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.
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"I really liked this book. The way Lilly's view of the world changes from the beginning to the end of the story really resonated with me. I particularly liked the description of the big, wide world being distilled down to the few things that truly meant the most. This is something I will read again. I am still left with some unfinished business, however, and wish that an extra chapter or two had provided details. To use an analogy from the story, the reader spends the length of the novel climbing The Hill with Lilly but is not given more than a fleeting glimpse of the view from the top. I would have liked to savor the view for a few moments longer."
— Anne (4 out of 5 stars)
" This book was okay to good. It was pretty predictable but if you like historical England stories this is the book for you. "
— Becky, 2/20/2014" it was a good story and provided alot of historical detail about apothecaries which was interesting to me but I thought the ending was kind of anti-climactic "
— Samantha, 2/8/2014" Super long read for a disappointing payoff! "
— Meg, 1/24/2014" A fun, light read. Really a 3.5 star book if that were an option. I'll definitely read more from this author because it's nice to read just for entertainment's sake sometimes! "
— Nancy, 1/21/2014" I liked this book and thought it was interesting into the England life of yore! "
— Mary, 1/13/2014" I spent a lot of time conflicted about who she should end up with. It gave the book the little extra it needed to make it memorable. "
— SandraE, 1/11/2014" So glad it was him... "
— Rachel, 1/9/2014" Fun, passionate, historical fiction...I am so glad I was not born in the 17th century...I don't think I would have made it! "
— Mrs.b, 1/7/2014" Free kindle book. A young woman who was trained by her father to be an apothcary, yearns to leave her small village and marry a gentleman. Not a page turner but read until the end. "
— Karen, 10/19/2013" A little slow to start though I was surprised by the ending. "
— Dawn, 10/12/2013" The Apothecary's Daughter, while a bit predictable in its multiple love interests and twists and turns non the less has a sweet ending and message that touches the heart. "
— Jen, 10/3/2013" Was a bit slow and had a tend a tendency to drag on and on. While I enjoyed the book well enough, I probably wouldn't read it again. "
— Ashley, 9/21/2013" Not my normal genre but I enjoyed it. Liked the historial fiction aspect of the book. "
— Marilyn, 5/8/2013" This was a really good book. I randomly found it on the Barnes and Noble free NOOKbook page. "
— Kris, 4/14/2013" Actually quite a good read. Interesting characters, held my interest. "
— Maryjane, 3/28/2013" I was expecting something more substantial from this novel. It was more fluff than I expected it to be. "
— Linda, 12/11/2012" I'm kind of a sucker for period fiction romance. It was good. "
— Emeebee, 5/10/2012" I must have read the jacket wrong. I thought this was to be a mystery / suspense story. As it turns out, it was a decent romance / self-discoery story. A quick one-day read. It was fine for a lazy Saturday, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. "
— Jill, 2/12/2012" This was a good story and an easy read, the part was it's a free book on your Kendle. "
— Theresa, 2/2/2012" Very good book with realistic description of the era. I enjoyed it! Definitely a girly book! :) "
— Michelle, 12/5/2011" This book was kind of " Harlequin" but it held my interest and had a great ending. "
— Robin, 10/30/2011" Nice easy read. I recommend it :) "
— Tracie, 10/20/2011" Loved this book, easy read, couldn't put it down. "
— Kris, 9/19/2011" This was a fun, easy read. It was better than I expected. Story moved right along and of course I love the time period (early 1800's). "
— Valerie, 5/22/2011" A good read. It was interesting to learn about apothecaries in the 19th century. I was a little dismayed by all the suitors the author had flying around, it was hard to keep all of them straight. No heroine should have to deal with 4...5? love interests. At least she picked the right one. "
— Marleah, 5/17/2011" Cute story thats well written. "
— Niki, 5/17/2011" The Author was trying too hard to be like Jane Austen , too many of the same plots and character types in this book as are in a Jane Austen book. it was an okay read. "
— Melissa, 5/17/2011" It started out strong and then kind of fizzled out. The Author also left one of the characters with a loose end. The historical aspect was really interesting though. "
— Kathryn, 5/15/2011" This one kept me guessing to the end who she was really going to marry. I didn't see how everything could possibly work out and it did! "
— Susie, 5/14/2011" I really liked this book. I agree with my aunt, who read it before me; it ended just right. "
— Heidi, 5/11/2011" This book isn't an earthshattering novel, but it was interesting to read about the apothecarys. I liked it. "
— Lynette, 5/8/2011" Bland. The heroine seems too perfect and nothing ever really seems to happen. "
— Alex, 5/8/2011" I really enjoyed this book. It is an easy read. I would classify it as a clean 18th century romance novel. "
— Ashley, 5/4/2011" Another free book that was just ok. The story was a little too predictable. "
— Heather, 5/3/2011" LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I appreciated that it so down to earth. I loved the ending...great book! I can't wait to find more by this author. "
— Charity, 5/1/2011" Great book! Could not put it down. I am currently reading Ms. Klassen's next novel "The Silent Governess" and is turning out to be just as good :) "
— Donna, 5/1/2011" This book was a nice "take me away" book for a weekend reading. There are a couple of surprises in the book, secrets reveled. Several love interests, but didn't end the way I would have expected, but still a nice ending. I will look to see if this author has written anything else. "
— Lori, 5/1/2011" This was a good, FREE Kindle read. A period piece that took a look at historical medical practices along with romance, friendship, and a mild dose of Christianity. "
— JamieG, 4/25/2011" Really ejoy this novel. it was really "fresh" clean reading. I wanted to keep reading it. I will definitely buy other books by Julie Klassen. "
— Marjorie, 4/25/2011" A decent read. Nicely set in historical England with a lot of detail about being an apothecary. "
— Lori, 4/25/2011" Thanks for recommending this book. I especially loved the quotes at the beginning and end of each chapter. Kris - this is a book that I think Katy would like. "
— Elise, 4/24/2011Julie Klassen loves all things Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. She has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, worked in publishing for sixteen years, and now writes full-time. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com.
Tavia Gilbert is an acclaimed narrator of more than four hundred full-cast and multivoice audiobooks for virtually every publisher in the industry. Named the 2018 Voice of Choice by Booklist magazine, she is also winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has earned numerous Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and a Listen-Up Award. Audible.com has named her a Genre-Defining Narrator: Master of Memoir. In addition to voice acting, she is an accomplished producer, singer, and theater actor. She is also a producer, singer, photographer, and a writer, as well as the cofounder of a feminist publishing company, Animal Mineral.