The Apothecary, Maile Meloy
The Apothecary, Maile Meloy
5 Rating(s)
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The Apothecary

Author: Maile Meloy

Narrator: Cristin Milioti

Unabridged: 7 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/04/2011


Synopsis

It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.

About The Author

Maile Meloy is the author of the novels Liars and Saints and A Family Daughter; the short story collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It (named one of the "10 Best Books of 2009" by the New York Times Book Review); and a bestselling middle-grade trilogy. Her fiction has won the Paris Review's Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award, and the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Meloy was shortlisted for the UK's Orange Prize for Fiction and chosen as one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists.Cristin Milioti’s film and television credits include The Wolf of Wall StreetA to Z, and How I Met Your Mother. She originated the role of Girl in the Broadway hit musical Once, for which she won a Grammy Award and was nominated for a Tony. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Betsy on January 11, 2012

I can be a very smug librarian sometimes. It can get me into trouble. Take my reaction to the cover of Maile Meloy's The Apothecary, for instance. Here we have one of the lovelier illustrated book jackets to come out in recent years. Illustrator Ian Schoenherr really put his heart and soul into it.......more

Goodreads review by Maja (The Nocturnal Library) on November 25, 2011

Sweet and entertaining, but not what I expected. It's the year 1952, and 14-year-old Janie is living a happy, carefree life with her parents in Los Angeles. One day, while walking home from school, she notices a black sedan following her, which causes her parents to panic and make some sudden decisio......more

Goodreads review by Maryam on December 29, 2016

I really liked this middle grade adventure story. The writing style is very good and story is promising enough. Its actual audiences are young adults but I think anybody who likes magic and adventure can enjoy this book. It’s 1952 and Janie is a 14-years-old American girl living with her parents in C......more

Goodreads review by Dewitt on August 30, 2019

THE APOTHECARY By Maile Meloy; Putnam, 2011 Despite its widely positive reception, I am baffled how Maile Meloy’s fifth book, THE APOTHECARY—her first for Young Adults—could engage a serious writer’s talent, even as a holiday from seriousness. There are investments: in the historical framework of 1952......more

Goodreads review by Quill&Queer on July 28, 2024

I have no idea why but from the cover I was expecting more of an fantasy old London fantasy vibe, but this story is actually about Post War London, with magic, spies, and secret Russian plots, with a group of teenagers finding themselves in the middle of it. The combination of magic and science was i......more


Quotes

Praise for Maile Meloy’s THE APOTHECARY:
 
A New York Times Bestseller
E.B. White Read-Aloud Book Award Winner
2011 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
2011 Wall Street Journal Best of the Year
2011 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Reading List
 
 
 “Inventive, smart and fun, an absolute delight.”
REBECCA STEAD, Newbery Award-winning author of WHEN YOU REACH ME
 
 
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW:
“[Meloy] brings to her first book for young readers the same emotional resonance that has won acclaim for her adult fiction, grounding her story in the intricacies of family love, friendship and loyalty blended here with the complicated fluctuations of adolescence.”
 
 
FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:
“Maile Meloy’s sly commingling of the real and the imaginary make this a witty and entertaining Cold War romp—with a touch of age-appropriate romance.”
 
 
FROM USA TODAY:
“The title of Maile Meloy’s smartly written, page-turning adventure/fantasy refers to a magical druggist in London in 1952. . . . It’s for curious readers who, like Meloy’s characters, can make room in their imaginations and ‘allow for the possibilities.’”
 
 
STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:
“[A] thoroughly enjoyable adventure, filled with magic, humor, memorable characters, and just a bit of sweet romance. With evocative, confident prose and equally atmospheric spot art from Schoenherr, adult author Meloy’s first book for young readers is an auspicious one.”
 
 
FROM BOOKLIST:
“Those who know little about blacklisting, the Cold War, and European life after WWII will just have to dive into the fantasy-adventure pool, which runs long and deep. Magic elixirs, transformational disguises, and everyday cunning help Janie, Benjamin, and several scientists elude capture.”
 
 
FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
“[I]ts blend of history, culture and the anxiety of the time with magical “science” will keep readers just as spellbound as the characters.”
 
 
FROM VOYA:
“[G]ood, strong historical fiction spiced with intrigue, magical realism, mystery, suspense, and science…the spies and historical twist give it a lot of flavor.  The illustrations are fluid and delightful.”