Sarah Penner

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Named Most Anticipated of 2021 by Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, Hello! magazine, Oprah.com, Bustle, Popsugar, Betches, Sweet July, and GoodReads! March 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick “A bold, edgy, accomplished debut!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary… Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. 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. 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. Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. 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. 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.

A Novel

The 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.“

The Lost Apothecary quotes

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