Reviews - The Poison Keeper

In THE POISON KEEPER, the first in her series of three novels, author Deborah Swift artfully spins the story of Giulia Tofana, a Sicilian-born woman believed to have poisoned hundreds of people in the 17th century. And a truly fascinating historical figure.

It’s 1633, Italy is still a collection of city-states, many governed by Spain. Giulia is a teenager living with her single mother, who supports the family as a skilled herbalist-perfumer. But there’s a secret side to the business that the mother hides from her daughter. Even after the mother is arrested (early in the story) and forces Giulia to run for her life to Naples, and later Rome - Giulia remains ignorant of her mother’s secrets.

This is a period when men hold all the power. Backed by their own personal armies, men control the justice system, the guilds, the markets, and the money. Class, wealth and titles trump everything and everyone. So where does that leave women during this era? They are merely property and completely powerless.

Husbands are free to beat them, starve them, confine, even kill them and no one, including representatives of the law, will intervene. Any woman who answers violence with violence will be jailed and likely executed. If they appeal to local priests for aid, all they get are words encouraging them to pray for an end to their suffering.

The only other option they have is one of last resort. An undetectable poison to speed someone into the next world. And it’s a potion Giulia knows how to mix.

For most of this novel, I was completely transported back to Renaissance Italy, immersed in everyday life — including courting rituals, craft making, and extortion. Along with discovering the wide gap between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, and men and women. So I heartily recommend THE POISON KEEPER. And I will likely go on to read the next book in this series.

Only near the end of the novel did I wince over some of the dialog, which I found unbelievable and heavy-handed. The author apparently had a bit of soap-box messaging to pass on to the reader. In my opinion, this was completely unnecessary since the book makes all the arguments well enough on its own.

Content Warnings

rayarriz's review against another edition

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3.0

interesting

This book definitely broke my reading slump. I think it's a good story, even if a few scenes were dull. The writing was pretty okay. Overall, kept me wanting to see till the end.

100pagesaday's review against another edition

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5.0

Giulia d'Adamo wants nothing more than to learn her mother's craft as an apothecary in 1633 Palermo. However, Giulia's mother is overly cautious when it comes to training Giulia in anything more than the kitchen arts since the herbs she works with not only have the power to heal, but the power to harm. Before her mother is able to teach her anything more, Giulia's mother is accused and killed for supplying the poison to the wife of the Duke de Verdi in an attempt to kill the abusive and treacherous Duke. Giulia flees to Naples to live with her Aunt Isabetta, a courtesan. Giulia must take up the trade in order to earn her keep. However, the Duke di Verdi's brother, Domenico, runs Naples and the Camorra, a mafia to control and extort the citizens of the town and the Duke di Verdi is still looking for Giulia in connection to her mother. Giulia decides to seek retribution on her own and supplies the wife of the equally villainous Domenico with the poison necessary to kill him. Other women soon begin to come to Giulia with similar issues and word spreads of Giulia's talent. With Domenico's death, the Duke di Verdi knows who must be responsible and begins to close in on her.

Based on the life of Giulia Tofana, The Poison Keeper weaves a dangerous tale of how and why Giulia Tofana became known as the most notorious and effective poisoners of her time. At first, Giulia is difficult to like. She is defiant and does not understand the intricacies of her mother's business. However, she is forced to grow up quickly after her mother's death and must learn that society does not treat everyone fairly, especially women. With vibrant detail, the city, clothing and buildings of Renaissance Italy come alive. I loved learning about herbs and poisons and the power they hold alongside Giulia. I also enjoyed the relationships that Giulia was able to build with other women that she helped and how they eventually rallied her effectively when the Duke di Verdi had decided her fate. With family secrets, exciting friendships and a tumultuous political backdrop, The Poison Keeper is a fast-paced and exciting read. While there is much speculation about the life and death of the real Giulia, I'm glad that her story can continue after The Poison Keeper and I'm excited to see what she does next.

This story was received for free in return for an honest review.

natking's review against another edition

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Honestly, stopped caring. Not sure if I was invested in the first place.

violetsnotebook's review

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adventurous tense medium-paced

4.0

amac_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

This was an interesting historical fiction novel set in Italy during the 1700s. I enjoyed the premise and the author did an excellent job at incorporating historic details throughout the story without it slowing down. I also really enjoyed the herbal details that were included, which gave a glimpse into historical remedies. There were a few typos throughout the work, including one instance of first-person while the rest of the book was in third, but otherwise I enjoyed the work.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

bexwat's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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