Everything Is Poison

Starred review from October 7, 2024
Sixteen-year-old Carmela Tofana has waited her entire life to become an apprentice in her mother’s apothecary shop in Rome. Alongside gruff but loving Maria and quiet Laura, Carmela is eager to learn the shop’s secrets as well as prove to the town that her mother and coworkers are not witches. But soon Carmela must reconcile her own desires with her mother’s personal decisions and how they affect the women who rely on the shop as a last refuge, while also contending with frenemy Violetta, now in need of her help. When her actions have far-reaching consequences, Carmela must quickly grow into the woman she is meant to become. McCullough (Enter the Body) intersperses bracing poems from the townspeople’s POVs between enrapturing third-person narrated episodes at the shop. Some poems capture moving portrayals of friendship and longing, though central theming depicts the heart-wrenching experiences of the many village women facing physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their partners. Based on a real figure and set in the same universe as Blood Water Paint, as addressed in an author’s note, this eloquent, rapid-fire novel is rich in cadence and history. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

November 1, 2024
In 17th-century Rome, Tofana Apothecary helps women through sisterhood and botanicals in this novel that's loosely inspired by real events. At 16, Carmela Tofana is eager to begin her apothecary apprenticeship under the guidance of her mother, Giulia. She's a quick study when it comes to mixing ingredients for various powders, tinctures, and creams. Carmela also comes to appreciate the tightrope that Giulia walks as an independent woman: Anger the wrong person, and she could be hanged as a witch. Despite the risks, Giulia creates remedies that extend beyond toothaches and digestive problems. Girls and women come to her for help ending unwanted pregnancies, and more than one woman with a violent husband has surreptitiously obtained a vial of the apothecary's most closely guarded secret, Acqua Tofana, which brings about a natural-looking death. But when Patrizia Moretti, beaten and terrified, makes a late-night visit to the apothecary, Carmela's well-meaning actions lead to scandal: Signora Moretti is arrested for her husband's death, and she names Giulia as the source of the poison. Giulia must flee to avoid execution, and Carmela is suddenly thrust into the responsibilities of being La Tofana. As she grieves her mother's absence, she and unlikely allies breathe new life into the apothecary. The novel's mixture of tenderness, brutality, loneliness, resignation, and joy makes for an intimate reading experience. Free-verse poems between prose chapters elevate the story and highlight the universal elements. An emotionally stirring celebration of women finding community. (maps, author's note)(Historical fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from January 1, 2025

Gr 9 Up-Returning to the prose and poetry style of Blood Water Paint, McCullough delivers another rich historical in 17th century Rome, here following an aspiring apothecary. Carmela Tofana, 16, has been waiting her whole life to join the staff of her mother's apothecary and help prove to the town that they aren't witches who help women murder their husbands. Once she's in the workroom, she learns that very occasionally her mother does exactly that, as well as providing vital medical care beyond the traditional remedies found in an apothecary-such as abortifacients. When her actions in the apothecary nearly bring everything down, forcing her mother to flee execution, Carmela is left to take on the title of La Tofana and save the apothecary she loves so dearly. Beautifully constructed with excellent pacing, McCullough's lyricism shines through her characters as they navigate a treacherous world. Third person scenes in the apothecary are interspersed with poetry from the townsfolk, giving the story a rich rhythm and realism about an often ignored period in YA historical fiction. Carmela grapples with grief and loneliness in her mother's absence, creating a community in the wake of disaster while highlighting the realities of domestic violence and lengths women are forced to under the patriarchy. In this novel, set in the same world as Blood Water Paint, McCullough has again found a real historical figure to breathe to life. Cast is cued white. VERDICT An important and necessary purchase for all collections.-Emmy Neal

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *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.

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March 1, 2025
In 1650s Rome, Carmela's mother, Giulia Tofana, runs an apothecary. At sixteen, Carmela is finally allowed to begin training to become an apothecary herself. She learns what goes into healing remedies -- familiar herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and pennyroyal, but also urine, dog feces, dried menstrual blood, and more. What surprises her most is Giulia's willingness to help all who come to her. "There are so many who have no one else to turn to," Giulia says. "That is the daily work we are here for. Giving women a choice over what happens in their bodies," whether it be rheumatism, rashes, birth, dangerous pregnancies, or life-threatening marriages. When an abused wife fails to administer the toxic "Acqua Tofana" to her murderous husband properly, Giulia must flee for her life, leaving Carmela to carry on the work. This is an unforgettable novel of courage, chemistry, and female solidarity in a casually violent, misogynistic world -- in short, in many ways, a topical story. McCullough enfolds a catalog of women's hardships and mutual support warmly and dramatically into the immersive tale of Carmela's growth from dependency and childhood grievances to confident generosity, skill, and compassion. Occasional verse interludes emphasize the pervasiveness of Giulia's clients' difficulties. Deirdre F. Baker

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)