This is my third Laura Purcell, after her cracking debut The Silent Companions, and her last chilling thriller Bone China, and she has now confirmed her place in my "auto-buy" list of authors, because I have loved every single one - and this, her second book, is my favourite of the lot so far!

As with all Laura Purcell's books, I have treated myself to reading them alongside listening to the wonderful audio book productions - call me strange, but I think you really do get more out a book this way. This particular audio was narrated by Nathalie Buscombe, and it is a corker.

In The Corset we have the entwined stories of Dorothea, pampered and privileged, but not without her own trials and tribulations in the shape of a controlling father, and the poor, mistreated Ruth, who is awaiting trial on murder charges.

The story unfolds as doer of good works Dorothea, intent on collecting evidence to support her theories on phrenology, visits the newly established women's prison to provide succour and spiritual guidance to the poor wretches imprisoned there - and to get a good feel of their cranial lumps and bumps while she is at it. During one of her visits Dorothea meets the ill-fated Ruth, who she is convinced she can lead towards redemption before the consequences of her crimes catch up with her, but as Ruth begins to relate her dark and fantastic history, Dorothea's theories are put sorely to the test. Can Ruth's tale be true, or is she playing games with Dorothea?

As Dorothea goes back and forth to the prison, we get to hear more and more of Ruth's tale, interspersed with details her own life and it becomes clear that not is all rosy on that front either. What really happened to cause the death of her own mother? What are her father's intentions? And how can she ever be free to marry her secret love, a lowly member of the constabulary?

As ever, Laura Purcell weaves her considerable skill to draw us into the stories of both these young women, showing us that even though they have come from very different backgrounds there are shocking similarities to be drawn from their experiences. One thing that always strikes me about Purcell's books is the magical way she walks the line between what is believable and what is not, bringing in just enough of a supernatural undercurrent to make you question exactly what is going on - and she keeps you on tenterhooks all the way through this one, until the absolutely glorious and breath-taking ending. It's superb!

If you like your historical fiction on the dark and Gothic side, then I can highly recommend any of Laura Purcell's books for your delectation - make sure you put aside a chunk of time if you choose to read them though, because I promise you are not going to be able to put any of them down once you begin.

I cannot wait to get to Laura Purcell's upcoming novel The Shape Of Darkness, which is coming in January 2021, so watch this space dear reader for more spellbinding story telling from her enchanted quill!

Thank you - we featured Kate Atkinson on Caboodle (website and newsletter) in 2019! We look forward to working with you in 2020.

If you are looking for the perfect Gothic historical fiction to curl up with this autumn, Laura Purcell's The Corset is the book for you.

Purcell weaves an intricate tale, walking the fine line between mystery, and the supernatural, when Ruth, a poor woman, desperate to save her mother from debt believes she can hurt people from the pain she sews into the clothes she makes. Our other narrator, Dorothea is a privileged young lady who spends her time helping prisoners like Ruth. Dorothea also happens to have fallen in love with a police officer well below her station, and must sacrifice her home and the life she knows if she wishes to marry him. The narrative alternates between the two women as Ruth tells her tale from prison, and Dorothea endeavours to help her through her work in phrenology.

As their lives converge and intertwine, we see a picture of the various aspects of Victorian life and their stories begin to draw interesting parallels. Purcell creates a winding and complex mystery that can be hard to predict. The narrative is darkly delicious and highly original, with all the nuance and tidbits of detail you would hope to see in a novel set in this era. Purcell even pays homage to the tradition she writes in through Dorothea's budgie 'Wilkie', and it is certainly true that the tale follows in the footsteps of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. Collins ties so many themes together in this book, from class differences to the plight of women in this period, and from science, to religion to superstition. The novel is very much about the power of what you believe, or in some cases, what you choose not to believe, which can both cloud your judgement just as much.

At it's heart this is a brilliant, dark, chilly gothic mystery and is ideal for dark chilly nights.

I really enjoyed this sophomore offering from Laura Purcell. It tells the story of Dorothea, a young heiress who believes in the science of phrenology and tries to show that the bumps on a person's skull can show their personality traits by focusing on the women in prison, specifically, murderous teen, Ruth. I thought the dual perspectives structure worked really well and felt that Dorothea's chapters often lightened the mood when contrasted with the horrors discussed in Ruth's chapters (the birth scene was particularly gruesome). Dorothea is unashamedly intelligent, which was refreshing given the historical setting and similarly, the Metyard family is absolutely grotesque, almost to the point of parody. There is a hint of the paranormal throughout the narrative, but for the most part, this is very much rooted in reality and the horrors that people can inflict upon one another. I would say that some of the reveals within the plot were quite easy to see coming, but given that the narrative is so deftly woven, it doesn't impact on the reading experience and the ending is suitably sinister. Overall, I thought this was a great read and am looking forward to further offerings from the author.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was unable to download this book before it was archived.....is it at all possible for me to get this as I was really looking forward to reading it?

Many thanks

When I read this author’s previous book “The Silent Companions”, I have to admit to being underwhelmed. I had liked the premise but not the execution. I felt in that novel, the characters and the town were somewhat two-dimensional.

So it was with slight trepidation that I set out on this new novel. I did think though that perhaps I had missed something first time around, given the author’s popularity.

Well, happily, that was correct! This novel is much more assured than the first and felt much closer to the sort of novels from this era I enjoy (a la Sarah Waters).

The settings this time were drawn with much more clarity - particularly Ruth’s surrounds. Dorothea’s were less so, but then, this is really Ruth’s story, even though it is dually narrated.

The writing itself had more substance and is beautiful and atmospheric, without being too flashy or getting in the way of the story: “the glass counters winked, malicious.”

This is a book I highly recommend. I had to stay up late to finish it as it raced towards its conclusion! I will now await Laura Purcell’s next book with excitement.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, Raven Books and Laura Purcell for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Corset by Laura Purcell, aka the queen of Gothic fiction, is a chilling, eerie tale which considers fortune, misfortune and the nature of evil. Purcell has followed The Silent Companions with an absolutely stunning novel which presents excellent characters, a gripping plot and some seriously disturbing scenes. The Corset by Laura Purcell will be published by Bloomsbury Raven on 20 September, 2018.

The Story
Ruth has been convicted of murdering her mistress. Dorothea is trying to uphold her mother’s charitable practises, so regularly visits with the female inmates at the local prison. However, even she has ulterior motives. As Ruth reveals her tale of distress, destruction and poverty, Dorothea is carefully trying to examine her skull to prove her hypothesis about phrenology. Both women uncover truths about the events leading to Ruth’s incarceration which will change their lives forever, and both women help each other in learning more about themselves than they thought possible.

Why this is a great novel…
The Corset by Laura Purcell is brilliant because, as with Purcell’s previous novel, it is incredibly well researched and well-written. I love reading the way that she writes these two female leads, giving them such opposite lives and natures, whilst presenting them both with difficult choices to make and paths to take. The plot of this novel is particularly striking; I at first found Dorothea’s side of the story a little dull, but once parallels become aligned, I enjoyed her side just as much as Ruth’s. This is a difficult feat, as many multiple perspective narratives struggle to keep the momentum and tension building in both voices. I also enjoyed the progression of both characters; Ruth opening up to Dorothea, finding herself freer as she weaves her story, and Dorothea learning that her doe-eyed innocence is not always the best way to see the world.
I found the intrinsic details of sewing, phrenology and the criminal justice system so interesting. I felt that these characters knew exactly what they were doing and talking about, and Purcell has outdone herself in terms of researching these practices. I particularly enjoyed reading the sections where Ruth is crafting corsets, as these are such old-fashioned garments, that it is interesting to see how they have developed from this time period.
Contrary to popular opinion, I actually thought that The Corset was just as good as The Silent Companions. I felt that the two women’s interwoven stories were just as hard-hitting and chilling to the bone. I will note that The Corset is not so much a ghost story, so there are fewer heart-racing scenes, but then I believe that for this reason they can not be compared as such. The way Purcell writes still gripped me from the first page, and I was so invested in the characters’ endings that I couldn’t not love this novel. I will say that, hopefully in the final copy, Purcell has wrapped up Dorothea’s love life in some way or another, as I felt a little sympathy for both men awaiting their answers.

Overall, I loved The Corset by Laura Purcell. I found it appropriately gripping, gory and disturbing in all the right ways. It did not fall into the trap of too many Gothic conventions, which made it all the more enjoyable and displays Purcell’s pure ownership of the genre. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys crime fiction told from the criminal’s point of view, lovers of dark historical fiction and people who want to read a book with a touch of the dark side! Thank you to Bloomsbury Raven for my advance proof copy in exchange for an honest review.