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A review by joannchilada
The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul by Eleanor Herman
4.0
Yuck! Obviously this was going to be a gross read, but wow did it kill my appetite more frequently than I anticipated. The doomed dogs and cats were the worst parts for me. Terrible human deaths, that’s bad - terrible PUPPY deaths, that’s harder to read.
This book was thoroughly researched with lots of historical facts presented, while also remaining entertaining throughout, a balance that can be hard to strike. I also appreciated that the author didn’t just show how heinous life was in the past, but also provides information about current day poisoning and acknowledges that future generations will find our medical approaches crude by comparison.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was coincidentally the same one who read Anne of Green Gables (Susie Berneis) which my kid and I finished listening to two days before. There was quite of bit of cognitive dissonance hearing the same person who did the voices of all the beloved Green Gables characters repeatedly use (historically accurate) words like piss and turds. “Floating turds” was my favorite use of that word, if you’re wondering. I have no favorite use of “piss”, though. Susie Berneis is a fantastic orator. Versatile, clearly.
This book was thoroughly researched with lots of historical facts presented, while also remaining entertaining throughout, a balance that can be hard to strike. I also appreciated that the author didn’t just show how heinous life was in the past, but also provides information about current day poisoning and acknowledges that future generations will find our medical approaches crude by comparison.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was coincidentally the same one who read Anne of Green Gables (Susie Berneis) which my kid and I finished listening to two days before. There was quite of bit of cognitive dissonance hearing the same person who did the voices of all the beloved Green Gables characters repeatedly use (historically accurate) words like piss and turds. “Floating turds” was my favorite use of that word, if you’re wondering. I have no favorite use of “piss”, though. Susie Berneis is a fantastic orator. Versatile, clearly.