Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy - Review

It's 1952 and Janie Scott's world falls apart when her parents are suspected of being Communist sympathizers. They have to leave their home in LA hurriedly and head for London, where they have been offered jobs. She's lonely until she meets Benjamin Burrows, who is the son of the Apothecary and who wants to be a spy. A game of chess becomes a way of tracking Russian spies and keeps her mind off her homesickness until The Apothecary disappears, leaving his Pharmacopoeia with his son for safekeeping. And as for the secrets hidden in the Pharmacopoeia - well, who wouldn't want to know how to become invisible, or turn into a bird? No wonder everyone is looking for it.

The adventures that follow are extraordinary as Benjamin and Janie try to find the Apothecary, safeguard the book, and ultimately prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb. Brimming with magic, historical detail, and science, this adventure has everything - nuclear threats, political conspiracies, and spies. And it reads like a classic.

2 comments:

Info site for Garibaldi House Inn Rockaway Beach Oregon Hotel said...

I can't even describe how much I loved this book. All I can say to readers is pick it up, you won't be sorry. And I'd like to say to the author, I love these characters and this story so much I just want more! I really haven't felt this way since the Harry Potter series.

Hyacinth Marius said...

It was a real page turner from start to finish. I could hardly put it down. It was a fast and easy read. I hated for it to end as I enjoyed the characters so much. Read it and you'll see what I mean.

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