 | Everything Is Poison Author: McCullough, Joy | |
| Price: $14.99 | ||
Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Carmela Tofana finally gains access to her mother's apothecary in early 17th-century Rome, where she discovers that alongside healing remedies are dangerous potions that can change women's lives.
Reviews:
Booklist (+) (12/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 12/01/2024 *Starred Review* In seventeenth-century Campo Marzio, Rome, 16-year-old Carmela Tofana is eager to finally be an apprentice to her mother. Carmela has always had a desire to learn everything about the apothecary, whether it’s potion making or assisting others, despite the fact that townspeople call her mother a witch. However, there is a poison that resides amongst the women of Campo Marzio: men that roam the earth or live in their homes, dealing them mental and physical harm. As Carmela immerses herself into the work, she begins to witness the kind of “help” the Tofana Apothecary employees offer: appalling methods to aid battered women from these poisons. One night, believing she is helping a woman in need, Carmela’s brashness causes her mother to go into seclusion, forcing Carmela to run the store and fully comprehend the true, venomous realities of the world. Acclaimed author and playwright McCullough exquisitely reimagines her play La Tofana’s Poison Emporium into a historical teen novel that smoothly mixes in Italian history. Fans of McCullough’s Blood Water Paint (2018) will be enthralled to delve into another story that includes interspersed verse on the subject of “giving women a choice over what happens to their bodies.” A must-read for those who embrace the #MeToo movement. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
