The Apothecary's Daughter

By: Charlotte Betts

Narrated by: Anne Dover

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

1665: Susannah Leyton has grown up behind the counter of her father's apothecary shop in bustling Fleet Street. A skilled student - the resinous scents of lavender, rosemary, liquorice, and turpentine run in her blood - her father has granted her the freedom to pursue her considerable talents. But Susannah is dealt a shocking blow when her widowed father marries again, and her new stepmother seems determined to remove her from the apothecary shop for good.

A proposal of marriage from the charming Henry Savage seems to offer Susannah an escape. But as the plague sweeps through London, tragedy strikes, and dark secrets from her husband's past begin to unfold. It will take all of Susannah's courage and passion to save herself from tragedy.

©2011 Charlotte Betts (P)2012 Soundings

Critic reviews

"Romantic, engaging, and hugely satisfying. This is one of those novels that makes you feel like you've travelled back in time" (Katie Fforde)

"A vivid tale of love in a time of fire, plague and prejudice" (Katherine Webb, best-selling author of The Legacy)

A delightful surprise

This story has a very Moll Flanders feel. The many trials and tribulation of the main character will keep you on the edge of your seat. This was a wonderful surprise at a time when I was looking for something fresh. If you love history and a bit of romance combined with a story that could have easily been true, look no further. This story will transport you to a unique time in history and you won't regret it.

Mixed feelings about this one

I think the narration is superb-she does a wonderful job with all the characters and accents. I found myself extremely EXTREMELY annoyed with her father who selfishly keeps Susanna close to home and runs all her suitors off until he has a midlife crisis and marries a shrew the same age of his daughter. His treatment of his daughter annoyed me even though he loves her and tries to ensure her happiness by giving her a large dowery. Her husband's secret is obvious in the second half of the book yet I still listened to this story for a seven hour car ride and most of the night while I was on a caffeine high from my trip. I don't know if I will listen to it again but I did enjoy it and it wasn't as predictable as I first suspected. I believe the narration was what saved this one from being a mediocre listening experience to one that forced me to keep listening until Susannah found her happily ever after.

Oh, and I enjoyed (?) the historical information regarding the plague of 1665-68 and the great fire of London. If a book causes me to Google historical information, it is a good thing in my opinion.

A must read

What an enchanting story. Very well written and narrated. I went thru phases of being aggravated with lead female to falling in love with her again and again. It was a nice refresher in English history also 😄😄

Loved the story and the reader did a great job with all the different voices

Loved the story and the reader did a great job with all the voices. The detail about the plague angle London burning was so vivid and detailed. Great writing

Wonderful!

I thought this was a wonderful story. I'd read another reviewer's account of dislike at the sex scene at the end (period to reading the book) and it raised my brow, almost causing me not to read this book. Glad I went ahead and read the book. I see that scene as the culmination of years of difficult life experiences and relationships having resolved themselves into a beautiful, trusting, and harmonious existence for Suzanna and William. It's what they never knew they could have. I will say though, I did not like the necklaces that Pheobe and Joseph had to wear, prior to Suzanna making them whole again. All in all, this book was such an enjoyable read, that I plan to read more of this author's works.

Very enjoyable read

I learned many things about this sad time in the history of England and the impact of the plague. The apothecary's craft is fascinating and so are the characters in the book. Great story overall.

Good Story - hysterical whiny narrator

What did you love best about The Apothecary's Daughter?

An interesting story that gives great historical detail about the lives of women in the 1600's in England. I liked the story and continued to return to the book, but the narrator made both the men and women hysterically cry as she read that I had trouble getting through it. Over acting? All characters but the main character whines and cries constantly. Over interpretation by the narrator. Very very irritating.

It was a good, entertaining story.

Not a great story, but good. I finished it, and I liked it much better than The House in Quill Court. I am not crazy about the narrator, though she does an excellent job. It's just that the main character of the story is a young woman and it somehow bugs me that the narrator has an elderly voice. It doesn't bother me at all with the other characters, but It makes the protagonist seem a bit stuffy sometimes. My biggest beef with this story was that, try as I might, I could never completely bring myself to like the main character Susannah. Its partly her voice, but I liked her more in the beginning, and then she began to annoy me at times throughout the story. Still, it was not a bad listen and I think I will try more of Charlotte Bett's now.

Skips

I really liked this story, although the recording often skipped, like a scratched CD. I really enjoyed the book, though.

Great read!!!

Full of twists and turns. Loved every word of it. Just when you think it's all figured out, something else happens.