The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a time hopping (are you really surprised?) historical fiction which alternates between present day and the 1700s in England. When American, Caroline, and her husband, get into an argument on the eve of their planned trip to England, she decides to travel solo. Over the course of the book Caroline realizes what she is missing in her life through the mystery and adventure of learning about an apothecary who specialized in poison.
During the chapters set in the 1700s we learn about Nella, the apothecary who helps women poison men who have mistreated them in the past. All has been going well until one day a young girl, Eliza, enters her shop and both of their lives begin to change forever.
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, which is not always the case with time hopping historical fictions. Set centuries apart, both stories take place over a very short period of time - just a few days. The unraveling of the present day mystery fits really nicely with the plot taking place in the past. At times it felt like reading two separate stories taking place in the same setting, but both were necessary to understand the story as a whole. Neither story is predictable but yet they are both very easy to follow. Of course, the anthropology major in me loved that this all relies on the finding of an artifact and recreating the story of that artifact through research!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fictions with female lead characters who attempt to resist their subordinate status in a male-dominated world, as well as historical fictions about witches and/or apothecaries. Additionally, if you are a "judge a book by it's cover" kind of reader, you should definitely pick this book since the cover is stunning! I loved it and am glad I had the chance to give it a try!
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