This novel includes the stories of two women: one in 1791 and one in present day. Nella is an Apothecary in 1791. She has become a bitter woman living in a dark, hidden home off of a back alley in London, England. She was betrayed by a man she loved and she now spends her time and energy helping other women who have been betrayed by their men by expediting their deaths using poisonous concoctions. Her physical health is suffering along with her mental health. This is a perfect example of how living in anger, bitterness and resentment can lead to a shortened physical life.
Caroline is excited to go on her 10-year anniversary trip to London with her husband, James. Shortly before their expected departure, she finds out that James has been having an affair. She is devastated and heads to London alone. Caroline & James have been trying to have a baby, and Caroline fears she may be pregnant and is obviously upset about the timing of everything. Caroline starts a journey of self-reflection in London that shows her she has been living her life for everyone else (her husband, her parents) and forgoing her own passions and interests. Before she married James, she had applied to Cambridge for school with the intent of being a historian.
These two stories connect when Caroline finds an old Apothecary bottle with the crude etching of a bear on it. The repressed historian in her decides to figure out where the bottle came from. This leads her to "the Apothecary Killer". Meanwhile, James decides to follow her to London, which she was not expecting.
Caroline goes to the British Library to do some research and finds a friend in Gaynor, a British Librarian. Gaynor helps her navigate the system to find old papers from the 1700s. Nella also finds an "assistant" in her work. She is a 12 year old named Eliza who comes to the Apothecary for a poison to kill her mistress' husband who is continuing his pattern of raping the young housemaids (such as Eliza).
Nella, Eliza and Caroline all make decisions that affect the rest of their lives. Their futures are a product of their beliefs. This is a pretty fast read and I enjoyed it for the most part. There were a couple of parts that I felt myself raising by eyebrows about (concerning Caroline & her thoughts when doing research), but all in all, I liked her journey.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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