Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

64 reviews

enlamont's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

chainsawheartbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

“You are not searching for a thing so much as you are searching for an inconsistency of things, or an absence”.

A gorgeously written feminist tale set in two different eras; 1871 and 2021, and I truly found myself in love with both eras of the story. 

Starting with 1871, the characters are so rich, you want to know more about them and I was sat at the edge of my seat throughout the latter half of their story.

Then we have 2021, which I struggled to get into at first, but as soon as Caroline found herself enamoured with the lost apothecary I was sold, and I kept wanting to tell her everything I knew about the past events to aid her discoveries.

Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this book. It warmed my heart, and it was wonderful seeing how two stories, set decades apart, intertwined…and I’m not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I finished this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

ballousclues's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - phenomenal. highly recommend to all 

My friend recommended this book to me recently since she read it and loved it. I didn't expect to fall in love with the story like I did. This book does an excellent job of reminding us that sitting in our own discontent doesn't do anything to aid us and that sometimes a leap of faith is necessary. The book follows the parallel lives of women in two different time periods and draws light to the similar stories they are writing. The story heavily focuses on character development and has a clear plot. The book was an easy read for me and the writing was well done. I could see there being a second book! It would be fun to get a bit of a follow up on Caroline through a bonus chapter or something.
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SPOILER

Like I said, I didn't expect to love this story as much as I did. It made my heart very happy that Eliza's potion worked as she had intended for it too and that she was able to share her success with Mr. Pepper. I like that the book leaned heavily into "we are all writing our own story" and that if we settle into our own discontent, we can't be surprised when it comes around to bite us. I love that the book allowed for Eliza, and maybe Nella, to continue on with their lives and gain a better hand in life from their run in with the law. I also really liked how the book talked about Caroline's toxic relationship. I think many folks have had a partner that has threatened, or attempted, suicide as a way to gain control in the relationship. I appreciated the message that you are more than what you may give yourself credit for and it's never too late to pursue your passions.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Infertility, Vomit, and Grief

This book heavily talks about the inability to conceive, or successfully carry a child to full term. The book also talks about infidelity and the fallout from cheating in a relationship. I would pass a word of caution to anyone who has strong grief around children or the concept of pregnancy.

sarahbryant717's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Three women who on the surface don’t appear to have much in common, but when you look closely, you see that they have more in common that what you think. 

This book takes place in London in two separate timelines—late 18th century and current time. 

In the late 1700’s, Nella has a hidden apothecary shop where she tends to the needs of women—from cures for menstrual cramps to poisons to get rid of a chewing husband. Nella fiercely protects her clients’ secrets while keeping her work a secret. One day Nella meets an unlikely ally—12 year old Eliza, a servant who arrives at Nella’s shop to pick up a poison for her mistress. Eliza is intrigued by Nella and the “magic” she creates and wants to learn as much as she can from Nella. 

In the present day, Caroline arrives in London on a solo trip that was originally meant to be an anniversary trip with her husband. Caroline is on a search to find herself and to figure out what she wants out of her crumbling marriage. Caroline finds an old bottle with a mysterious etching and her self searching evolves to a search for the origins of this hidden treasure.

I enjoyed the dual storylines and since the timeline and characters were so different, it was easy to keep track of what was going on in the story. The characters were well written and were all strong women that you wanted to root for. I would definitely recommend this book and give it 4.5 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Classism

julbel's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Pedophilia

amcginger's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Writing: 3⭐️/5 

The writing was fine, adequate, presentable. A few times Penner had some really stunning lines, but mostly the writing did what needed to be done without too much flare or finesse. A lot of sections for backstory were lengthy, giving us a bit of information by flashback and then overexplaining the emotions of the situation. But overall the writing did enough to not get in the way.

Characters: 3.5⭐️/5

I think the characters in the historical sections were much more fascinating than our modern-day protagonist. While I appreciated that Caroline had a lot going on, I also felt like her half-telling of the story made me lose a bit of interest in what was going on. I loved her research-heavy mind, but it felt stunningly unbelievable the way in which she pursued her research so easily after so long. And, while the characters were interesting, they felt a bit surface at times, almost as though we never got a true glimpse of their whole beings.

Plot: 3⭐️/5 

Okay, so the concept? Super cool. The execution? Maybe that’s where I got lost. I loved everything about the apothecary. I even loved the slow unravelling of clues from Caroline’s side, but I also felt like that was the only thing that felt super fleshed out. All the details in the novel felt muddled, as though they were unclear and unformed. I also think that the end kind of undid some of the feminist points made throughout the novel, leaving kind of a sour taste in my mouth at the end.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of historical books that have a split POV with modern perspective
• Someone looking for a cool concept over everything else
• Fans of witchy history who are looking for an easy read

Content Warnings? 

• Pregnancy, adultery, murder, sexism, misogyny, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence, abuse, child abuse, child death, death, death of parent, self-harm, suicide, suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, terminal illness, poison, gun violence, medical trauma, classism, injury, injury detail, fire, pedophilia, incest, infertility 

Post-Reading Rating:  2.75⭐️/5

I just… wanted more? I liked the concept so much but I think everything else fell pretty flat.

Final Rating: 3⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

taylortome's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A lovely little story about an apothecary turned deadly and it’s *downfall*. This story is more than what it seems. It is a journey for all characters as they discover themselves and their truths. It is written with multiple POV throughout different timelines. It is cohesive and concise and comes together well in the end. I did find it difficult to identify with and love the characters, though I understood the meaning of taking one’s own journey to discover themselves and what they truly find fulfilling in their lives. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity and Miscarriage

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner was just as good, if not better, than I expected it to be. I tried not to let all the praise surrounding the book skew my reading experience, but I can now say it was definitely well earned (not to mention how much I LOVE the cover). Historical fiction is not a favorite genre of mine, but I loved the way this story was discovered through researching the past and filling in the pieces. I think this was a really clever framework and it made the women of this story feel as though they were interacting, even if they never could have possibly met. I love a story with a good vigilante character, and this book certainly delivered. If you haven’t had a chance to read this historical fiction gem, definitely add it to your TBR. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

huntress's review against another edition

dark informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment