Sarah Penner

A Novel

Lost Apothecary

Booklyn Betty | Amanda Strombeck

joy-lynn

For many of these women," Nella whispered, "this may be the only place their names are recorded. The only place they wil be remembered. It is a promise I made to my mother, to preserve the existence of these women whose names would otherwise be erased from history. The world is not kind to us... There are few places for a woman to leave an indelible mark." I finished tracing an entry, moving on to the next one. But this register preserves them – their names, their memories, their worth." 

Besides, just because my mother did not use poisons against anyone does not mean she did not know how." She nestled farther into the hay bale. I suppose this made her even more admirable. Like a dog with a mouthful of sharp teeth who never once attacks, my mother's knowledge was a weapon she never once used.

Leslie

"happiness is not the same as fulfillment.

take a shot every time i read a book about women killing men/hating their husband/finding their purpose in live and learning to love being alone

laine

No doubt James would have resisted the spontaneous adventure, but he wasn’t here to hold me back.

Alone, I could do whatever I damn well pleased.

i teared up a little not gonna lie. the concept of reading and writing and creativity being seen as a little bit of magic is so important to me :( 

She then pointed at several of the shorter words—

—and explained how each letter made its own sound, and how words strung together on paper could convey and idea, a story.

, I thought. It was everywhere, if only one knew where to look.

And though I could not relate to this woman’s place in society—for there were no gatehouses or footmen to be seen in Back Alley—I knew firsthand her inner turmoil. Heartache is shared by all, and favors no rank.

She patted the hay beside her. “I know what it is to watch my child fall from my body at the hands of a man. And while my story is terrible, every woman has faced a man’s wickedness to some degree. Even you.” She placed a hand on the floor, steadying herself as she began to tilt to one side. “I am an apothecary, and it is my duty to dispense remedies to women. And so over the years, they have come to me, and I have sold them what they wish. I have protected their secrets. I have borne the brunt of their burdens. Perhaps if I had bled again after the loss, if my womb were not scarred, I would have stopped long ago. But the absence of bleeding has been a constant reminder of Frederick’s betrayal, and what he took from me.“

Lost Apothecary quotes

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