A review by eleanor029
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked this book. It was a lovely story with a great concept. Though at times a bit cheesy, especially in Caroline's chapters, I coudn't stop listening to the audiobook, mostly because I am a historian myself and needed to know how it played out. It was so slow moving at times though, and parts of it felt very much dragged out .
A few things really bothered me. Firstly, the fact that Caroline just walked into the British Library. You do have to register for a library card, otherwise you won't even get into the reading rooms. It could've been a little sidenote, as in "The half hour to register for a library card seemed excessive, since I just had a question, but somehow my curiosity won." or something like that. Caroline even asks Gaynor at some later point in the book whether she needs to register with the library to request something. That really bothered me, since I myself have used the British Library while on holiday in London. 
Furthermore, I am in two minds about the ending. I like how Caroline moves to the UK and pursues her passion, but I don't appreciate the open questions. Did Nella live? (Likely not, but still...). Did Caroline go back to the Apothecary Shop? Did she talk to the owners of the building and get permission to really look around there? What happened to it? (Okay that last one is hard to answer in a novel). Did she ever find out Nellas identity and where did she get further information from? 
I loved how before, the research process was quite transparent, though exaggerated (who has so much luck, please) for the story.
Lastly, I hated that Caroline threw the vial back in the Thames. I get the sentimental aspect of putting Eliza's secret back, but omg noooo, why would you do that. You can keep a secret without throwing the objects that sparked your research into the depths of a river. Come on, Caroline.
Anyways, I think this is a great book for history nerds and students. Though it was infuriating at times I will buy it for a friend so we can talk about it. 
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