This study guide refers to the hardcover edition published by Park Row Books, an imprint of Harlequin Books. Penner’s novel debuted at #7 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. This is one of many ways the novel’s modern publication date belies its historical resonance, as the book calls back to the deeply gendered social structures of 18th-century London, contrasting them with present-day experiences of gender and society. Readers have found that the character Nella parallels 17th-century Italian poisoner Giulia Tofana, who sold poisons in Naples and Rome to women who desired freedom from their abusive husbands. She draws on both these affiliations to chronicle feminine agency at its most relentless and unconventional, offering a cross-century tale that undermines the patriarchal structures that actively and passively harm women of all eras. Penner, though a corporate associate until the release of this book, belongs to both the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Published in 2021, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a contemporary novel with limbs in both the historical and mystery fiction genres.
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While the theme of adventure is somewhat derailed by the time it takes for the plot to unravel, readers inclined toward self-reflection will be hooked by Katherine's commitment to figuring out who she is, how she feels about her family and what she envisions for her future. As in her first novel, LaFaye offers a multidimensional portrait of a young woman in transition, one capable of seeing her flaws and rising above them, revealed in poetic and poignant language. In the process she takes on a new name (Edith Shay), discovers how little her previous life has prepared her for fending for herself and develops a strong faith in the kindness of strangers and her own resilience. Her wish ""to marry a city gentleman who would treat me like a lady and take me to the far reaches of the country"" leads Katherine on a difficult road of hard labor and self-doubt, first as a night cook in Chicago and then in a printer's shop in Philadelphia. Reading provides her only stimulation, and her parents' urgings to marry ""some country boy"" and stick close to home make her feel like a misfit. High-spirited and impulsive by nature, 16-year-old Katherine feels stifled growing up in the woods of Wisconsin. Katherine is determined to avoid that fate and seizes an opportunity when shes sent to help family in Michigan and they never arrive at the train station. The intricate descriptions and leisurely pace that served LaFaye well in her remarkable debut, The Year of the Sawdust Man, prove a stumbling block in this coming-of-age story set in 1865 Chicago. After reading romances no matter where in the world the army sent her, Caro began a career in the pharmaceutical industry. She was going to keep her heart well guarded from the dreamy Dr MacDowell.ĭoctors who have never taken time for love -until now!ĭespite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and US Army officer, CARO CARSON has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. West Central was counting on her to achieve one simple goal: renew PLI's contract. More than a million dollars were at stake. He looked like an urbane city man now, a business tycoon in a Savile Row suit, but that scar on his chin revealed the man he'd been. Lana had made the right choice by breaking their engagement. |