The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Book Review by Kristine Madera
Sarah Penner’s debut novel The Lost Apothecary is a wonderfully original story with compelling characters and plot twists, set in two different time periods. Modern-day aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell is in London alone for her tenth wedding anniversary after finding out about her husband’s affair. She joins a group of waders searching in the muck of the Thames river and finds an unusual bottle with a small bear etched on it. The bottle once belonged to an 18th-century apothecary named Nella who dispensed poisons to help women kill scoundrel husbands or other harmful men in their lives. In the 18th-century timeline, young Eliza comes to Nella’s hidden shop to fetch a poison for her mistress to kill her lecherous, predatory husband, which kicks off a spiral of interesting events that you’ll have to read to find out.
The modern and old stories parallel nicely and are equally compelling—a hard feat to pull off, especially in a debut novel! As each story twists and turns, the net pulls tighter for all three women in a way that connects them through time.
This is smart, edgy, thought-provoking, escapist fiction at its best!
About Kristine
Kristine Madera is an Amazon #1 bestselling author who writes fiction and nonfiction shaped by travel, culture, and lived cross-cultural experience.
Inspired while volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying in Calcutta, her novel God in Drag examines what happens when spiritual faith fractures in the sacred city of Varanasi. Read the first chapter of God in Drag HERE
She birthed her upcoming novel, The Snakeman’s Wife, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Papua New Guinea.
Be on the lookout for her Etiquette Express Guides, a series of short, practical travel guides that help readers understand the customs, social expectations, and everyday dos and don’ts that make travel smoother and more connected.
Her travels have taken her across India, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Papua New Guinea as both a backpacker and Peace Corps Volunteer. A portion of her book proceeds supports cross-cultural education scholarships.