On her 16th birthday, Carmela is finally allowed to begin training at La Tofana, the apothecary run by her mother and two other women in 17th-century Rome. Sometimes called a witch, Carmela’s mother, Giulia, and her staff, Maria and Laura, treat a host of run-of-the-mill ailments. They also secretly help women, including Laura’s childhood nemesis, Violetta, end unwanted pregnancies. And on rare occasions, Giulia will give an abused woman whose life is at risk a potent and, when her instructions are followed, undetectable poison to kill her husband. Alone in the shop one day, Carmela makes the decision to give the poison to a woman who is regularly beaten. The woman ignores the dosage instructions and is arrested for murder. She implicates the shop and Giulia, whose own mother was put to death for murdering her abusive spouse. Warned by a priest of her likely arrest, Giulia flees, leaving Carmela filled with guilt, grief, and worry. Carmela slowly picks up the pieces, buoyed by Maria and Laura, and, to her surprise, Violetta. The prose narrative of this compelling novel that draws loosely on historical figures is interspersed with free-verse poems that underscore how often women face abuse, both from those they know and strangers on the street; how their options may be limited by economics; and their limited power in many situations regardless of economic status. The story also offers balm—and healing—in the age-old practice of women helping women. (Age 13 and older)

This historical novel in prose and verse tells the story of a deadly secret hiding in plain sight and of the women who risk everything to provide care for those with nowhere else to turn, perfect for fans of Blood Water Paint and The Lost Apothecary.

Early Seventeenth-Century Rome
For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing: to be allowed behind the counter of her mother’s apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she’s finally allowed into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. But for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there’s another potion requiring darker ingredients. And then there’s Aqua Tofana, the apothecary’s remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela’s years of wishing to follow in her mother’s footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all.