The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore
Source: NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing
Rating: 2/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW WITH SPOILERS**

The Bottom Line: This page sat blank for more than 24 hours thanks to me wondering what I really wanted to convey about this book. Shifting through all the thoughts and feelings came down to one thing: while I didn’t dislike this book, I also feel like it is a story that has been done before, many times over, and done better than what I found between the covers of this book. The most recent iteration of this trope that comes to mind is Alias Grace though I freely admit there are some large differences between the two stories. I think what I was looking for in this book, one I was very excited to read based on the synopsis, was something different, some new twist or element that would allow this book in particular to stand out from all the others like it. Sadly, I did not find that element.

The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore is a historical fiction novel with a treat for suspense lovers. The reader is made to believe he knows the plot all along, which is obviously tuned upside down as the story progresses.

The best part about this book is the character build up. Every chapter makes the reader change their opinion about the way a certain character will lean, which is beautifully presented even though the task is complex to say the least. Using flashbacks to present important facts about the leading character is a tool perfectly deployed in this case. The gloomy surroundings in which the story is based add to it.

The prose is written for the patient reader: there were times when I wanted the story to take some turn but I was offered with more-and-more useless details.

Even though I am an advocate of open-to-interpretation endings, this one didn't quite fit the bill. Too much is left unsaid.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Read it for the character build up.

A dark read about lost and forbidden love. The characters are all devious and back stabbers. The atmosphere and setting is gloomy and cold which adds a chilling dimension to the prison setting and Lucy’s working in a house where she is a companion/ slave to the selfish blind mistress. The events leading to the demise of Lucy come to a head at the end of the book. All were responsible for their own fate.

Unfortunately, I do not think this was a book for me. I did not care for it all. I am giving it one star.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Lucy Blunt is the perfect unreliable narrator, ensuring that the reader never feels truly comfortable with this novel. You're never quite sure whether to believe her protestations of innocence or not. I thought Blakemore built up the world very well and the characters were all well drawn, although I would have liked more background on some of them, especially Rebecca. That's also the flaw of a first person unreliable narrator I guess! There was a definite sense of unease and tension that ran throughout the novel and made it difficult to put down. The constant jumps between time periods also serve to discomfort the reader, though there were definitely places where I felt this could have been signposted slightly better.

Perfect for fans of Alias Grace and See What I Have Done.

The Companion

Lucy is cold-hearted, and throws a mean punch. A damp, cold feeling followed me through her entire story. I knew for sure that there was nothing I knew for sure. . . .except I couldn’t trust any character as far as I could throw them! A sexual tension slipped around, just under the skin of conversations, and I kept looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was coming up behind me as I read. Finally, I just found a cozy, dark corner. Did she or didn’t she kill? She’s smart, she’s planning every second, and knows more about poison and botanicals than the usual Jill. She’s easy with girls, and boys? well, she’s not happy about it, but makes it available. . . .a calculating currency, it seems. Her partners react, but she is indifferent and acting-as-if.

Her new situation with the Burtons – is it new cover or a saving grace? They are blissfully caught up in their own day-to-day worries, and the household servants all looking out for their own Main Chances, it seems. Between the narrative about the Burtons, and the events of the community, breadcrumbs are dropped, disappearing along the path on which Lucy walked in, and that’s the path where it feels like the all the answers will be found. Yet I never got my feet on that path to the degree that I felt I understood what happened when to whom. My satisfaction was kept safely out of reach in that I got very few of the answers. . .even when I stayed to the very last word. I have a “vote” for what certain answers are, but would not submit to an exam of any kind on the subject. The questions for bookclubbers at the end. . . .well, that would be a C for me, at best.

Yet the writing is tight and painterly, and the details attended to so carefully and fully that the actual bones of the story are strewn about in such a way that it required multiple reads for me to sort my way through the Before story and the After story, and the Present/Final story. Not a bad requirement, but not something a casual reader usually pursues. Perhaps this aspires to something bigger – Required Reading text for English 203? Still, the bleakness feels rather Bronte-ish. I’m done with it, and the wind keeps whipping my legs. . . .in spite of blue, blue skies.

A 3.5 Star Recommendation from me!

Thank you to Kim Taylor Blakemore, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Disliked this book. Characters were one dimensional; plot uninteresting and predictable. I do not recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher, and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Beautiful writing! I was confused a bit in the beginning; the story jumped around a bit before I got to know the characters and their parts in the story. A lot of darkness in the MC's life that makes you feel sympathy for her; best of all were the surprises left, that I, as a reader, never imagined; not until the story itself reveals such events. I would definitely read more books from this author.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This piece of historical fiction reminded me a lot of Margaret Atwood, which can only be a good thing. The language was beautiful and very well chosen. I enjoyed the wording immensely however I found the story to be a little predictable on occasion and one or two characters weren’t as credible as the others. Lucy is in prison and awaiting to hear of her fate. If found guilty she will be hanged. She claims to be innocent however nobody truly believes her claims for she has been unreliable and untruthful in the past. The story is a good one, it will appeal to all who enjoy good writing. I give this work 4 stars and would highly recommend it.

This book was an average read. I had been expecting more but it was still an ok book.
Writing style and pace were of average quality
An ok book

This book is by turns light and dark, literary and suspenseful. The historical aspect of the story is mesmerizing. Is Lucy guilty? I devoured this book while on the beach and was completely transported in time.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Frankly, I hated this book. It wasn't a love story. It wasn't a mystery. It was a twisted tangle of darkness that had no light. The main character is haunted by so many ghosts that they're hard to keep track of. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, unless they're fans of long-winded plodding.
However, the author has chops. Had she not, I wouldn't have made it to the end of the story. If she turned her sights to something that wasn't a meandering walk to the hangman's noose, I'd try her work again.

Thanks You to NetGallery and the publisher for a providing a free advance copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
This is the compelling story of women in levels of society trapped by circumstance in New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century - Young Lucy Blunt on trial for murder reflects on what got her sent to prison. Eugenia Burton, the blind mistress of the manor house, who days are spent locked in a house, with only her companion for company. Rebecca, Mr Burton’s cousin, the companion who has been displaced by Lucy. Finally, poor Mary, who’s mysterious death opened opened up a spot for Lucy to join the house hold of secrets. This book actually reminds me a lot of the movie “ the Favorite” where two women compete for the attention of the “ lady of the house” to disastrous results. It also reminds me a bit of Wuthering Heights , in terms of the bleakness and isolation felt by the characters.

This book is the ultimate example of an unreliable narrator- Lucy tells the tale from her POV, but as I read I got the feeling that everyone is lying, unless it’s just Lucy implicating everyone else to absolve herself. Unfortunately the author chose to reveal few definitive answers, and as the deceptions build up, it is left to the reader to decide who and what to believe. I rated 3 stars because the ending would have been more satisfying if some of the mysteries were resolved. Instead just like in life, sometimes we never know what really happened.

I received this book free from Netgalley. That did not influence my review.

The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore is a beautifully written, atmospheric, gothic historical novel set in mid-eighteenth century New England. Unreliably narrated by the protagonist, Lucy Blunt, from the New Hampshire State Prison where she is being held for a double murder, the story moves back and forth through time to explain how she ended up with a death sentence hanging over her. She insists that she is innocent, but is she?

Lucy Blunt is not a likable character but she is sympathetic. Her life has been one of almost unrelenting misery. The book is pretty dismal because of this. At times I had to put it down to take a break from all the despair. The one bright spot in her life is her love for her employer, Eugenie Burton. The lady of the house also loves her, maybe. At least, they begin a torrid affair. Lucy is promoted from kitchen maid to Eugenie’s companion. (Eugenie is blind, and pretty much confined to the house by her possessive, overly protective husband.) This causes a good deal of friction with Eugenie’s current companion, Rebecca.

Things go from bad to worse for Lucy. Her backstory is a nightmare that keeps creeping up on her. She makes some bad decisions, but her options are so limited she doesn’t really have any good decisions available.

There is a mystery wrapped up in the story as well. If Lucy didn’t commit the murders, who did? Despite the downward spiral of misery, I had to keep reading to confirm the true culprit and learn how Lucy’s story would end.

The Companion follows the story of Lucy Blunt as she awaits her date of execution in 19th century America. The narrative is split between her experience in prison awaiting execution and the story of her time in the Burton household. This makes for an interesting read and increases the suspense particularly as Lucy is far from a reliable narrator.

There have been a few recently published books with a similar storyline but Blakemore makes it her own. It is well written with intriguing characters and relationships. I thought the description of life in prison was done particularly well.

It was also an interesting portrayal of women’s lives at that point in history. For different reasons, Lucy and Eugenie don’t conform to the strict societal norm and suffer the consequences of this.

Spoilers: Kim Taylor Blakemore’s The Companion is one of those novels that begins in a way where you think you know everything, but then it turns you around into being about something else entirely different. In this case, it makes for a novel with an intriguing suspenseful plot but lacks in character development.



In the opening, a woman is awaiting her execution and tells the Reader that she is responsible for three maybe four deaths. So, the Reader prepares for a novel about a serial killer explaining how she killed her victims. Instead, we learn that everything is not as cut and dry as we thought and the woman on death row is less a villainess and more of a victim.





The woman on death row is Lucy West and she was originally hired as a maid in the home of a 19th century well-to-do New English couple, The Burtons. Even in the first few pages, there are hints that all is not as it seems. There is the fact that Lucy's predecessor, Mary mysteriously drowned. Eugenie Burton, the mistress of the house, is blind and has to be led around but harbors some other eccentric behaviors. Rebecca, Eugenie's companion is highly suspicious and intensely jealous of any attention that anyone else gives Eugenie. Then there is Lucy who is herself a contradiction by hinting that her references are fake and is in grieving for her deceased son.



Blakemore is great at building suspense. Even though the book is told in flashback from Lucy's first person perspective, we only get droplets of information as Lucy (and Blakemore) sees fit to show us. Early on we learn her son, Ned, died but we don't learn how or the circumstances surrounding his birth and death and why this results in her being on the run until later in the book.



We learn about the death of poor Mary, but don't learn how it is connected to the rest of the book until later. For a long time, Mary is almost a red herring until suddenly she isn't.



While the suspense is palpable and makes you question the plot and character, unfortunately it comes at the expense of good characterization. The Reader is always on guard so they don't get much of a chance to understand or even empathize with the characters including Lucy.



Lucy purposely hides information and doesn't let the Reader in on her real intentions that once the resolution is made, we have to read back a few pages to make sure we understood it. It doesn't help that Lucy makes herself a subject of suspicion as many people sharing prison with her remark that she doesn't feel remorse for any of her crimes, when at least one should have based on the information we are eventually given.



The lack of characterization in favor of suspense also doesn't do other characters any favors. Rebecca seems to have been auditioning for the role of Mrs. Danvers in Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca (maybe intentionally so, considering the name). We get the creepy servant part, but we don't get what made her so trustworthy and alluring to Eugenie in the first place.



Eugenie Burton, who is by far the most intriguing character, falters as well. She and Lucy get involved in a romantic relationship which has some sweet moments but is tempered with more suspense. Their romance of course plays into the conventions of its day and it is interesting how the two women manage to coordinate their alone time away from prying judgmental eyes. However, Eugenie and Lucy's romance is hampered by accusations that Lucy is one of many extramarital Sapphic flings Eugenie has had. We are not sure whether it's malicious gossip or the truth and honestly Eugenie's behavior suggests that it could go either way.



Unfortunately one of the strongest most emotional moments, when Lucy and Eugenie agree to run away together is muted by the machinations of the plot and the realization that nothing in either woman's previous behavior suggests that this is plausible or even a believable outcome.



A novel that is built on suspense cannot just rely on the twists in the plot to keep the Reader interested. Sure it will keep them reading and guessing. In the end, it may even surprise them. But a good suspense novel has to give us strong identifiable characters that experience the twists and surprises. Otherwise, the suspense falls flat.

I know that I am enjoying a book when I hardly pause reading to make any notes and this edition is very clean indeed. Although the subject material is familiar for the genre, I still felt that the author struck just the right tonal notes to set the period scene both in dialogue and prose. All of the relationships in this book are complicated with shifting moments of love and hatred between man and wife, servant and servant, servant and wife- even the cat was impossible to pin down entirely. Because of this I enjoyed reading about almost every single person, even the outlier characters.
Lucy proves an excellent example of the unreliable narrator, no matter how much sympathy or derision you may find for her as she tells her story. The reader is drip fed just enough information to be kept guessing and I thoroughly enjoyed the misdirection. A solid read.

The Companion is a very compelling read, Narrated by Lucy who is on death row accused of murder and waiting for the hangmans noose. Set in the mid 19th century in New Hampshire we follow Lucy as she reminisces about her time working as a servant/ companion to the blind mistress of a grand house. We see her arrive at the house and try to fit in. It soon becomes obvious that she is a complex and not completely reliable character.
It's historical fiction, mystery and psychological thriller all rolled into one and very well written.

I loved getting inside Lucy's skin I felt her longing to be needed and her frustrations and buried grief for her own losses.

I recently read another couple of books, somewhat similar in theme and feel that readers who enjoyed The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby and The Confession of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins will also, as I did, enjoy this as will anyone who enjoyed Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

A great book! Flew through the thing and make me forget about my life for the time my eyes where glued to the page. I didn't connect with the characters overall, but still a great story.