The Lost Apothecary: A Novel

The voices of the three main characters across time and space was quite well done. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

I made the mistake of reading the reviews of this book on Goodreads and I have to say that I’m baffled. It’s rare to find 1-star and 2-star ratings mixed in with 5-stars ones, especially when the critical ones are scathing. First, giving a book only one star is suspicious; if a book is that bad, why not stop reading it? Second, writing a book is difficult, especially one that is traditionally published. Issuing a one-star rating is just plain mean. (Incidentally, the book is being translated into forty languages and Fox is developing it as a drama series—not too shabby for a debut novelist). 1 star? I don’t think so.

The Lost Apothecary was an atmospheric page-turner and if I didn’t need to work and sleep, I would have read it straight through. My heart pounded at the delightful twists and turns that were frightening without being gory. Of course, I don’t advocate poisoning your mate to get out of a bad marriage, but the plot was ingenious and well-conceived. In Georgian-era England, women were powerless, and I appreciated how one woman protected others in one of the few ways she could. The three narratives were nicely developed, but the contemporary one was the least effective, a common issue in this genre. I loved the historical detail, the author’s ability to engage my senses, and her vivid depiction of the characters. Although it wasn’t up to my 5-star standards, it was a solid 4. For more reviews visit amyhagberg.com.

Promising plot, I wish the author had learned how to write. How did this book get past a decent editor. It might be a good read with the characters endless sorting out of themselves been cut.

Loved it! An excellent tale, excellent writing. I didn't want it to end.

Not the best recording- there seems to be a technical glitch around chapter 30 and then again in two of the later chapters

This is terrible! Horrible writing …no ide why it has any good reviews

I loved this book!!! Great pace, I loved having the different narrators to break it up, I loved the plot and story ideas! 10/10

Honestly a waste of time reading this book. Totally pointless.

What a great book. Kept my attention. The end was amazing.

The story could have been so much bigger. It almost feels like nothing really happened. So disappointed

Really fun read. The audio being performed by different voices was helpful and fun. Great characters and such an interesting blend of past and present.

Well written & very interesting! I highly recommend this one.

The book interesting, and enjoyable. The narration of Nella, painful.

I loved the three narrators, it's well written and well read. Had a lovely time reading it !

I'm sorry but this was absolutely terrible. I constantly felt belittled while reading it and no one goes through any character development.

This book is ok but not great. I liked the story of Nella and Eliza. I find the story of Caroline unnecessary and not very interesting. I would have liked to hear more about what happened to Eliza and Nella.

I read many books where the author switches back-and-forth between two time periods and people. This book did that better than most. It was clever the way the author tied them together. And I really liked the ending!

Just okay. The ending could have had more of a twist.

Beautifully written, captivating, couldn’t put it down! Only wish I could listen to it again for the first time, truly one of my favorite books.

I finished The Lost Apothecary last night. I thought I really liked it, at first, but now I'm not so sure. After digesting what I read, I think it was easy to fall into the trap of "oh, this is really good", but it really isn't. It is super funny but only because it's like a "comedy of errors". If this is what the author intended then it was great! I'm sure that is not the case. The only character in this book who is not a totally idiot is the librarian and even she has her moments. I think the idea of the 1700s story had a lot of potential and would have been great if it was delved into a bit more and the stupidity of the characters was toned down. The present day tie-in could have been awesome as a mystery but it never really hit the mark. There are just so many holes in the research part and, well, I just can't. If you read this and loved it, great. If you haven't read it, just know, it is funny and easy to get sucked into - easy to read, but its just lacking. I'd say 3 ⭐s, maybe.

Cool concept and the historical part is interesting and kept me coming back. But the present-day character is a whiny, annoying, baby. I hated her chapters. The comparisons she draws between herself and others facing hardship are ridiculous.
I almost turned it off with an hour or so to go. But I kept going only to suffer through some more of her boring uninspired self-discovery. I couldn't have cared less about her.

Thought it was a little repetitive which was too bad. Otherwise good.

Much was fascinating. Author is a better storyteller than writer. Subject matter was very interesting. I preferred the “past” chapters more than the “present” ones. At times the expected belief was too suspended and plot improbabilities interfered with a clean story. Feel like a sequel may be on the horizon.

I expected more but it was just ok. Beautiful cover!

I loved this book! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I don't know what it was about this story but I was enchanted from the very beginning. Maybe it was the setting of London streets, or the premise that history repeats and historical objects allow us to share a moment with the past. I loved the ending, I thought it tied everything up perfectly.

It was a good story but the writing could be stronger.

Great pacing and a lovely juxtaposition between the lives of the 3 women from different time periods. I really enjoyed all of the characters and loved that it left some things a little bit open ended. Not quite a neat bow--just mostly.

Great story and so much fun to listen to! I couldn’t put it down!

This absolutely kept my attention til the very end!! Of course there would have been some things I would have added but overall but I loved it. I hope to read more by this author very soon.