The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Publication Date: March 2, 2021

The Lost Apothecary is an engrossing historical fiction novel based in eighteenth century London and modern London. Sarah Penner uses dual timelines stealthily to bring the reader two different stories about women that, the reader finds through reading, relate to each other over centuries. The writer explains that the characters are completely fictional but the subject matter on poison use and dispensing of poisons during eighteenth century London are completely true. 

The novel's present day narrator is Caroline. Caroline is stuck in a rut in her current life. She is at an unsatifying job, her marriage is falling to pieces and she is undecided as to whether she wants to make a drastic change in her career or just settle for comfort. Caroline was a histories major but gave up her dream of pursuing a masters in hopes of a happy marriage and buidling a family, with these hopes now shattered along with her happy marriage she decides to make an already scheduled trip to London for some intense soul searching. What she finds in her first few days in London completely engrosses and nurtures her wounded soul and helps her make strides into chasing after her dreams again. 

Nella and Eliza are The Lost Apothecary's eighteenth century narrators. These two build the story that keeps Caroline in research mode for days, helping her to forget her modern day troubles and remember her forgotten dreams. Nella owns the apothecary that young Eliza finds herself in trying to secure a poison for her mistress. From the moment these two meet an apprentice/master, daughter/mother type bond form. The mystery of the lives of these two keeps Caroline's mind engaged while her soul has time to heal from her modern day problems. 

I was engrossed from the first chapter of The Lost Apothecary, the mystery of what exactly was meant by the title. How could an apothecary be "lost" but still have a customer base. I came to realize towards the middle of the novel that the author wasn't necessarily meaning that the apothecary itself was lost but that the characters within had become lost along their personal lives. Nella became "lost" after the death of a loved one, Eliza became "lost" after the death of her master, and Caroline "lost" herself in her marriage. The simplicity of the characters finding themselves shows the true genius in Sarah Penner's writing. Small seemingly insignificant moments within the story were the life changing sparks that her characters needed to remember who they are and to be true to themselves. Something as small as an unidentified apothecary vial helped Caroline remember who she was and what her dreams were and to pursue them both.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harleqin Publishing for the advanced copy for an honest review. 

For Purchase: The Lost Apothecary