REVIEW: THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy

With illustrations by Ian Schoenherr

Normally I don't read young adult books for review.  I think this is due mostly to the fact that I never really read them when I was a young adult.  I sort of skipped that and went straight on to adult titles (The most notable exception being the wonderful stories of John Bellairs). That, and I suppose I am so buried under books written for adults that to expand genres would only complicate matters.  But something about the descriptions drew me to The Apothecary and I wasn't disappointed.  

The young heroine is a smart and insightful, but terribly self-conscious fourteen year-old girl.  Already struggling (like anyone) to make the awkward transition from kid to teenager in a sunshiny, idyllic Los Angeles of the early 1950s, she is forced to uproot and move to London.  Her parents, successful television writers in Hollywood, are under surveillance by HUAC.  Rather than  fight a losing battle against unfounded suspicion, they decide to take jobs writing for the BBC.  

Just one of the gorgeous illustrations by Ian Schoenherr

Dropped in the midst of postwar London, without a friend or a clue, Janie Scott becomes immersed in a strange and magical world.  She befriends the son of the local apothecary (the pharmacist, in American) and discovers that the shop dispenses more than the usual remedies.  They are charged with keeping safe an ancient book with recipes and must keep it from falling into the wrong hands. 

Janie's adventure is great fun.  And like any true young adult book ought, not everything turns out perfectly.  Having just been to London myself this past summer, I especially enjoyed seeing the city through the eyes of another who also felt wonder and overwhelmed at every turn.  

I was incredibly thrilled that the Chelsea Physic Garden figures into the story.  It might have been my favorite stop in London; I didn't want to leave.  It's truly an oasis in the middle of the city, and  is a very impressive garden in its own right.  

One of my MANY photos from the Chelsea Physic Garden

All to often books talk down to young readers.  Not so here.  The book is well written and moves right along.  It's adventurous and imaginative.  Despite its young tone, I was never bored.  I can highly recommend it for young ladies with a particularly precocious spirit.  

A great many thanks to Penguin for the review copy.  

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ISBN 9780399256271 | 368 pages | 04 Oct 2011

Putnam Juvenile | 9.25 x 6.25in | 10 - AND UP years

REVIEW: THE CRADLE IN THE GRAVE by Sophie Hannah

Hannah's tireless cops are on the case again in her newest procedural novel.  Strangely enough, its publication rather coincides with the real life of Casey Anthony.  Never one to shy away from difficult subject matter, Hannah, through her characters, explores the emotional and societal impacts of such an unthinkable crime.

The main action surrounds the making of an investigative journalism documentary about mothers who had been convicted of killing their children - only to be acquitted with later evidence.  Its executive producer and mastermind quits his job at the BBC rather abruptly, leaving heroine Fliss Benson with the reins.  As she begins to sift through the files and interviews, she uncovers questionable statements, missing evidence and doubtful witnesses.  All the while, MPS is on the case, tracking down the murderer of one of these acquitted women.  The two narratives run like the two hypothetical trains at 60 and 70 mph, destined to collide in St. Louis.  Or in this case Notting Hill. 

The original BBC building, Regents Street, London.

Author Sophie Hannah's strength, as always, lies in her dialogue.  It truly informs her entire story.  Her characters all have different voices and thought patterns.  Their vocabulary and speech patterns are unique.  I couldn't tell you what Fliss Benson looks like, or even if Hannah gives a physical description, but I could tell you what she would say, think, or do in any situation.  Each of the police officers varies.  They range from lovesick to crass to solitary.  It is these characters that engross the reader.  The "whodunit" aspect becomes secondary.  It is hardly a surprise then that Hannah's stories has been adapted into a mini-series called "Case Sensitive" on Britain's ITV1.  I can only hope it will run in America as well.

This storyline is nowhere near as graphic as The Truth-Teller's Lie, but the subject matter is quite unsettling.  Its immediacy is part of what makes it so gripping, but readers should be warned that it pulls no punches.  Readers should also know that Hannah does her utmost to explore every possible point-of-view.  She tries to shed light on the grey areas of guilt and innocence, public scrutiny and private grief.  Only the murderer is a villain  (and even that character is somewhat sympathetic).  Everyone else is portrayed as conflicted, confused and struggling -- imperfect.  It reminds the reader that a trial can prove only a sliver of truth, while the rest is unseen.

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Many thanks to the folks at Penguin for the review copy.

ISBN 9781101543733 | 480 pages | 30 Aug 2011 | Penguin | 18 - AND UP 

Visit Sophie Hannah's site.