Our guide includes The Lost Apothecary book club questions, designed to bring up all the aspects you loved (or hated) most about the story. The story swirls around themes of female solidarity, the consequences of revenge, and the pain of admitting what you really want. What did you think? We’ll help you suss out that very question with your book club friends.ĭespite its possible weaknesses, you’ll find many potent discussion ideas for The Lost Apothecary.

Though the book has been praised for its unique premise, some readers felt that the main characters weren’t strong enough to support the adventure story riding on them. I truly didn’t see it coming, but it made so much sense to me.If your book club enjoys getting lost in the dark alleys of history, Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary is worth a visit. And I don’t want to talk on that too much because a lot of it comes into play in the completely unexpected climax of the story. What I also really enjoyed was how Nella’s and Caroline’s stories were aligned, but in wildly different ways. And within the pages of this book, Caroline doesn’t learn the *full* story. Because when we learn history in real life, we’re never able to truly learn the full story.

Instead, she's learning some tidbits here and there that feel much more realistic. But she’s not miraculously finding all the full truth. The reader is able to learn, bit by bit, what happened in 1791, while Caroline is gradually learning the same story in 2021. What’s so incredibly wonderful about this book is that the story, though set in two different time periods, feels somehow chronological in its telling. The Lost Apothecary is written so well and seamlessly interweaves the 18th century with the 2020s. Here I am again mentioning that historical fiction isn’t my favorite, but I do enjoy it most when it’s weaved into a story set in present-day. 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. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate-and not everyone will survive. Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries. 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. Synopsis:Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele.

The lost apothecary book review