(Thanks to projects.ncsu.edu for the visual)
As regular readers of Cooking with Ideas know, I am a fan of Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series with its focus on herbs and plants. This one ran true to form -- informative, fun and truly worth the read. In fact, by some oddity, I ran into related information shortly after reading this and became convinced that a focus on herbal medicine was everywhere!
SPOILER ALERTS are not always easy to see when writing about mysteries -- and yet I want to avoid them. So, I try to be general. This book weaves history with current times together in an intriguing (and unusual for this series) way to address the use of various herbs for contraceptive or abortifacient reasons. (I hope we are not returning to an era where these are desperately needed everywhere -- though I know they still are in various areas of the U.S. and the globe.) In any case, there are a variety of such herbs -- and often relevant information is passed down in poetry, women's tales and more. They include, for example, rue and juniper. And, as you will have guessed, the title of this Albert book points to another: Queen Anne's Lace (aka wild carrot). In this case it is the seeds.
And here comes the potential spoiler: as it often the case with herbal medicine, a little knowledge can be a bad thing. That is, there ar look-a-like plants and sometimes these are poisonous. In this case, the relevant seeds of Queen Anne's Lace look like the seeds of the wild hemlock. The latter is poisonous.
Finally, I am avoiding the plot per se, which is as usual delightful and intriguing, filled with ruminations by the key character, but am not sure I should. As you will know if you are a reader of the series, China Bayles is a skeptic. And, that skepticism about spiritual matters is called into question in this volume. Together with the plant lore, this makes for a novel that got under my skin more than usual. I am grateful to Albert for writing it -- and making me think about my own sometimes knee jerk refusals to believe or take seriously various matters.
So: this rumination is just that -- and I do recommend the novel. Read it. Albert has found another way for women to pass along information we may need -- though we are not in Margaret Atwood's Gilead yet. (For that reference. see The Handmaid's Tale.)
For other mysteries by Albert, and my related views, click here. For a few words from me on a historical (non-mystery) novel by Albert, try here. And, for information on how to identify Queen Anne's Lace/Wild Carrot, try here.
