Member Reviews
Wow! This is quite a ride. I felt tense the entire time I read this, given the quick pace and the ever-evolving characters and story. Some trigger warnings - abuse, abortion, lots of death.
This historical fiction tale takes place in 17th-century Palermo and Rome. The group of women making balms and salves also make a poison they judiciously hand out to women who need to rid themselves of troublesome men. As more men start to die, the Pope and those participating in the Inquisition start to take notice.
The female characters are very strong and this was a very interesting book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.
I’m obsessed with female rage and women helping women in a 🔪🔪 kind of way. I’ve always been on a poisoners kick, and this was exactly what I was craving. This is a pretty dark book but overall phenomenal and I loved it
What a fascinating historical fiction piece based on a real woman!
Giulia has an interesting legacy -- a family recipe passed down from the matriarch of her family for a poison that will kill quickly without leaving a trace. The daughter of a courtesan, Giulia doesn't have many prospects for a life beyond this.
She is forced to grow up far too soon at the hands of her lecherous step-father and when she can no longer abide by his abuse, she makes a decision that puts her mother in danger and forces her to flee to Rome.
Nearly two decades later, she has created her own circle of women who help other women with their problems --99% of them being the men in their lives. With no other method for justice or separation, what else can they do but spike the broths and ales of all the wicked men in Rome? Every time a woman visits them with new bruises, they will quietly receive a small vial with instructions on how to use it.
With the numbers of women they distribute their wares to, it was only a matter of time before the authorities realized men are dying at an alarming rate. And so when the Pope decides to rid the city of all witchcraft and get to the bottom of these mysterious deaths once and for all, Giulia and the gang are operating on borrowed time -- but they want to help as many women as they can before they are caught.
A bit of a slow start but ended up really enjoying this one!
How far would you go to help a woman in need?
Inspired by Giulia Tofana, a woman known for creating an undetectable poison and providing it to desperate wives in 17th-century Italy, Cathryn Kemp’s fascinating story asks readers to question if this poisoner was really a murderer or a saviour.
Allow Kemp to capture your attention with her spellbinding narrative that begs readers to uncover why someone would risk their life to help the oppressed women of Rome and Palermo. Was it her harrowing childhood? Grief? Rebellion? Retribution? Something else?
Kemp considers the political climate of the time and suggests that perhaps Tofana was a product of the times. With plenty of showing, not telling, Kemp makes readers aware of the few options woman had in the restrictive 17th society. Divorce wasn’t legal and most marriages were arranged. Women were uneducated and could not support themselves. In addition to these conditions, readers note the flourishing criminal underworld already in place in Rome. Alchemists, apothecaries and those who dabbled in the dark arts/magic, had already congregated and found a welcoming underground community in which to produce solutions to problems that doctors or religious orders didn’t condone or couldn’t heal.
Kemp has formatted her narrative to provide the best experience for her readers. My head was full of questions and I couldn’t read fast enough to understand this mastermind and her weapon of choice. How did Aqua Tofana become the tool of the femme fatale? You’ll have to read to find out. You’ll be championing Guilia and the women she empowers, and will be left feeling thankful for your own circle of women who support you on your journey.
Considering the reason many women sought out this powerful potion producer, readers will most likely already be prepared for some uncomfortable passages. Kemp writes with sensitivity and doesn’t skim over the darkness some women experience.
Next time I get an opportunity to wander through the bustling Campo de’Fiori, I’ll be thinking of Giulia. I wonder if this square will continue to hold its charm for me?
I was gifted this copy by Union Square & Co and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.