Madeline
The intention is to do good in the world and provide cures that a gentleman’s doctor cannot, but in doing so Nella discovers a way of freeing women from harm. She develops a system that will protect her, but in a series of unfortunate events, she is exposed and then more than two hundred years later, her story is uncovered.
Premise of The Lost Apothecary
There are two stories being told in The Lost Apothecary, the story of the apothecary and how she got lost during the 1790s. And the story of a modern women who learns about her husband’s infidelity days before their ten year anniversary trip to London. Like many historical fiction stories told in tandem, they first appear to have nothing to do with each other, but we soon find that while mudlarking, Caroline discovers the key to finding what happened to the women who was freeing women from harm when no one else will help them.
What is Mudlarking?
I’m glad you asked. I had this question while reading the book as I’m sure a majority of readers of The Lost Apothecary. The idea is that the tide is low on the Thames River, various trinkets have been long lost can now be discoverable by anyone. The story starts to come together when Caroline discovers mudlarking and finds a small blue bottle with a bear engraved on it.
Final Thoughts
The story of freeing women from harm was a light story with a dark murderous side. It was light enough to be a summer read on the beach, with a serial killer as the protagonist. I had never heard of an Apothecary before, which made this story much more interesting than it would alternatively been. The end left a lot to be desired but the middle made the read worth it.
