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Minli's Reviews > The Apothecary
The Apothecary (The Apothecary, #1)
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The Apothecary is, by all accounts, a book that sounds up my alley. It's 1952, and Jane's parents move their family from Hollywood to London, England in order to escape the Red Scare. Jane enrolls in a school and meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, gets tangled up in magic and adventure and la. Benjamin, the son, really wants to be a spy, but his dad wants nothing more to than for him to follow in his footsteps. But when the apothecary is kidnapped and cryptic, threatening messages are left behind, Jane and Benjamin have to get to the bottom of all this. At least to Ben, being "just" an apothecary suddenly got way more interesting...
Maile Meloy's writing is lovely. You can tell she comes from an MFA background, which isn't a knock at all. I like her soft, smooth prose. However, I will hazard a guess that this is her first time writing children's fiction (especially children's FANTASY), because there were lots of moments where I felt she didn't give enough credit to the reader. In my humble opinion, children are some of the most curious people in the world... they'll gloss over weird plot holes if the characters and action are compelling, maybe. Jane and Benjamin were all right--both of them are on the quieter side, but to be honest, I preferred the much more vibrant Sarah and Pip! Still, it's hard to ignore the big question: "how does this [transfiguration, potion, bomb containment] really work?"
Also, the ending felt a bit cheated. I hated those "and it was all a dream, then she woke up" endings as a kid, and this was only marginally better than that.
Maile Meloy's writing is lovely. You can tell she comes from an MFA background, which isn't a knock at all. I like her soft, smooth prose. However, I will hazard a guess that this is her first time writing children's fiction (especially children's FANTASY), because there were lots of moments where I felt she didn't give enough credit to the reader. In my humble opinion, children are some of the most curious people in the world... they'll gloss over weird plot holes if the characters and action are compelling, maybe. Jane and Benjamin were all right--both of them are on the quieter side, but to be honest, I preferred the much more vibrant Sarah and Pip! Still, it's hard to ignore the big question: "how does this [transfiguration, potion, bomb containment] really work?"
Also, the ending felt a bit cheated. I hated those "and it was all a dream, then she woke up" endings as a kid, and this was only marginally better than that.
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Reading Progress
June 28, 2011
–
Started Reading
June 28, 2011
– Shelved
June 30, 2011
–
Finished Reading
What I like is how Ms. Meloy shows the consequences of using magic—the pros and cons, especially the cons. You want to become invisible? Then risk catching a cold or pneumonia while racing around naked in chilly weather. Do you need to relive a memory? Get prepared for grief or horror as you recall incidents you’d prefer to forget. Are you going to use a truth serum? Don’t breathe it in or you’ll risk babbling your most embarrassing secrets. Want to be a bird? Watch out for cats! Is it a good idea to subvert nature by making trees bloom out of season? Oh no, you’ve released a sentient, possibly malevolent cloud. Oops.
That’s neat stuff and very sobering. It also conveys the larger warnings against tampering with the forces of nature, as evidenced by the people making nuclear weapons. Ms. Meloy makes her points with subtle grace and that is enchanting, indeed.