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redthistle's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I thought the premise of this book was amazing and it sounded like something I would love.
The execution, unfortunately for me was severely lacking and I had to force myself to finish this one. I am pretty picky about books in first person and this book had some serious issues in my opinion. There was not much difference in the writing between the three different characters narration. I also found Caroline's chapters extremely frustrating as she restated the same things over and over and over.
I get you wanted a child, I get your husband cheated, I get that you feel like dislike your choices in life and wish you made different ones you really don't have to keep repeating yourself in a 300 page, book I'm not about to forget these points.
In general, as well I kept finding myself rolling my eyes at things the characters would say or think, especially the characters in the 1700s and I felt like the book overall, for one about a history and a budding historian was lacking in research.In the end when she chucked the MAIN item which spurred her entire idea for her project for her thesis into the river I wanted to scream. No historian would do that, especially one hoping to go to a prestigious college to earn a masters in english studies. To be honest that final plot point was what made me rate this book 2 stars. I should have DNFed.
The execution, unfortunately for me was severely lacking and I had to force myself to finish this one. I am pretty picky about books in first person and this book had some serious issues in my opinion. There was not much difference in the writing between the three different characters narration. I also found Caroline's chapters extremely frustrating as she restated the same things over and over and over.
I get
In general, as well I kept finding myself rolling my eyes at things the characters would say or think, especially the characters in the 1700s and I felt like the book overall, for one about a history and a budding historian was lacking in research.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
catapocalypse's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I was excited when this came up as a Book of the Month pick, because the premise itself had so much promise: Nella, an apothecary in London in the late 18th century, secretly deals out poisons to help women dispose of the men who have harmed them. Eliza, a 12-year-old servant girl, is sent to procure one to use against her mistress' husband. Meanwhile, there's a modern-day storyline that follows Caroline, an American woman whose 10th wedding anniversary trip to London becomes a solo trip after discovering her husband had an affair with a coworker. Caroline happens upon a vial from Nella's shop, that revives her old love of historical study as she searches for info on its origin.
All of this should have been cool as heck! Unfortunately, the execution wasn't quite there. I felt the pacing was okay, starting at a medium pace and hitting some fast points in the latter half. The narrative was more on the plot-driven side, but it did try to give the characters decent treatment. They still fell pretty flat for me. Part of it may have been an over-analytical treatment of their feelings, especially for Caroline, which left little room for any sensual or visceral experience of their perspectives, despite the first-person POVs.
For Caroline in particular, the issue may have been that her character was entirely this premise of having put aside academic fulfillment for a man that ultimately betrayed her trust, and not much else. I love history, I was a Classical Studies BA, and I still felt little connection to Caroline in general. I couldn't help but compare her brief moments of research to the experience that was Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian (a deeply unfair comparison, I know, since this novel was not at all trying to be on that level). The latter evoked a deep nostalgia for academic research for me, but I felt absolutely nothing with The Lost Apothecary. She also had this peculiar idea that history about everyday folks was somehow excluded from academic historical study, which was baffling. Even Classical Studies programs contain plenty of course options on more than just leaders and high politics.
Another frustration with Caroline's story was how, despite the super analytical treatment of her experiences, she still came out with weird ideas, like attempting a comparison between little white lies she told about things and her husband having a secret affair. Also, I won't spoil with details, but some of his behavior was straight up abusive, and I felt like she let him off too easy on that.
On the whole, the story would have been perfectly fine, possibly even stronger if it had only focused on the 18th century storyline. I found Nella and Eliza more compelling. They still could have benefited from further polishing and effort, but had a stronger foundation of substance.
All of this should have been cool as heck! Unfortunately, the execution wasn't quite there. I felt the pacing was okay, starting at a medium pace and hitting some fast points in the latter half. The narrative was more on the plot-driven side, but it did try to give the characters decent treatment. They still fell pretty flat for me. Part of it may have been an over-analytical treatment of their feelings, especially for Caroline, which left little room for any sensual or visceral experience of their perspectives, despite the first-person POVs.
For Caroline in particular, the issue may have been that her character was entirely this premise of having put aside academic fulfillment for a man that ultimately betrayed her trust, and not much else. I love history, I was a Classical Studies BA, and I still felt little connection to Caroline in general. I couldn't help but compare her brief moments of research to the experience that was Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian (a deeply unfair comparison, I know, since this novel was not at all trying to be on that level). The latter evoked a deep nostalgia for academic research for me, but I felt absolutely nothing with The Lost Apothecary. She also had this peculiar idea that history about everyday folks was somehow excluded from academic historical study, which was baffling. Even Classical Studies programs contain plenty of course options on more than just leaders and high politics.
Another frustration with Caroline's story was how, despite the super analytical treatment of her experiences, she still came out with weird ideas, like attempting a comparison between little white lies she told about things and her husband having a secret affair. Also, I won't spoil with details, but some of his behavior was straight up abusive, and I felt like she let him off too easy on that.
On the whole, the story would have been perfectly fine, possibly even stronger if it had only focused on the 18th century storyline. I found Nella and Eliza more compelling. They still could have benefited from further polishing and effort, but had a stronger foundation of substance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Blood and Pregnancy
dez_blair's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Blood, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Suicide
writtenbydnicole's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Infertility
Minor: Emotional abuse
unboxedjack's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexism
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pedophilia, Abortion, Blood, and Emotional abuse
wai's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I was really excited for this book when I saw it listed as an option for Book of the Month as the summary was really compelling. Unfortunately that wasn't true of the novel. I did finish it since it was relatively short and easy to read, and it wasn't the worst book I've ever read. But it just felt so shallow. Primarily I felt like things were far too easy for the main character Caroline regarding figuring things out about some random apothecary from the 1700s. I know it was implied at the end that this was because of ~magic~ it really didn't come off like that, it came off as if the main character was a Mary Sue to the point of total disbelief. Although I guess if you read it as like "look how easy it is for a mediocre white woman to be lauded" critique of white liberal feminism, which this book feels very steeped in.
Secondarily I just felt like there was such inconsistency with how the child character Eliza was written. She was 12 but the voice felt very similar to how the older apothecary Nella was written, making her sound much older than that. I could forgive just that, but it's almost like the author knew this and tried to backtrack it by having her not know random things. She had no idea about menstruation, despite having grown up on a farm tending to the animals ????? I find it hard to believe she had never been told that or heard about it in other contexts - yes there was prudishness during this era but it was still discussed particularly between mothers and daughters. It just felt not very well thought out to me.
I wish this was just a historical fiction about Nella and the young girl Eliza. Caroline bored me so much, and I couldn't find her relatable at all. I found myself thinking "thank god I am not cisgender or heterosexual" so many times during her sections. Boring, miserable "I gave up everything for my husband who clearly hates me and still cheated on me" like I feel so harsh but it's true. I hate that kind of stereotype of cishet relationships and I refuse to live like that.
Anyways it was just a mediocre book, I do not recommend it.
Secondarily I just felt like there was such inconsistency with how the child character Eliza was written. She was 12 but the voice felt very similar to how the older apothecary Nella was written, making her sound much older than that. I could forgive just that, but it's almost like the author knew this and tried to backtrack it by having her not know random things. She had no idea about menstruation, despite having grown up on a farm tending to the animals ????? I find it hard to believe she had never been told that or heard about it in other contexts - yes there was prudishness during this era but it was still discussed particularly between mothers and daughters. It just felt not very well thought out to me.
I wish this was just a historical fiction about Nella and the young girl Eliza. Caroline bored me so much, and I couldn't find her relatable at all. I found myself thinking "thank god I am not cisgender or heterosexual" so many times during her sections. Boring, miserable "I gave up everything for my husband who clearly hates me and still cheated on me" like I feel so harsh but it's true. I hate that kind of stereotype of cishet relationships and I refuse to live like that.
Anyways it was just a mediocre book, I do not recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Child death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Incest
eve_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ I like that this is a feminist text but that the main female character does not start out as a strong, independent, kick-butt woman. I like that she is co-dependent and vulnerable and that the reader gets to see how difficult and messy it is to grow out of that.
⁕ My biggest complaint about this book is that it is too short. I would have loved more time with the characters, more time to build-up to the main conflicts.
⁕ This book is advertised as magical realism but there's really only one small reference to potential magic at the end. I also wish this was more developed.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ I like that this is a feminist text but that the main female character does not start out as a strong, independent, kick-butt woman. I like that she is co-dependent and vulnerable and that the reader gets to see how difficult and messy it is to grow out of that.
⁕ My biggest complaint about this book is that it is too short. I would have loved more time with the characters, more time to build-up to the main conflicts.
⁕ This book is advertised as magical realism but there's really only one small reference to potential magic at the end. I also wish this was more developed.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Death
Minor: Gore
naptime_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love this book. The last couple books I've read have been pretty lengthy, so maybe part of the reason I love this one so much is that it is a shorter read. It would be very easy to sit and read this in one sitting. But honestly I think I'd love it anyways.
In present day, Caroline is visiting London alone on a trip originally planned for 2 to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Her first day in London she impulsively does something that leads her on a path to remembering who she is.
Nella has secrets to keep in the late 18th century. Will young Eliza be her undoing, or will Eliza bring her the peace she has been seeking for nearly 2 decades?
A fast paced story that takes place over the course of just a few days, it is not full of artificial fluff that confuses the story or makes it longer than it needs to be. I absolutely love Caroline's character and the strength she finds in herself throughout the story.
In present day, Caroline is visiting London alone on a trip originally planned for 2 to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Her first day in London she impulsively does something that leads her on a path to remembering who she is.
Nella has secrets to keep in the late 18th century. Will young Eliza be her undoing, or will Eliza bring her the peace she has been seeking for nearly 2 decades?
A fast paced story that takes place over the course of just a few days, it is not full of artificial fluff that confuses the story or makes it longer than it needs to be. I absolutely love Caroline's character and the strength she finds in herself throughout the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Emotional abuse and Infertility
jmeslener's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship