Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Apothecary's Daughter


Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance--as well as clues about her mother--Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart. 

 My Take:  

I felt totally captivated by this book.  The characters were so absolutely engrossing, I couldn't put the book down all day!  I'm glad I started this on a weekend or I would have been in trouble at work.  By the end I felt completely drained, in a totally fulfilling way.  Because I had invested so  much energy into caring for these characters, and wondering who Lilly would end up with, and who I even wanted her to be with, I was exhausted.  This book is absolutely rich with historical information and culture.  It felt so frustrating that this brilliant girl with a photographic memory was not able to run a business in her own right, but it felt wonderful when, at the end, she could be with someone who appreciated her talents.  There were just a few things here and there that kept the book from being perfect.  I felt like there were some references made to some of the character's back stories that didn't ever feel totally resolved, but as they were quite minor characters, it didn't really matter too much.  This book also had one key element that really makes or breaks a book in my eyes, what makes a book great, as opposed to "eh, pretty good".  Does a book have resonance, are you left thinking about it constantly after you've finished  it?  If so, it is a great book.  I finished this book at about 3 in the morning, and thought about it for a good hour afterward.  I eventually had to whip out my Kindle and take down some notes just to get the book out of my head!  I rate this book a 2, Buy with a Coupon at Borders.  It is so beautifully written that anyone will love it, though I do believe the rich historical detail will make history lovers enjoy it all the more!

Do you agree with my review?  Do you think I'm totally off base?  Either way I'd love to hear about it, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel!

If you enjoyed this book, you will love Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, as they all take place in the same time period and are wonderful coming of age romances.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Historical Fiction and Romance sections of The Book Buff!

If this book were a movie, it would likely be rated PG.  There are references to infidelity, but the language is so innocent, it is entirely inoffensive. 



If you are interested in purchasing this book, please consider supporting The Book Buff by purchasing them from these links!

30 comments:

Stefani @ MommyEnterprises.com said...

Sounds like an interesting book!

Lua said...

I've never heard of "The Apothecary's Daughter"
Thanks for the amazing review, I will definitely be adding this to my list :)

Heather G. said...

I like a good historical fiction now and then! Thanks for the great review!

Unknown said...

Thanks for inviting me to your blog. Can't help but stay for a miniute and check out all the good books and articles.

Thanks

http://healingwithtarran.blobspot.com

Divya said...

I have the Kindle 2 - and I downloaded this book because I found it for free, but I never started reading it. I liked your review, and think I might actually give the book a shot because I am a big fan of books from that time period (Pride an Prejudice, etc.).. thanks for the review!

Unknown said...

I love your style of review! Thanks for sharing and thanks for finding me on bookblogs. I am following your blog. You can follow mine at http://busymomswholovetoread.blogspot.com - I am hosting a giveaway right now.

* said...

Wow, thanks for the invite. I have heard of the book but haven't read it.

I am going to bookmark this and return. I read amongst a million other things and have been neglecting my blog, but you can visit me anyway...

http://salmaslibrary.blogspot.com/

WonderBunny said...

I picked this up as a freebie for my Kindle and haven't read it yet. It still sounds interesting. :)

Alexa said...

I heard this one was good and now I think I will actually read it. :D

Bola said...

hey,love ur layout,great review too!

Anonymous said...

Sounds good!

The Book Buff said...

Thank you for your compliments on my blog!

dollycas aka Lori said...

LOVE YOUR BLOG and I have given you an award, stop by my blog to pick it up.
http://dollycas.blogspot.com/

The Book Buff said...

I'm glad you enjoyed The Book Buff!

Libby's Library said...

I would love to read this one...I'm gonna add it to my wish list:-)

Tales of Whimsy said...

Great review. I have this one in my TBR pile.

Emidy @ Une Parole said...

What a great sounding book! I love it when a book is so captivating that you can't help but keep thinking of it afterwards. I also enjoyed your review - short (which is what I like), to the point, and thorough!

Emidy
Une Parole

The Book Buff said...

There are some reviews out there that just sound like the reviewer loves to hear themselves talk (or write) I really try to paint a picture of the book so that a person can tell if they will like it or not, with minimal frills in the process.

Mari Barnes said...

I guess I'll be too busy reading the books you review to work on my blog--oh, well. The Apothecary's Daughter is on my list.

The Book Buff said...

I'm flattered you trust my recommendations! Enjoy!

Alyssa Kirk said...

Sounds good! Thanks for the review.

Karen Cantwell said...

Hi! I found your blog a few days ago and absolutely love it. I'm passing along a blog award for you. Enjoy. :-) You can retrieve it at http://fictionfordessert.blogspot.com.

Lina Shaik said...

Sounds like a pretty interesting book. I love historical fiction so this will be going to my wishlist. I've checked out some of your other reviews too and I like what I see. Have an award for ya :) Blog Award!

Orange said...

Looks like an interesting read..

Anonymous said...

The charming message

Meg @ write meg! said...

A friend recently recommended this one to me, which I'd never heard of... sounds like I'm going to have to check it out! :)

Janet Ramsdell Rockey said...

Your review piqued my interest for this book. You do a great job encapsulating the excerpts before detailing your yeas or nays of the novels.

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Never heard of "The Apothecary's Daughter" but sounds very much like a book I'd enjoy. Thanks for the review.

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Tales of Whimsy said...

I can't wait to read this one. Thanks for the review :)

-Juju
Tales of Whimsy.com :)

Sheila said...

Ok, i'm definitely adding this book to my list of must reads. Great review!

-Sheila
www.ciaosheila.com

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