women。
A legacy of poison and revenge。
Welcome to The Lost Apothecary。
Hidden in the depths of 18th-century London， a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele。 Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives。 But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron， a precocious 12-year-old， makes a fatal mistake， sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries。
Meanwhile in present-day London， aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her 10th wedding anniversary alone， running from her own demons。 When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London 200 years ago， her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive。
With crackling suspense， unforgettable characters， and searing insight， The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets， vengeance， and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time。
A forgotten history。
A secret network of women。
A legacy of poison and revenge。
Welcome to The Lost Apothecary。
Hidden in the depths of 18th-century London， a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele。 Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives。 But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron， a precocious 12-year-old， makes a fatal mistake， sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries。
Meanwhile in present-day London， aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her 10th wedding anniversary alone， running from her own demons。 When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London 200 years ago， her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive。
With crackling suspense， unforgettable characters， and searing insight， The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets， vengeance， and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time。
Reviews
Ivy Thompson
，
I was attracted to this book because the premise really intrigued me， especially since it is about a segment of history I am not familiar with， that of women poisoning men。 The book is， at times， very captivating， and the story unfolds in an interesting manner。 It was a quick read， so I would recommend it if you want something that is breezy and fairly captivating。
Marla Burr
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It was good not great
Holly
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I didn’t connect with this book。 I didn’t feel that the story was that believable， and while I enjoyed somewhat the historical characters， the present day character was not my favorite nor did I really feel much from her character。 I do like the way that the story ends， but I thought overall that the development could have been better。 Maybe 3。5 stars？
Cathy Martinelli
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This was so good！ Loved it。 I listened to the audio version and the narrators were perfect。 The story really came to life。
Danielle
，
2。5 stars？
Rebecca Mckay
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It wasn’t for me。 Skimmed the last 50 or so pages just to finish。 Bored from the get go。
Jenn
，
Three and half stars I wouldHave preferred just story about the apothecary
Vaida Book lover❤️
，
，，Pirma taisyklė。 Nuodų jokiu būdu nevalia naudoti siekiant pakenkti kitai moteriai。Antra taisyklė。 Žudiko ir aukos vardai privalo būti įrašyti į vaistininko knygą。"Ir iškart supratau， kad noriu šios knygos。 Svajonių knygos， turi savo braižą， tad tokios visiškai kitokios knygos nesitikėjau。 Čia yra žiupsnelis mistikos ir magijos。 Daug atsidavimo ir netgi tikros draugystės。O kur dar pačios knygos grožis， jos apipavidalinimas。 Tai iškart priverčia pamilti knygą， dar jos nepradėjus skaityti。Joje ma ，，Pirma taisyklė。 Nuodų jokiu būdu nevalia naudoti siekiant pakenkti kitai moteriai。Antra taisyklė。 Žudiko ir aukos vardai privalo būti įrašyti į vaistininko knygą。"Ir iškart supratau， kad noriu šios knygos。 Svajonių knygos， turi savo braižą， tad tokios visiškai kitokios knygos nesitikėjau。 Čia yra žiupsnelis mistikos ir magijos。 Daug atsidavimo ir netgi tikros draugystės。O kur dar pačios knygos grožis， jos apipavidalinimas。 Tai iškart priverčia pamilti knygą， dar jos nepradėjus skaityti。Joje man patiko viskas， nes ir yra visko， meilės， keršto。。 Galėčiau vardinti ir toliau。Dabar suprantu， kodėl ši knyga susilaukė， bent jau kol kas， tiek liaupsių。Ji to tikrai verta ❤️Susiskaitė nepaprastai lengvai ir greitai。Man labai patiko。 Ypač istorinė dalis。 Tad drąsiai rekomenduoju。 Ypač norint atsikvėpti nuo sunkių skaitinių。 。。。more
Jenna Williams
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DNF
Etta
，
The Lost Apothecary is the perfect example of why duel timeline stories can be hard to love at times。 By no means was this novel bad as I greatly enjoyed it， but I found myself having higher interest in one timeline and not really caring as much about the other。 This made my overall enjoyment difficult as I found myself counting the pages to change from one to the other。 As a whole this novel was an excellent debut and an excellent read that I would recommend everyone to try。 Some readers ma The Lost Apothecary is the perfect example of why duel timeline stories can be hard to love at times。 By no means was this novel bad as I greatly enjoyed it， but I found myself having higher interest in one timeline and not really caring as much about the other。 This made my overall enjoyment difficult as I found myself counting the pages to change from one to the other。 As a whole this novel was an excellent debut and an excellent read that I would recommend everyone to try。 Some readers may love the same timeline as me and not like the other， some may be the opposite， some may love both， and the rare few may dislike it all。The novel begins in the timeline I was most excited to read about in 1791。 It opens with Nella Clavinger， a single， childless， apothecary。 She learned about being an apothecary from her mother， who passed away 20 years prior。 The goal of the shop is help women with anything they need， such as health issues。 After some tragic events in Nella’s past， she “upgraded” her shop to include poisons for women to use against the men that have done some wrong in their lives。 She was a very intriguing morally grey character as you can see why she does certain things， but also have sympathy for her。Nella’s life changes when a 12-year-old girl named Eliza Fanning enters her shop。 She is sent to retrieve a potion for her mistress Mrs。 Amwell， where Eliza gets her first experience of Nella’s shop。 Eliza returns to Nella’s shop and ends up as an apprentice， while her former now-widowed mistress partakes in travel。 Nella and Eliza form a mix of friendship and a mother-daughter-like relationship。 They work together and become closer without becoming too entangled， so it fit the narrative of the time period。 We jump forward to present day with Caroline Parcewell， an American from Cincinnati， Ohio， who is about to partake on a trip to London。 Unfortunately， the tenth anniversary trip is off to a rough start before it even begins when Caroline discovers that her husband has cheated on her。 Instead of canceling， Caroline decides to take the journey alone。 At first， it is difficult to predict how Caroline’s story will relate to Nella and Eliza， but it does reveal itself overtime。 In London， she partakes on a mud larking adventure （a pastime I have never heard of before， but now want to give it a try）。 It is here that she finds an apothecary vial that sets off her need to discover more about the mysteries of the past while dealing with the current events and what to do in the future。The story features chapters from the points of view of the three main characters， Nella， Eliza， and Caroline。 As I listened to the audiobook， I felt each of the three narrators fit their characters well and their voices were extremely unique so it was extremely easy to keep all the information in order。 An additional character that was fun was Gaynor， who works in the present day at The British Library and assists Caroline on her search for discovery。 Their friendship was interesting， but it was difficult to believe how close the two became to develop a real friendship outside of their love of history。 It was not impossible， though， as some people do become fast friends， so it did not take away from the story， but instead I just wished it was given a little more depth。I understand Caroline’s need to be included in the story as she is the one on the search for the “lost apothecary，” but I felt that her chapters could have been reduced in favor of more time to explore the “actual” historical events。 As the pages of the story are shared between multiple characters， it was difficult to become invested in Caroline’s life and her journey to deal with a cheating husband and some lost career dreams of her own。 Usually， I enjoy these types of stories， but I felt that in this story， it was expecting a lot of me as a reader when a little more than a third was dedicated to her。 Instead， I would rather have redirected some of Caroline’s chapters to Eliza as she is the one that the story in motion。 Overall， this was a very unique story that was an enjoyable experience。 It is a great read about self-discovery as each of the three characters experience growth in their own ways。 I wish there was more connecting the two stories together。 It felt that the two timelines went together only on the surface， but it was very difficult to see why Caroline would almost become obsessed with finding out the story of the apothecary。 I understand her love of history， but I felt that the trigger of her wanting to find out more about the initial vial needed more depth to fully bring the reader in to this awakening in Caroline。 I feel that if I found a vial and had an urge to find out more， there would be at least a thought process occurring， so I wish that the reader got to experience Caroline’s。 [3。75 rounded to 4] 。。。more
Dame Samara
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I am not sure why but the first time I started this book I couldn't get into it。 Event though I found the premise interesting and then I kept hearing about it on Tiktok telling me it was really that good。It was in reality as good as the people on tiktok claimed。It is the particular type of Historical Fiction that I like where we have multiple points of views， where at least one is in the past and one is in the "present"。 This story was intriguing from start to finish， and I really enjoyed the ch I am not sure why but the first time I started this book I couldn't get into it。 Event though I found the premise interesting and then I kept hearing about it on Tiktok telling me it was really that good。It was in reality as good as the people on tiktok claimed。It is the particular type of Historical Fiction that I like where we have multiple points of views， where at least one is in the past and one is in the "present"。 This story was intriguing from start to finish， and I really enjoyed the character growth overall。 。。。more
Sophia Olson
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2。5/5 I found this really dull。 The writing also didn’t work well for me。 The idea was really interesting。I， as always， also struggle with multiple timeline especially because I found the characters in this to be very one dimensional。
Cate
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This was my favorite book I read last week， it was such a fun read that had me hooked from the beginning and I devoured it in just a few hours。 Weaving past and present with some wickedness and mystery and just a smidge of magic， it was the kind of story that just sucks you in。 18th century London is the setting for the apothecary shop that caters to a very specific clientele， women who have been betrayed by men and need help from Nell in the form of her many different poisons。 When a young girl This was my favorite book I read last week， it was such a fun read that had me hooked from the beginning and I devoured it in just a few hours。 Weaving past and present with some wickedness and mystery and just a smidge of magic， it was the kind of story that just sucks you in。 18th century London is the setting for the apothecary shop that caters to a very specific clientele， women who have been betrayed by men and need help from Nell in the form of her many different poisons。 When a young girl comes suddenly to Nells shop one day she doesn’t know that it will set off a chain reaction and lead to the young girl making a fatal mistake。 Meanwhile in present day London， Caroline has taken a trip to get away from her husband for some space and while she’s there she ends up discovering in the riverbed a small blue vial with a bear etching， she’s curious to find out more and soon she’s caught up in digging up the past and finding out as much as she can about the lost apothecary， which is a welcome distraction from her life and marriage at the moment。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book， my only complaint would be that I wish it was longer so I had more to enjoy！ Definitely highly recommend this one ☺️ 。。。more
Juliana Doebler
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Really enjoyed the 2 timelines and how they intertwined， especially towards the end how each chapter led into the other。 Caroline was sometimes a little silly to me but overall really liked the book！
Jessica
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Enjoyed listening to this tale of three women！
Tami Ami
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I really enjoyed this book。 It clearly shows the progress of women’s rights and their potential over the years。 Eliza should be thought as the Caroline of two hundred years ago。 Both are somewhat educated but thrown into events they can’t explain and are clueless about the events are happening to them。 Eliza can only fall back on superstitions of ‘magic’ and ‘ghosts’ for the events that were never fully explained to her。 Caroline has the advantages of modern archives， the internet and Gaynor。 Wh I really enjoyed this book。 It clearly shows the progress of women’s rights and their potential over the years。 Eliza should be thought as the Caroline of two hundred years ago。 Both are somewhat educated but thrown into events they can’t explain and are clueless about the events are happening to them。 Eliza can only fall back on superstitions of ‘magic’ and ‘ghosts’ for the events that were never fully explained to her。 Caroline has the advantages of modern archives， the internet and Gaynor。 Where a damaged Nella had done her best to help the sacrificial Eliza， Gaynor stood up for Caroline and encouraged her to find her personal path。 “Who is Eliza Fanning？”。 Caroline is Eliza Fanning。 She did not have to jump over a bridge to solve her dilemma。 Our culture doesn’t demand that anymore。 But， they both survived the worst crisis in their lives。 Both are independent survivors。 。。。more
Jeremy Martin
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This story is about a woman who concocts poisons to for women looking to get revenge on their husbands， fathers， brothers， and all how have wronged them。 Lost Apothecary， coming in at 300 pages， is a good length for the novel， for if it had been any longer， I think I would have started to become bored。 The premise， while so badass， is diluted by a slower plot that focuses more on a few。。。less interesting characters instead of diving into the many stories a female run death apothecary could've ex This story is about a woman who concocts poisons to for women looking to get revenge on their husbands， fathers， brothers， and all how have wronged them。 Lost Apothecary， coming in at 300 pages， is a good length for the novel， for if it had been any longer， I think I would have started to become bored。 The premise， while so badass， is diluted by a slower plot that focuses more on a few。。。less interesting characters instead of diving into the many stories a female run death apothecary could've executed。 While I was still sucked into the narrative， I did find that I wanted to know more about the history and tales of the apothecary and less of the present day character， Caroline。 。。。more
Joanne
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Historical fiction alternating with modern fiction， both revolving around women whose men are unfaithful to them。 The apothecary of the title helps women poison those men; the modern woman tries to solve who the apothecary was and what happened to her。 Pretty unbelievable。
Julie Moyers Adkins
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I really liked this one。
Jarka Alam
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i’m kind of disappointed that all of my book of the month choices so far have been pretty mediocre。 This one especially I was pretty excited about and then ended up being kind of boring due to the split point of use。 I think if the story had focused only on Nella and Eliza it would’ve been a lot more captivating。 Caroline‘s story was honestly pretty dull especially when considering the concept of murder and revenge that could have fueled Nella’s story
Kathleen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Don't you hate when a book has all the potential of an enthralling novel but then falls waaayyy short？？？ That's how I'm left feeling about 'The Lost Apothecary。' Let down。 Let down for all the ways a hidden， back alley， centuries old apothecary， dispensing poisonous tinctures and potions （only to women， for use solely on men） could leave me without a single breathless moment。 Just look at all those awesome elements the author had at her fingertips ~ and yet， they did not come together for me in Don't you hate when a book has all the potential of an enthralling novel but then falls waaayyy short？？？ That's how I'm left feeling about 'The Lost Apothecary。' Let down。 Let down for all the ways a hidden， back alley， centuries old apothecary， dispensing poisonous tinctures and potions （only to women， for use solely on men） could leave me without a single breathless moment。 Just look at all those awesome elements the author had at her fingertips ~ and yet， they did not come together for me in a way that left me on the edge of my seat， gleefully satisfied and sad to find no more pages in the book。 It's a dual timeline novel， which I do typically enjoy and as usual the older timeline was far more interesting than the modern one。 It's the one that held all the fascinating pieces yet tripped me up with its incongruities。 I have more questions about the apothecary owner Nella than the book coughed up。 What the devil was wrong with her？？ She kept talking about this debilitating sickness but it was never explained？ The same sickness that turned her bones hard， gave her swollen ankles yet she leap over stone walls and outran constables？？ Switching the apothecary from above board benign potions to secretive lethal ones because one man played her？ That's taking "a woman scorned" to the extreme。 Writing down the purchaser & the intended victims names seemed more like a way to potentially incriminate women instead of help them？ I seriously doubt one of those women would have wanted to be immortalized for resorting to that particular action。 Eliza turned out to be the bright spot of the book and the older timeline。 The twist about her at the end was a positive moment。The modern timeline was completely unmemorable。 Caroline was a flat， flat character。 For all the upheaval the author imparted about her life， I felt zero investment。 The police could have locked her up to atone for Nellas sins and I wouldn't have spared her a shrugged shoulder。 That sounds harsh but she just wasn't likable。 Not all characters need to be likable but at least make me hate them or feel disgust or something about them！ She discovered 'The Lost Apothecary' but it was glossed over as quickly as her phone battery ran out。 Never to be revisited then kept secret to boot？？ wth？？I regret that the review couldn't be more positive。 The book had been much hyped。 I immediately put it on my wtr list but unfortunately when I finished， it disappointed and I couldn't be more bummed about that outcome。 2。5 Stars 。。。more
Dayanara Ryelle
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It's good， but it lacks something。。。like it should be a short story or a full-length novel， not something in the middle。 I don't mind the plot flashing back and forth between Eliza and Nella's era and Caroline's， but I really wish it was more between Nella and Eliza--a regular historical fiction novel， perhaps starting from when Nella was a young lady， following her through her mother's death， then （view spoiler）[Frederick's betrayal and on into her life as a professional poisoner。 （hide spoiler It's good， but it lacks something。。。like it should be a short story or a full-length novel， not something in the middle。 I don't mind the plot flashing back and forth between Eliza and Nella's era and Caroline's， but I really wish it was more between Nella and Eliza--a regular historical fiction novel， perhaps starting from when Nella was a young lady， following her through her mother's death， then （view spoiler）[Frederick's betrayal and on into her life as a professional poisoner。 （hide spoiler）]This book had the potential to be so much more than just a few days shoved into a couple hundred pages， and it just didn't end up that way。 。。。more
Jacque Applegate
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Loved this book with the rich history of London。 It was listed in snarky teas website as their book of the month。 I was drawn in from the beginning and felt tied to all three women。
Michele
，
The book alternates between 1791 and present day and the story is connected by two women， one the apothecary who dispensed poison so wronged women can get rid of abusive men and the historian who stumble across a vial while mudlarcking along the Thames。
Jessica Williams
，
Writing was too elementary。 The storyline had good potential， but it was pretty cheesy at times。
Jessica Foster
，
I wanted to love this book。 The synopsis sounded so amazing and I was super excited that it was a Once Upon A Book Club book because the gifts really bring a story to life。 However， I found the story to drag。 Just when I would be fully interested in a particular storyline， the author would switch gears。 I didn't like the modern day storyline at all。 I rolled my eyes multiple times at the main character and her narcissitic husband。 I also felt the ending to be a bit unbelievable。 Maybe if the boo I wanted to love this book。 The synopsis sounded so amazing and I was super excited that it was a Once Upon A Book Club book because the gifts really bring a story to life。 However， I found the story to drag。 Just when I would be fully interested in a particular storyline， the author would switch gears。 I didn't like the modern day storyline at all。 I rolled my eyes multiple times at the main character and her narcissitic husband。 I also felt the ending to be a bit unbelievable。 Maybe if the book had read more like fantasy instead of historical fiction， I could have believed it more。 It felt disingenuous to the story。 I needed more Nella and less Caroline。 The potential was there but just didn't meet my expectations。 。。。more
Shannon Horn
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way stronger start than finish。 wound up hating one of our three narrators - finished it because of the other two， but their story doesn't save hers。 way stronger start than finish。 wound up hating one of our three narrators - finished it because of the other two， but their story doesn't save hers。 。。。more
Nicole
，
I really enjoyed this book - the only thing I would change is more information at the end about the main characters！！ Maybe she left it open for a sequel？
Ashlea
，
Disappointing。 There were two concurrent stories being told here and I had a hard time rooting for any of the characters in either timeline。 The apothecary murderess had a trauma， yes， but it was a bit of a leap to take up a role as a full time killer。 The modern day character was whiny and also hard to root for。 It’s a shame because there is a lot of potential in the writing style and the cover art is stunning。 The stories though， fell flat。 Some very unrealistic events in the modern day timeli Disappointing。 There were two concurrent stories being told here and I had a hard time rooting for any of the characters in either timeline。 The apothecary murderess had a trauma， yes， but it was a bit of a leap to take up a role as a full time killer。 The modern day character was whiny and also hard to root for。 It’s a shame because there is a lot of potential in the writing style and the cover art is stunning。 The stories though， fell flat。 Some very unrealistic events in the modern day timeline that made me roll my eyes - it’s like the author didn’t think about how time and urban development actually work。 Overall， not the worst book I’ve ever read， but I wouldn’t waste your time。 。。。more
Kasey Turner
，
Received this read from @onceuponabookclubbox and had the most fun reading and opening the accompanying gifts。 This was not a book I would have picked up myself， but found it a quick， pleasant read of a woman discovering herself while discovering a forgotten bit of history。 Still， it didn't live up to its hype for me。It was a tale of secrets， unfaithfulness， and the difference between happiness and fulfillment。 "How had I only just learned that happiness and fulfillment were entirely different t Received this read from @onceuponabookclubbox and had the most fun reading and opening the accompanying gifts。 This was not a book I would have picked up myself， but found it a quick， pleasant read of a woman discovering herself while discovering a forgotten bit of history。 Still， it didn't live up to its hype for me。It was a tale of secrets， unfaithfulness， and the difference between happiness and fulfillment。 "How had I only just learned that happiness and fulfillment were entirely different things？。。。 secrets wreaked havoc on lives。" 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lost Apothecary
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lost Apothecary&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lost Apothecary&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0