The apothecary] is the physician to the poor at all times, and to the rich whenever the distress or danger is not great.” –Adam Smith, 1776. Summary: An exciting and realistic debut novel set in the era of the bubonic plague in London. An apothecary's daughter learns about life and love, and the reader gains a great deal of knowledge, quite painlessly, about the privations of the 17th century.

La narración es cuidada y exquisita, la ambientación sin ser excesiva en detalles, es vista a través de los ojos de la protagonista. It really kind of irritated me that I could see the story going in any of at least four directions, without doing violence to the plot line. And when the guys finally started dropping out of contention for Lilly's hand, it still irked me, because it felt like authorial fiat rather than developments that were integral to the plot or the characters. "Oh, so-and-so just dissed the ability of women to work; guess he's not the right guy." "Oh, this guy suddenly started acting all spiritual and suggested a prayer. Better bump him to the top of the heap." I like a few unexpected turns in my romances but this felt a bit ridiculous. Having been very impressed with Lily though, they wrote to invite her to stay with them in London to enjoy the season in hopes she might find a nice match. Knowing her father's apprentice, Francis, could take her duties in the shop, Lily set off from the only home she had never known to an adventure she never dreamed possible.

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Yes because anything read by Davina Porter is better than reading it myself. I love to listen to her- Julie Klassen is becoming one of my favourite authors. Reading her books was one of my biggest dreams, and I owe it to my best friend Brittany, who amazingly made that dream come true. Thanks to her, I have two books by this amazing author, both signed and dedicated, and they are among the treasures of my shelves. But most of all, thank the Lord for giving me the chance to meet such wonderful people, even when we live in different parts of the world. Ray Flowers (DI) inherits a house and moves in while recuperating from an horrific injury. While he decides whether to continue his police career, he meets several new people and is intrigued by journals left behind. Through these books and subsequent research he becomes intrinsically linked to the apothecary’s daughter, Kitty, who lived in this house in the 17th century. Hopping between eras, there are two mysteries to be solved. The plot generally took a few random turns and a couple of big leaps forward in time that startled me and broke my concentration. I kept thinking the author could have used the line from The Princess Bride: "All my father used to say at this point was, 'What with one thing and another, three years fourteen months passed.' " I also loved Lilly! She had amazing character development and was a lovely person throughout. I can actually, maybe, for the first time ever, see why she had so many people in love with her. *cheesy voice saying wOoOw*

Well, to the review. I doubt I can truly do justice to all the wonderful details in this book, but I’ll try.

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In fact I voted it my favourite book for January. I don't read a lot of historical novels, but this one conjured up such a vision rich in detail and texture that I found I couldn't put it down. I honestly felt like I had stepped into the 1600's. To be honest, that is one era of history that has always fascinated me - the plague and the Great Fire of London. I was pleased that the author really brought it to life for me with her vivid descriptions. I was amazed to discover that Islington used to be thought of as countryside! Julie Klassen did do a lot of research into 19th century medical practices and the life of an apothecary, and those parts were different and quite interesting, but beware if you have a sensitive stomach and have qualms about reading detailed descriptions of how people were treated with leeches or lancets for blood-letting, and suchlike. :p Good points and bad, my overall opinion is that the story is fabulous. My favorite portion of all is where the name for the book came from. It makes me teary eyed. And you will just have to go read it to find out why. This is a chilling tale of historical misdeeds. It is full of fear and horror, and has many twists along the way. Throughout the book we are reading about two different time periods, to begin with these are separated out quite considerably, but gradually they are brought together and there are some parts where you start to forget which era you are reading about, as the characters start to co-exist. I found it incredibly hard to put this book down and in places became quite emotionally involved in the lives of both Ray and Kitty. The ending was both sad and unexpected and left me wanting more.

Empece con muchas ganas este libro esperando solamente que la historia fuera como la primera que leí de esta autora pero no fue así. Nuevamente caímos en lo mismo. Covers topics such as faith, love, deceit, forgiveness, and always under the shadow of the Inquisition. Inside the apothecary shop Susannah stood by the light of the window, daydreaming and grinding flowers of sulphur into a malodorous dust as she watched the world go by. Fleet Street, as always, was as busy as an anthill. The morning’s snow was already dusted with soot from the noxious cloud blown in from the kilns at Limehouse and the frost made icebergs of the surging effluent in the central drain. Church bells clanged and dogs barked while a ceaseless stream of people flowed past.

Lily fit quite well in London's social scene and had a number of men showing her interest, but love was what she really wanted. For a quality match she was instructed that her father's occupation, and the fact that her mother had abandoned the family years before, needed to be kept secret. Lily, being an honest person, couldn't lie when the question was finally asked, much to her aunt's dismay. Suddenly her options weren't as solid. Lily was the only daughter of a village apothecary well outside of London. An aunt and uncle whom she'd never met came to visit in hopes of claiming Lily's brother as their heir. They were disappointed upon realizing Charlie was a bit simple and would have no way to inherit and take over their estate. This book is wonderful, also, because it has skilfully showed two different worlds, and entwined them in what it feels like a beautiful painting, showing the two faces of the story’s reality: the small town life, and the polite upper society one, both of them showing that they have equal amounts of lights and shadows, that none of them is perfect, but love is, at the end, what makes you choose one or the other. Lilly belongs to the two of them, as she is both refined enough for a London ballroom, and highly skilled to prepare the medicines and tonics needed in her father’s shop, having the sincere trust of those who count on it, and the Haswells’ knowledge. One of the things I appreciated was how in the love square (yes, a love square, and yes, I know, we all usually hate this sort of thing, but bear with me 🫢) there was really only one true option. I was rooting for him the whole way through and I was so happy that he was endgame 🥹💕

All the characters in this book are lovable, even the darkest ones, and the Regency manners are so well depicted (especially with the whole education ladies used to receive, in dancing, conversation, music and communication –like, with their fans), that this whole novel felt like time travelling. But also, the wonderful display of explanations (and not just mention –I value that detail very much, because anyone can mention, but a just few, truly explain) of medicines, preparations, syrups, herbs… The training of an apothecary, and his role almost as a doctor for those who can’t afford one; Ms. Klassen put phrases and extracts from books at the beginning of each chapter, and one of them explains it all, over chapter 30: The Great Plague, unleashed, rages through the city and in the ensuing months of suffering, secrets are at last uncovered. Susannah and all in the beleaguered household are united in grief. La hija del boticario” es un libro autoconclusivo, que narra la historia de Lilly, quien trabaja con su padre en la botica familiar, ubicada en un pequeño pueblo inglés en el siglo XIX. Is this book Historical Christian Fiction? Yes, although I felt its inspirational and religious elements to be very light and not as meaningful as I expected. However, this book would be great for readers who don't really care much for the mention of God and faith in their historical fiction. La novela está estructurada en tres partes: La primera, de presentación, donde vemos a Lilly y a la gente que la rodea. La segunda parte, se desarrolla con Lilly en Londres con sus tíos, conociendo posibles pretendientes, haciendo visitas, yendo a bailes y galas. Y por último tenemos la tercera parte. Lilly tiene que volver inesperadamente a su pueblo y retomar las riendas de todo.

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Another incredible piece of historical fiction with strong characters from second published author Julie Klassen. Without a doubt, Klassen is on my favorite author's list. Both Lady of Milkweed Manor and The Apothecary's Daughter were so enjoyable. Would you consider the audio edition of The Apothecary's Daughter to be better than the print version? And finally in the grand finale, the title of "Apothecary's Daughter" was given to Mary, Lilly's half-sister, who died. And somehow, when never once had Lily shown interest in Francis (or, same level of confused feelings towards 3 of her suitors) that she decides that he is for her and she pines for him. The other two stories ran in connection and I liked the characters, how the stories developed, and the satisfying ways in which they ran towards conclusion. This is definitely a must read for those who love historical fiction. In my case, I wanted to read this one for so many years, that I thought I’d be disappointed when I finally could, because my expectations were too high; but that didn’t happened; I utterly loved this book, and it is an astounding YES to the rest of the books by this author. Go ahead, you won’t be disappointed, and I hope you love it as much as I did!