Read time: 2 minutes
📖 Genre: Historical Fiction
🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrators: Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, Lauren Irwin
⏱️ Length: 10 hours
📚 Reading Context: Part of my Goodreads Reading Challenge
Book Blurb:
Hidden in the shadows of 1791 London, a secret apothecary offers hope to women desperate to free themselves from the men who have wronged them. Nella, once a respected healer, now dispenses deadly poisons to her discreet clientele—never to be used against women. When twelve-year-old Eliza enters Nella’s world, an unexpected friendship ignites events with devastating consequences. Two centuries later, Caroline stumbles upon a mysterious vial in the Thames, sending her on a quest that entangles her fate with Nella and Eliza’s, as histories and secrets collide.
Let’s talk about the book:
Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary opens with an irresistible premise: women, secret poisons, and lives linked across two centuries. The atmospheric setting is strong, and the rules of the apothecary lands weight and intrigue to Nella’s morally grey craft. However, for all its promise, I struggled to connect deeply with the story. I’d picked up the book multiple times, failed to finish twice, and only persisted on my third attempt. While the plot suggests high stakes and emotional intensity, I found the execution uneven, with pacing and character depth sometimes sacrificed for the shifting timelines.
Nella stood out most, but her potential, like much in this novel, felt partially realized. Eliza, so compelling at her introduction, faded instead of growing. Caroline, meant to bridge past and present, felt underwritten, leaving her modern struggles strangely muted. There are moments of tension and revelation, but too many narrative threads left little room for these women to achieve the fullness they deserved. Overall, it’s atmospheric, unique, readable, but ultimately unsatisfying, not just with characters, but the wrap-up as well.
Would I recommend it?
If you’re in the mood for dark historical fiction with clever, atmospheric details and women supporting women, this may appeal to you. But if character development and narrative closure are critical for your enjoyment, you may walk away wanting more.
What did you think?
Have you read The Lost Apothecary? Did the characters or the dual timeline work for you? Or did you want more from the ending too? Let’s talk more in the comments below.
Book Links:
Amazon CA
Goodreads
Follow Sarah Penner on her author page
Discover more from Views She Writes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
