If you are looking for a creepy, sinister book to read this Halloween, look no further. Faeries, dark caves, floating lights, radical medical experiments, haunted houses, servants with shocking secrets, changelings and scary dolls. Yes yes yes!! This has it all.

Bone China is a character driven gothic tale of superstition, obsession and insanity. It is so dark and atmospheric and every page is filled with an unsettling, ominous foreboding. I was gripped and beguiled.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Silent Companions by this author so jumped at the chance to get a copy of Bone China from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review... but having finished it I feel a bit disappointed.

The story is quite complex... we start with Hester Why who is starting a new life with a new identity after an issue in her last position as a lady's maid. As the story progresses we learn more about this. She ends up at Morvoren House caring for Miss Pinecroft who is elderly, ill and sits looking at the China. The reader is taken back 40 years to see her story. Morvoren has secrets and sadness of its own and there is a history of death, illness, madness and maybe magic. Whatever it is that is going on there has been going on a long time but no one is prepared to give up those secrets or even acknowledge that what is going on there is just weird.

Bone China has the same gothic, creepy feel as the Silent Companion. It's spooky and secrets from the past are very much present 40 years later. But... the story is quite complex and as much as I wanted to enjoy it, I'm just not intimidated by fairies and pixies and I think this is why the book missed its mark for me. The author does a great job in exploring the Cornish folklore and superstition but I just wasn't convinced. Also I felt there was too much time given in this book to information, history and discussion that although interesting meant there wasn't anything else going on. For most of this book, I didn't really feel like I knew what was happening and events that were occurring didn't hold my attention.

Even after reflecting on what I've read, I'm not sure I understand what was going on for Miss Pinewood. I also didn't really like Hester very much and didn't really feel like I invested in her. As a main character she wasn't very likeable at all - not just because her character was a bit weak but the things she did. She isn't a nice person. I wasn't rooting for anyone in this story and the end didn't feel very neatly tied up. It all could have carried on the same and nothing need have changed - I wasn't convinced by the explanation we get as to why things would be different. It was too simple and could have been resolved years ago if that was what it took...

I really love the style of writing and there is no doubt this author can create an amazing creepy atmosphere even in a place as beautiful as Cornwall but there was something missing here for me which meant I liked it and could appreciate it but I didn't love it.

I absolutely adore Laura Purcell - she writes in her own unique way where you don't quite know if there is something supernatural going on or if the events are due to the subjectivity of the narrators and maybe they have psychological issues? This uncertainty is her unique selling point and the reason why I buy her books based on her name alone.

I love her so much that I requested this on Netgalley and waited ages for approval so then asked for it on The Pigeonhole and was approved - only to be approved by Netgalley the next day!

Anyway, I must say that I don't think this is her best book and, while I wasn't disappointed, it seemed to lack the pace that the others had. The setting in Cornwall wasn't my favourite setting and I felt that the spooky element wasn't quite what it was in The Silent Companions. In The Silent Companions there is an almost claustrophobic feel about the house but this book is based both inside a house and in caves nearby. As such, neither setting gets the chance to really build. Laura Purcell definitely builds atmosphere but it felt divided here and does not deliver as much impact.

Her descriptions are incredible and her use of adjectives is fantastic to keep the reader's attention.

The narrative structure is slightly unusual in that we have Hester/Esther telling her tale in the current day (but with some flashbacks to her previous experiences), we then have Louise/Miss Pinecroft telling her tale from 40 years ago, then her father is added into the mix and then the current day older Miss Pinecroft also chimes in. It works very well in that multiple perspectives fit together to give us little clues of events. However, it did feel like a few too many narrators/timescales and it was necessary to stop and think as you embark upon a chapter - something I haven't had to do with this author's previous work.

I still highly recommend the book though.

Thanks Netgalley (and The Pigeonhole!), the publishers and author for the advanced copy of this book - can't wait for her next one!

This read had a lot to live up to as I loved both Laura Purcell's pervious book. This one is set over a duel timeline and is a brilliant gothic, dark and creepy tale.

It is mainly set on the cliffs of Cornwall in a once grand falling down mansion house where Hester Why is nurse to Louise Pinecroft where the door must be locked! There is lots of creepy goings on and

Brilliant read with plenty of holding your breathe moments.

I've really loved Laura Purcell's previous two novels so was looking forward to her latest and it certainly didn't disappoint. Bone China is a dark atmospheric Gothic tale with some very creepy characters. Set in Cornwall over two time frames it tells the story of the widowed Dr. Pinecroft whose family, apart from one daughter Louise, died from phthisis (TB) and he's devoted his life trying to find a cure for this dreadful disease. Forty years later Hester Why is employed as a companion for the now elderly and infirm Louise who is still living in the same creepy house in Cornwall. A most enjoyable read with an unexpected ending.

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U.K./Raven Books for an eARC via NetGalley of Laura Purcell’s ‘Bone China’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third Gothic chiller by Laura Purcell and I feel that she is going from strength to strength. I expect that ‘Bone China’ will be another best seller.

It is mainly set in an archetypal Gothic setting of a crumbling mansion on the Cornish coast. Hester Why has come to Morvoren House to serve as the nurse for the ailing Louise Pinecroft. Hester was originally Esther Stevens but changed her name and fled from London to escape her past. Yet she finds herself in a household in the grip of local superstitions.

The narrative moves between this present (while no specific date is mentioned, Hester refers to the Prince Regent and Napoleon so it is set during the Regency) and forty years previously when Dr. Ernest Pinecroft and his daughter, Louise, arrive at the house with the intention of undertaking medical experiments seeking a cure for tuberculosis after his wife and other children had died from it.

I found myself very caught up in the story of the atmospheric Morvoren House and the local beliefs in mermaids, fairies and pixies. Hester is extremely sceptical and quite vocal about it as Dr. Pinecroft and Louise had also been in the earlier segments. Whether readers side with them or are more open to these traditional folk beliefs may effect how they experience the novel.

The Regency sections are narrated by Esther/Hester and we also learn why she left London. I found her a complex character though at times quite unsympathetic given her dependence on gin and laudanum.

Purcell has also incorporated medical practices from the period linked to seeking cures for tuberculosis, known then as consumption or phthisis. Then there is the bone china of the title, which features in a collection that belongs to Louise Pinecroft.

Spooky goings on, things going bump in the night, sinister servants, a nearby turbulent seascape, whispers of changelings and the Fae, ‘Bone China’ has this and more. I likely will be recommending it for one of my reading groups as it not only offers an atmospheric Gothic tale but plenty of material for discussion.

A dual timeline Victorian gothic horror story set in Cornwall. Underneath the cliffs near his home, Dr Pinecroft is experimenting on a group of prisoners who have consumption, in the hope of discovering a cure. Forty years later, escaping her past, Hester Why takes up the position of nurse to Louise Pinecroft, the strange and ill daughter of the aforementioned doctor. Odd things start to happen and superstitions regarding folklore abound. Hester doesn’t know what to believe!

This is a dark, atmospheric and wonderfully creepy tale set in a stunningly picturesque part of Britain. The descriptions are so vivid I could almost believe I was there. The two timelines are woven together brilliantly and there is a great sense of foreboding and eeriness throughout the story. It’s a slow burner with a gradual build up of tension, drawing the reader in and making you wonder if there are in fact ‘little folk’ and ‘changelings’! Not the Tinkerbell type of fairy either. 🧚‍♀️ The ending is a surprising and quite shocking one - it made me gasp. This is definitely a tale of the unexpected.

Beautifully written and well plotted, I really enjoyed this sinister, disturbing and other-worldly read. I’m still thinking about it now and will continue to for a while.

Although I have Laura Purcell's other books on my shelf, Bone China is the first one I've actually read, and I was not disappointed. Her writing is absolutely beautiful and captures everything including the surroundings at Morvoren House, the emotions of each character and the tension that runs throughout the house. It drew me in immediately and I longed to know more about these fascinating characters.

There are so many layers to Bone China: the story of Hester Why and how she came to be at Morvoren House, the story of Doctor Pinecroft and his experiments and the story of Creeda and her belief in fairies  Despite so much going on, I never felt overwhelmed and I was interested in how each strand of the novel worked out and how they were connected with each other.

I don't know what I expected from the ending of Bone China but it certainly wasn't what happened. There was so much tension as the secrets came out and I was frantically turning pages to discover more. The ending will stay with me for a long time.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Laura Purcell’s Silent Companions, I was really looking forward to her new book, Bone China, and it didn’t disappoint. Disgraced Lady’s maid Hester Why runs from her past to find herself at cold, isolated Morvoren House. Inhabited by superstitious staff who carry out strange rituals, the house is anything but the safe-haven Hester had hoped for. Forty years previously, Louise Pinecroft and her father, a doctor, moved to Morvoren House to escape their grief after consumption ravaged their family. With Louise’s help, Dr. Pinecroft intends to carry out a health experiment; he is convinced that the sea air will cure a group of terminally ill prisoners. Louise throws herself into her new role but finds herself disturbed by her new maid’s strange tales and warnings about the fairies that haunt the lands.

This is a great, unsettling read. The story alternates between the two time lines and the connections between them slowly unfurl. The later timeline is told from Hester’s point of view and I really enjoyed the use of an unreliable narrator who is trying to hide from her demons but finds herself in a place where nothing seems certain. With a narrator with addictive behaviour and new acquaintances full of strange tales, there’s no knowing what is real.

The setting was very atmospheric and haunting and I could feel the chill of the china room and the caves. I liked the interactions between Louise and the youngest of her father’s patients, and Louise’s determination in such a hostile environment.

This is a wonderfully chilling read, with uncanny occurrences, strange characters, and a creeping sense of dread while never knowing what to believe. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys gothic mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Books for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Gloriously gothic and deliciously dark - it's fair to say that I loved reading this and I will never look at a piece of willow patterned china the same way ever again!!

Bone China is a story set over 2 timelines and it's a fascinating mix of history, folklore, obsession, madness and superstition. There are many threads throughout that I found so absorbing and I loved how the story went backwards and forwards to give you different glimpses of the characters and to watch it all come together at the end was extremely satisfying!

We start with Hester Why as she travels to Cornwall to take up a position looking after Louise Pinecroft who is confined to her home and rarely speaks. Hester is obviously trying to escape her past for whatever reason, but she soon finds that her present may be just as dangerous as what she left behind.

If she's looking for isolation then the home of Louise Pinecroft might be just the place for her! There's chatter amongst the staff at Morvoren House and she has warning of who to avoid and also the folklore that outsiders may dismiss as nonsense but those living there are more wary. With the almost mute Louise spending the majority of her time staring at the bone china colllection in her room, Hester finds the past playing more and more on her mind and her reliance of self medicating becomes the only way to get through each day.

The story then looks back on Louise in the past, living at the house with her father who was a Doctor, and he sets out on a revolutionary way of treating patients with consumption. It's a fascinating look at life of a different time, and using prisoners at his 'guineapigs' was the only way he could get permission to try his methods out. Having lost his family to the disease he was driven to the point of obsession to try and eradicate it.

And with Hester we get to see her life before her move, and her devotion to her mistress Lady Rose, new wife of Sir Arthur Windrop, whose mother ruled the roost and Lady Rose found herself becoming more reliant on Hester as nothing she ever did was good enough for his mother. Hester was smitten and found herself giving more advice to Lady Rose that others didn't appreciate so much and wanted to find a way to ease her out of the picture - and Hester took to alcohol there too to numb the pain and sadness she felt when things didn't go her way.

As Hester settles into life looking after Louise, a number of other stories open up not least the strange things that are happening around the room of Louise and the influence that certain staff have on the daily goings on at the house. It all felt very unsettling and it was brilliantly played out with every new twist and turn.

It seemed to me that the author had so much fun with these characters and settings! Her imagination ran wild with the folklore elements and it was equally exciting and terrifying as to where the story was going to go!

This is a book that chilled and thrilled me and I loved every single minute! Fabulous!!

Bone China by Laura Purcell
I have read Laura Purcell’s other novels The Silent Companions and The Corset and loved them both. I was therefore eager to read her new offering, Bone China. The fact that it is set in Cornwall, where my family come from and where some still reside, made it even more attractive. It has been mentioned that there are echoes of Daphne Du Maurier in the story and that in my opinion can never be deemed a bad thing.

The story is a dark Gothic tale which revolves around Hester Why who we are introduced to as she journeys down to Cornwall on a stage coach which is involved in a ghastly accident. She is travelling incognito escaping some past misdemeanour which is revealed as we get further into the story. She arrives at Morvoren House where the inhabitants are decidedly strange. Her role is to nurse Miss Pinecroft; who sits in an icy room gazing at a display of bone china.

The reason for Miss Pinecroft’s strange behaviour begins to be revealed; her family has been ravaged by the dreadful disease of tuberculosis or phthisis (as it was then known). The servants working at the house are plagued by superstitions and talk of the terrible misdeeds of the malign fairy folk.

Laura Purcell creates a vivid atmosphere of menace and the book conveys the way in which the sea can be perceived as a malevolent force. The book is full of authentic Cornish phrases and the author displays a good understanding of social history. Strange happenings are strewn throughout the book and the revelations in the conclusion are befittingly chilling. A book I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

'You would never dream of what goes on behind those walls.'

This latest of Laura Purcell's spooky historical thrillers, following from The Silent Companions and The Corset, opens with young Hester Why squashed into a stagecoach, travelling into the West Country. Apart from the difficulties caused by six people being crammed into space for four, she suffers from an early version of a very modern problem ('a brute beast of a man is spreading his legs') and thirsts for her gin flask. It's a bit of a nightmare, which ends when another passenger is hurt and Hester is the only one who steps forward to care for him.

Which isn't the right thing for a woman travelling alone to do, in the early 19th century, and only draws attention to her, which is worse. Hester needs to keep a low profile, for reasons we will discover later - but first we see her introduced to Morvoren House, a chilly clifftop residence where she will care for a mistress in declining health, Miss Pinecroft, and a strange younger woman, Mis Pinecroft's ward, Rosewyn.

Purcell lays on the Gothic touches with delight when it comes to Morvoren House. There are mysterious sounds in the night, superstitious locals, a self-absorbed, almost speechless old woman - and Rosewyn, who spends her time tearing up Bibles to make protective charms. There are surly servants and there are secrets - those belonging to the house, and those Hester brings with her. Above all, there is the threat of the fairies, and the fear that they will carry off a young woman in the night.

The mysteries of Morvoren House can only be understood if we go back 40 years, to the arrival of Louise and her father, Ernest. The rest of the family have died of consumption: a double blow for Ernest who, as a doctor, was unable to save his own. It becomes clear that Ernest is haunted by guilt, and he sets out to defeat the disease, performing experiments on convicts in caves deep below the house.

The mysteries of Hester Why can only, similarly, be understood if we go back several months to a house in Hanover Square, London, where young Esther Stevens takes up a new post as nurse to Lady Rose Windrop. A sympathetic character, Esther nevertheless has a whiff of the dark about her, and Sir Arthur Windrop soon has cause to ponder the series of deaths that seems to follow her... in many respects I found this section of the novel the most absorbing. There is a real tension between Esther and Lady Rose's severe mother-in-law, a real issue around Esther's (and her mother's) knowledge of midwifery and their rivalry with (masculine) medicine. Esther's somewhat brooding, obsessive nature is piqued by her closeness to Lady Rose and the reader senses many currents just below the surface. This part of the story could, in fact, almost stand as a novel in itself and I thought it was a slight shame that it needed to be truncated so that it could serve as Hester's backstory.

The same is true, though to a lesser degree, of Ernest and Louise's story. More wholeheartedly Gothic, and more of a piece with the "present day" narrative, theirs in nevertheless a tale of loss, grief and Romantic 19th century obsessiveness.

Yet I wouldn't, I think, see these stories unplanned and presented one by one. That would be like cutting up a book of Blake's poems to present each alone on the wall. Read together, the impact of these related episodes is more than their sum. We see, for example, in Esther and Louise, two capable young women who in a different age would be doctors. ('You were born to the wrong sex, my dear'). Indeed, Louise has surpassed her doctor father. We also see, ion different forms, the effects of grief and (if I'm not wrong) post-natal depression (perhaps more than one example of the latter). The metaphor of china also appears, slyly, here and there. It's something Purcell will make a great deal of in the concluding section where the rather unique collection displayed in Miss Pinecroft's sitting room seems to have a life of its own, but earlier we see Lady Rose as '...a porcelain figure... a wife was prized for smoothness and lustre'. In the selection or rejection of china as a gift Purcell encodes relationships: something given to a daughter but clearly chosen for a dead wife, or a service rejected when it offends the mystical tenets of class and taste.

And the bone china, too, has its dark secrets...

I loved this story, the darkness in each part, the hint, almost, of sulphur attaching to Hester, her combination of both a vulnerable and wronged young woman and a person who knows things, who brings her own will and her own plans with her. Miss Pinecroft was an enigma, seems ugly a slight character manipulated by others but one whom again, ultimately has inner strength and power. But almost every character here is strongly drawn and complex (apart perhaps from the clergyman, but there's a bit of humour in that!)

Strongly recommended. Get your copy now and read it when the wind gets up and the nights are dark...

Jane Eyre meets Rebecca and Miss Havisham all in a Poldark setting. Is far too glib a description of this atmospheric historical novel. The author writes with a gothic flourish that adds to the mystery of what could be a simple if strange tale.
When Hester Why arrives in Moroven House to look after the enfeebled Miss Pinecroft the most weird thing about her is her obsession with a set of bone china that is hidden away in her dark and dreary parlour. All the other servants seem to hiding secrets but then so is Hester who has lied stolen and escaped from London where in her previous position life and death were close and dangerous companions.
The characters are clear although sometimes confusing as is the Cornish dialect but it can be easily submerged within the atmosphere the author builds around a mysterious plot. Superstitious folklore all adds to the present setting and Hester who already has addiction to gin and laudanum could just be hallucinating perhaps?
Windswept Cornish cliffs, a young woman lying but caring for those in her care and a plot that passes forth and back with strange events being revealed all add to a cracking mystery that is well crafted.

Gobbled this up just like Laura Purcell's first two books. Another twisty chilling gothic tale. Such fun!

Hester Why, fleeing from London, takes on the role of nurse to Miss Pinecroft in Cornwall. What she hoped would be a sanctuary is actually a household ruled by superstition and folklore. Forty years earlier, Miss Pinecroft aided her father in treating sick prisoners within the caves beneath her home, looking for a cure for tuberculosis. The story unfolds as it switches between the two time periods, and perhaps there is some truth in folklore after all.

It’s an interesting premise, but I’m afraid I couldn’t get into this one. The three character POVs felt disjointed and, while it's well written, I found the switching between a 1st person character to one written in 3rd jarring. Hester Why lacked any real depth of character and generally comes across as selfish and unlikable. I couldn’t understand the reasoning behind many of her actions throughout the book, especially her choice at the ending.

The story is based around a commonly known folklore at the time named the changeling. This is where a person believes an infant has been swapped by the fairies for one of their own. While The Silent Companions invoked a sense of creepiness, Bone China fails to deliver and the unsatisfactory ending felt rushed and abrupt.

Firstly I think I might be one of Laura Purcell’s biggest fans. I have loved all her other work and I was eagerly anticipating this book. I wasn’t disappointed!

It is set in a period that I am particularly fond of (Victorian) and in a location I love to read about.. Cornwall.

It is based around one particular character but many come into play as this story unfolds. I was fully immersed in this world and it has just the right amount of intrigue to keep you wanting to read more.

There is an element, in my opinion, of suspense and thriller with a dash of magical realism. I don’t want to give too much away but if you enjoyed her other books then you will definitely enjoy this one!

I think, if I had only one criticism it would be that I wish there was a little more information about some of the characters at the end of the book but this isn’t a complaint at all as it adds to the intrigue and allows you to make your own conclusions!

I read received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

~ I was given an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review, I'm not associated with the author or publisher in any way and the views expressed are completely unbiased and entirely my own. ~

'Bone China' is a gothic historical fiction novel, and is the latest offering from 'The Silent Companions' author Laura Purcell.

The premise of this tale is really intriguing to say the least, especially as someone who's never read any of the authors previous works. Based in Cornwall in an undisclosed era (I think Victorian) 'Bone China' tells the story of Hester Why, who, in a bid to escape her past, assumes a new identity and takes up a position nursing elderly mute patient Miss Pinewood, owner of Morvoren House. There she encounters a household who's staff are preoccupied with superstition and practising strange rituals, and is sufficiently perplexed.

The story jumps between Hester's present day and near past and then back again, offering something of and explanation as to how her current circumstances came about. This wasn't too bothersome, however, just as I was becoming intrigued by the various goings on within the household, the timeline then changes again, going back 40 years to the perspective of a different character - namely Miss Pinecroft when she was a young lady and physicians daughter-come-assistant. This made things feel disjointed and clumsy.

As well as this, Hester isn't a particularly well realised character, so it was difficult to invest in her. She isn't very likeable, and there isn't a sufficient understanding as to why she does the things that she does to justify this as far as I'm concerned.
The motivation for why she ends up in the situation that she ends up in also isn't adequately developed, and ultimately feels abrupt and rushed in order to get her where she needs to be for the story to begin.

I found that there we're just too many elements at play which never really weaved together effectively. I was mostly frustrated waiting for the pay off of each individual aspect which ultimately just never really came to fruition in any satisfying way, unfortunately.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

I am not usually a fan of this genre so maybe I am missing something but this book never seemed to go anywhere.

The main character who we first meet as Miss Why is not a particularly likeable character from what we are shown of her. Her first acts are ones of skill and bravery and I enjoyed these elements of the story. Having fled London under a dark cloud to become a nursing aide I was expecting a tale other than that of fairies and magic.

The back story of her patients time looking after or should I say experimenting on Tuberculosis patients was interesting and feel more could have been made of this. Laura is undoubtedly a brilliant story teller but there was not enough atmosphere and too much left unsaid for me to have really enjoyed this.

When I see a book by Laura Purcell now I snap it up instantly. I also know what to expect - something Victorian, gothic, slightly creepy, containing lots of accurate historical fact, well written and very enjoyable.

Bone China did not let me down. There was my much loved Cornwall which can indeed be a spooky place up on the moors and on the bleaker parts of the coast line. There was all the history of the time - the folklore, the strange to us medical practices, the china clay industry in earlier days.

The story was similar to The Corset in that the main character considered herself responsible for the deaths which seemed to follow her. She was in fact a very unreliable narrator since she was mostly under the effects of either gin or laudanum but that just added to the overall sense of suspicion and confusion.

I enjoyed reading the two separate parts of Louise's life and trying to work out what had really happened in the past. Then came the totally surprising ending and I realised we will never really know. I usually hate endings that leave things unexplained - for some reason I do not mind when this author does it! What will she write next I wonder.

Thank goodness I joined a book club where I came across Laura Purcell and the Silent Companions. I've then gone on to read The Corset and now this one. Ok there is another one that I've not yet read but out of them all, to me, The Silent Companions is still my favourite of Laura's.

Set in Georgian Cornwall, the atmosphere and fashion are well described which set the remote house of the Cornish coast lovely. A dark setting beside the rough and tumble of the ocean.

The staff of the remote manor are continuously spooked by the faeries of the story local area who want to take healthy males and females in order to reproduce. Various measures are taken to avoid them approaching and spells are cast to keep them at bay. The faeries live in the cave below which 40 years previously had another master of the manor, a doctor, who took 5 men from Bodmin gaol to try and conquer the illness of consumption which the prisoners have and if they are healthy once more they can be freed from their prison sentence. Madness ensures with the belief of the faeries who live in the caves that the prisoners are kept in as sea air is believed to be a healthy way to beat consumption.

Great story again from Laura that makes you to continually think about how the ending finishes.