An emotionally stirring celebration of women finding community.
In 17th-century Rome, Tofana Apothecary helps women through sisterhood and botanicals in this novel that’s loosely inspired by real events.
At 16, Carmela Tofana is eager to begin her apothecary apprenticeship under the guidance of her mother, Giulia. She’s a quick study when it comes to mixing ingredients for various powders, tinctures, and creams. Carmela also comes to appreciate the tightrope that Giulia walks as an independent woman: Anger the wrong person, and she could be hanged as a witch. Despite the risks, Giulia creates remedies that extend beyond toothaches and digestive problems. Girls and women come to her for help ending unwanted pregnancies, and more than one woman with a violent husband has surreptitiously obtained a vial of the apothecary’s most closely guarded secret, Acqua Tofana, which brings about a natural-looking death. But when Patrizia Moretti, beaten and terrified, makes a late-night visit to the apothecary, Carmela’s well-meaning actions lead to scandal: Signora Moretti is arrested for her husband’s death, and she names Giulia as the source of the poison. Giulia must flee to avoid execution, and Carmela is suddenly thrust into the responsibilities of being La Tofana. As she grieves her mother’s absence, she and unlikely allies breathe new life into the apothecary. The novel’s mixture of tenderness, brutality, loneliness, resignation, and joy makes for an intimate reading experience. Free-verse poems between prose chapters elevate the story and highlight the universal elements.
An emotionally stirring celebration of women finding community. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780593855874
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
