I recently finished reading The Lost Apothecary, the debut novel from Sarah Penner. It was recommended by NPR and many others. I found it disappointing.
It’s basically the story of Caroline Parcewell who spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone on vacation in London. She is alone because she thinks her husband has been unfaithful. She discovers an old medicine vial and, with a bit of sleuthing, traces it to an unknown apothecary shop from 18th century London.
Penner interweaves Caroline’s story with that of the Nella Clavenger who was the apothecary and a special sort of apothecary; she sold poisons to women who wanted to poison their husbands, lovers, fathers, and other oppressive men. Visiting Nella is Eliza Fanning, a 12-year old lady’s maid who visits to acquire a potion on behalf of her mistress. Eliza is not unaware of what she is buying and, with some trepidation, does a good job of eliminating her mistress’s husband.
The book goes back and forth between the two centuries and some of it is interesting. The ending is, to me, a bit contrived and, of course, Caroline eventually finds her ‘true self’. It is presented as a mystery, but I didn’t seen any mystery in it.
It’s an easy read but, to me, it lacks depth. The characters seem to be caricatures and everything is wrapped up a bit too neatly. Read it if you like – it apparently is popular. I’m on to something else.
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