The Lost Apothecary-Blog Tour-Historical Fiction-Available Now

I. Loved. This. Book.

I thought that the author created two stories that although centuries apart from each other, were complimentary to each other. It was cleverly plotted, and it held my attention for the entire book. That’s no easy feat these days.

I related to Caroline. Not because of her marriage situation, but because of how she felt like she had lost herself in the marriage and the drive to become a family. I think many women my age will feel empathy for her situation.

But even more so, I found her choice of educational interest to be personally attractive as well. When I was in college, I found archeology to be fascinating – particularly Egyptian archeology. One of my favorite series (to this day) involves a Victorian woman and her husband who are Egyptian Archeologists.

I always felt it was the best of both worlds…the pushing of societal norms by a female archeologist in Victorian times, mixed with the mysteries of Ancient Egyptian peoples.

But I digress.

I totally got Caroline’s drive to want to know the nameless people, not just the better-known names and dates.

Her focus is a reason that the historical sections of the book worked so well. Two people who should have been lost to history weren’t – simply because of Caroline’s interest and perseverance to discover more about them.

Frankly, I could see myself taking the same actions as Caroline.

I did also like the historical sections. Sometimes a book falters when moving back and forth between contemporary and historical storylines. Not in this case. I was fully engrossed in Nella and Eliza’s stories as well as Caroline’s.

I will say that I did not make a vital connection until the author smacked me in the face with it towards the end. I REALLY liked that part. So well done.

The author managed to get a feminist point of view across without annoying the heck out of me. Doing this through Nella’s eyes and actions was very effective.

I could go on and on about all of the good things in this book. But just trust me when I say that you will be equal parts charmed and informed, and you will be glad that you picked it up. It should definitely be in your TBR pile.

P.S. This is a debut novel. I certainly will be following in hopes of more to come!

About the Author:

Sarah Penner is the debut author of The Lost Apothecary, to be translated in eleven languages worldwide. She works full-time in finance and is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She and her husband live in St. Petersburg, Florida, with their miniature dachshund, Zoe. To learn more, visit slpenner.com.