Member Reviews
Hester Why has gained employment at Morvoren House in Cornwall. She is to be a ladies maid to Miss Pinecroft. Amongst the household is Creeda another employee, who tells stories and believes in the small people, fairies. Forty years earlier Miss Pinecroft assists her father in a cure for comsumption after losing family members to the disease.
I have loved both The Silent Companions and The Corset so couldn't wait to read Bone China. Like both prevoius books this offering is a gothic, supernatural, brooding tale.
Set in Cornwall the story has a Daphne du Maurier feel to it. The wild landscape and the sea are beautifully described giving a real sense of place.
The story follows Hester as she arrives at Morvoren and has flashbacks to how she has ended up there. This I enjoyed very much. I also loved the folklore and superstitions about the fairies which gave the story a sinister feel. The story also goes back to when Miss Pinecroft is assisting her father, so there is a lot going on in this book.
I didn't quite enjoy this book as much as the prevoius two, although it is very worthy of my four star rating. I just didn't seem to be as engossed in this story as much as the other two books and did find this one a little predictable. This won't deter me from future works by this author.
Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.
Set in an isolated, clifftop house in Cornwall, Laura Purcell continues her run of eerie Victorian gothic.
Hester and Louise are both troubled women haunted by their pasts. When Hester is employed at Morvoran House she hopes to escape and start a new life caring for the paralysed and aging Louise. The story of their pasts emerges through different timelines and slowly reveals tragedy, loss, magic and superstitions.
The reader is left with so many questions at this end of this book. It's creepy, disturbing and filled with atmospheric detail and folklore. Perfect reading under a blanket on a cold night.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review
I loved Silent Companions and I think it was a refreshing, breathtaking book in horror fiction, which was atmospheric and amazing.
I wasn't too keen on The Corset, although the idea was excellent, I disliked the plot, and the ending.
Bone China, on the other hand, sits between these two books for me. Laura Purcell is definitely a great story teller. Her descriptions are amazing, taking you right in the middle of the historical era she writes in and you can see she has an immense imagination. What I didn't like in Bone China was the start- it took so long to open the story up and get warmed to the characters, but once I know where I was and who I was with, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend. I think I kind of made peace that Purcell likes to leave open endings, and I really adore that she creates this strong female heroine, giving the gothic horror a new refreshing face. We'd all had enough of Victorian Gentlemens in the end :)
I am looking to read from her again, she seems to be aiming a novel every year, but I also wonder how long it took to write Silent companions- which was the best gothic fiction ever!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an E-ARC copy of Bone China in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to read this book. It started off really promising. The scene and atmosphere was set really well. It began with Hester Why on her journey and arrival at her new job at Morvoren House. It then took us back to her previous job and the reason why she left. Another part of the story then took us back 40 years or so to tell the story of the life of her new mistress. This was all very exciting and I enjoyed each section and couldn't wait to discover where this would all lead. Then it all kind of fell apart for me. I felt there was such a good build up but the ending felt unfinished with a lot of unanswered questions. This could have been so good, but in the end it was just very disappointing.
A gothic novel based in Cornwall about two women Louise and Hester.
This story is told in two timelines 40 years apart.
I found the story creepy and strange.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
A really unusual book despite it’s very traditional start. Firstly I confess that I had no idea that bone china was made with actual bone. I now feel that I should have known this, as it is absolutely obvious. Not sure my morning cuppa will ever be the same.
The novel is set in Cornwall over two time frames, forty years apart. The link between the period and is well done. Both main characters Hester and Louise are feisty and strong women for their time and I was keen to know what happened to make their stories merge. I liked them both very much.
The star of the show is probably the big isolated house set on a cliff in Cornwall. It provides the perfect setting for the story that builds and ends in a very good reveal.
I recommend this if you like gothic historic novels and are open minded to fairies and folklore. I would certainly recommend it.
A richly gothic narrative drives the plot of this creepy mystery novel by Laura Purcell, author of 'The Silent Companions' and 'The Corset'.
The book's narrative is split into two distinct time frames which centre around Morvoren House - an isolated and exposed property set close to the sea. Initially, the story begins with the plight of a woman, Miss Hester Why, who is hastily fleeing on a coach to Cornwall; the weather is extreme and the travel riddle with anxiety and discomfort. She's instantly an intriguing character who has hidden secrets and who soon finds herself in another environment where all is not at ease; the wildness of the elements is a constant eerie threat and backdrop.
I love Purcell's writing style and the language is rich, emotive and sensory. It's also soon evident that Morvorven House is not the safe place she needs. There's a group of contrasting characters from the kind to the bizarre. I love the underlying threat of insecurity and menace that quickly builds. I also loved how Hester was clearly a flawed character and enjoyed the slow reveal of her past and how she became the troubled young woman we meet.
The other main narrative comes from the past and it's the story of a grieving medical doctor and his daughter, Louise Pinecroft. This was such a sorrowful story and I really enjoyed making connections to Hester's situation in Morvoren House and the historical detail of the revolutionary medical trials with prisoners in the bleak Cornish caves.
With themes of alcoholism, isolation, the fairy-world, drug dependency and grief driving the storytelling, this is a rich and sensory historical read with its roots in sorrow, angst and torment. Just my cup of tea!
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury/Raven Books for the review copy.
When Hester Why takes up the position of nurse to wealthy Mrs Pinecroft, she believes she might actually have escaped the clutches of her recent past. A wretched mistake, a slip of the hand that could see her captured and cruelly punished. She has only just started running but if ever she stops hiding, her fate will be sealed. No amount of guilt or penitence can claim back her freedom or pay for what she has done.
Balanced on a rugged cliffside, sits Morvoren House, weather beaten and hammered into a grim shape by the cruel Cornish wind. Its inhabitants are welcoming enough, honest Cornish folk who toil away, content with their lot but they seem alien and strange to Hester after the etiquette and glamour of London society. In the beginning that is all that stands out about them. Over time, she notices more. They are superstitious, weary, governed by far-fetched beliefs and notions about changelings and the supernatural. They line salt in doorways and clutch bible-balls like talismans to ward off evil, rituals to deter anything from taking someone they love and leaving someone else in their place. And the lady of the house, is even worse.
Unhindered by their fears and woes, Hester goes about her work, caring for Mrs Pinecroft, an elderly woman who refuses to move, to speak, to sleep, constantly watching the china room for something Hester cannot see. Morvoren House is rotten, choked with secrets and superstition and a threat that Hester has not yet become aware of.
Divided into sections, Bone China alternates between past and present, unsettling the reader as tension builds for Hester and allowing a glimpse of how the house and its occupants came to be how they are, so broken and ravaged by memory and fear. I enjoyed both sections equally and thought they melded together beautifully, without jolting the reader and disrupting the flow. Tension and emotion are present from the very first page, picking up pace and growing as the story unravels. The way the author harnesses that unsettling, eerie intensity and creates that creeping apprehension is utterly remarkable.
As I'm from the county, I couldn't help but enjoy the fantastic depiction of old Kernow, some scenes redolent of another one of my favourite author's work, Daphne Du Maurier! Laura Purcell has created another corker, one that draws you in so completely it's impossible to escape. I absolutely love her books - can't get enough of them.
An historical thriller set in Cornwall. This is the first book by Laura Purcell that I have read. The story starts off slowly, gradually building up the tension and becoming more chilling. The more I read of it, the more I enjoyed it.
I liked the characters and, despite what other reviewers have said, I didn't find the narrative shifts a problem. The themes of secrets and obsessions were cleverly worked, and the ending was totally unexpected.
Set in Cornwall, this cleverly uses local stories about fairies to great effect. Hester Why, a servant with a severe alcohol problem and a mysterious past arrives at her new place of employment. She is to be responsible for taking care of Miss Pinecroft, who is partially paralyzed, partially mute and obsessed with her china collection. Hester is bewildered and concerned by the weird way the household runs, with the other servants trying to ‘protect’ the inhabitants from fairies with scattering salt, making weird potions and scrunching up pages of the Bible.
The story moves back to forty years before when Miss Pinecroft is young and her father is trying to cure consumption in a group of convicts by housing them in caves and treating them there. Miss Pinecroft has a new servant who has an obsession with fairies and pixies which she doesn’t understand.
I thought that Hester Why was a really well written character in the way she battles with her past, and I particularly liked the way she was described as feeling when she was previously employed. Miss Pinecroft is also interesting. I loved the layers of mystery created around the characters and the atmosphere of the book.I thought that the use of fairies as a threat was one that I haven’t seen in many books. I really enjoyed this and finished it quickly.
Bone China is a story that unfolds through three period narrations. The first: Hester Why arrives at her new charge's home, Morvoren House. The place is eerie and the people within are rife with strangeness, silence and supertition. Is everything as it seems?
The second: In London, Ester Stevens was a new lady’s maid to Lady Rose, which was going well, until Ester had to run away because of something terrible.
The third: Louise Pinecroft and her father arrive at their new residence, where they plan to conduct experiments on a group of convicts to try and find a cure for the unforgiving consumption.
I was really looking forward to this. I asked for an e-ARC off the back of reading Purcell's The Silent Companions, because I loved the gothic-horror atmosphere of it. I can't help but feel this book didn't live up to my expectations.
I do think Purcell is an excellent storyteller. Her style of writing invites readers to put up their feet, feel cosy and enjoy a story. It has an old air about it that sets the tone well.
I loved the setting of the Cornish coast;.the descriptions were brilliant - the waves, the wind, the gulls, the cold, the grey skies... they all worked so well, to create an unforgettable place I could see so vividly.
My favourite aspect of this was its characters. Without a doubt, Purcell manages to create complex characters that demand to be appreciated, regardless of their likability. Bone China is no exception, as the characters sent my brain wild with theories and my emotional compass in every direction. They provoke feelings of venom, suspicion, shock, sympathy and much more. All of the characters contributed to further illustrating the intrinsic and gothic atmosphere.
In saying that, there were issues with the book. I felt the timelines weren’t successfully intertwined to thread everything together to make sense. The timeline that detailed Miss Pinecroft as a young woman, was given far too much attention. I didn't enjoy these chapters, I'd go so far to say it felt like page-buffering and ultimately unnecessary. It was ineffectual in comparison to Miss Stevens' past timeline and the timeline when Miss Why arrived at Morvoren house.
As well, I wish this had been creepier. It feels untruthful to say that, because the exploration of the potential length superstition and emotion can take people, is in itself unnerving. But... it doesn't change that this wasn't the creepy I was after, especially having read The Silent Companions - which obviously isn't Bone China's fault. However, I also couldn't help but compare it to another novel I read earlier in 2019, that I felt pulled off the "is it eerie folklore or is it not?" mystery more exceptionally. This, of course, is a personal opinion.
I'd recommend Bone China to readers who love gothic atmospheres, complicated characters and the old tone of Purcell's writing style. If you're looking for a creepy and thrilling mystery, or expecting this to recapture the thrill and horror of Purcell's previous stuff, then this is probably going to disappoint you. If you want a creepy mystery/thriller based on ensnaring folklore, pick up Little Darlings by Melanie Golding.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-copy of this, in exchange for this honest review.
Ill admit from the outset that i struggled with this book. I love Laura Purcell's previous two books, I found them dark, sinister, creepy and clever. Unfortunately Bone China was none of those things. It threatened throughout to have an essence of mystery to it, with tantalising glimpses of fairies and the supernatural. However it never really came to pass.
Add to this the completely flat 2D characters, who i really struggled to engage with, the book just fell flat. Massively disappointing.
“Our families have always taught us to show respect to the little people”
I think Laura Purcell is quickly becoming the queen of Gothic stories – her first book The Silent Companions, was given to me for exactly this reason after a friend saw it and thought it would be something I would love. Sadly I didn’t love it but it was a gripping enough tale and seemed to go down really well with other readers. I read her second novel, The Corset and liked this one a lot more so I had very high hopes for Bone China.
“They sing a dirge at the coming of the sun, mournful and forboding, telling me to turn back”
There is no doubt that this story is full of some wonderful, atmospheric writing. We meet Hester, who has come to the coast in Cornwall under an assumed name to take care of ailing Louise Pinecroft, who has suffered from a stroke. The house is described in very descriptive language; with creaking floorboards, shadows and a deep pervading cold, it sets the scene up well. The folk beliefs are also incorporated well and the supernatural element in this novel – fairies – was not what I had expected at all.
I think where it failed for me was the fact that the old lives of Louise and her maid Creeda (maker of bone china and she who knows all about the faeries and How To Keep Them From Stealing You), are suddenly the focus as the narrative changes. This changing backwards and forwards with the narrative was quite jarring and I think it would have been better had this story been revealed in another way. I think instead it made the story somewhat disjointed and therefore lacked some depth. However, having said that I did appreciate Louise more as a character once I knew some of her backstory. But maybe if it had been done in a different way I would have cared more for the characters, as it was I didn’t feel particularly invested in any of them at all.
The biggest save for this story not being rated lower was the fact that I did like the story; I wanted to know where it went and therefore, I kept on reading. But that ending! *open mouth shock*
Thank you to Netgalley for supplying me with an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Yet another superb gothic novel from the very talented Laura Purcell. This time set in Cornwall . Told in two parts 40 years apart . It tells the story of Louise Pinecroft and Hester Why who both have hidden pasts.. It involves cornish folklaw and in places is quite creepy. Lots of strange characters added to the mix makes for a great read.Highly recommended.
I was so happy to receive an advanced copy of this book as I had truly enjoyed the authors previous 2 books. However was much as I enjoyed this book I felt there was something missing from this one. All the same elements were there I just could not connect with the characters and I felt there were more questions than answers when the book finished. Would this put me off reading more from this author no it would not, but I would love it to be as spooky as the Silent Companions.
I was over the moon when I got sent this review copy of Laura Purcell's new book, Bone China. I've loved her writing ever since I read The Silent Companions and The Corset was one of my favourite books of 2018. So I just couldn't wait to sink my teeth into her next tome. Though this novel wasn't quite as long (in terms of page count) as The Corset, it certainly felt a lot denser. This is an eerie story, filled with Cornish folklore, a biting sea wind, and a many feathered beast of a plot. But first, what is it even about?
After fleeing her previous place of employment, Hester Why arrives at Morvoren House, a manor house build alongside the rough Cornish coast, to take up a new position as domestic help. Though her own history is shady and shrouded in mystery, she soon discovers that the formidable house has secrets of its own. Forty years prior to this, Louise Pinecroft is assisting her father in his attempts to save a group of tuberculosis-plagued prisoners. Though the disease has already ravaged their bodies, he is convinced that the sea air will cure them from consumption and moves them into the caves that sit beneath Morvoren House.
Those familiar with Purcell's style will recognise the formula for one of her gothic chillers. We have a remote manor house, mysterious and skittish servants, two different narrative strands, talk of folklore, things that go bump in the night, and the clever insertion of the supernatural. More than any of her other books, I felt that Bone China addressed the opposing worlds of science/medicine versus folklore/superstition. The setting was atmospheric and gloomy and it felt like the perfect book to curl up with at the seaside, on a particularly rough and windy day. Preferably when the wind is howling and the sea is breaking cruelly upon the rocks.
I do think that there were very many plot points, perhaps even too many. I also felt as if some of my questions were never fully answered, even when I came upon the final pages. It's a hugely ambitious work, perhaps her most ambitious yet, the pages overflowing with fairies (and not the nice kind), curses, addiction, death, mental illness, disease, witchcraft and obviously, bone china. There was a lot to unearth, hidden beneath several layers of mystery. It also led me to many a Wikipedia rabbit hole, long after finishing.
I would definitely recommend this book to any previous fans of Purcell's work. I would point any newcomers first in the direction of the deliciously spooky The Silent Companions.
Purcell remains one of my favourite contemporary authors and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
I absolutely loved Purcell’s first Gothic novel, The Silent Companions, but was disappointed in the second, The Corset. Naturally, I was very curious about Bone China, her latest book, to see if it would recapture everything I loved about The Silent Companions. It absolutely did -- I ended up loving Bone China and think it may now be my favourite of spooky historical fiction.
I think one of the reasons I ended up loving this book so much is that it is a return to Purcell’s amazing spooky and atmospheric style. She’s so good at blurring the lines between what is real and what is supernatural -- her characters do not know if they’re going mad or if what they’re experiencing is frighteningly real. I love how she weaves this theme in with her plots to create strange, twisty tales. While I felt like none of this was present in The Corset, sacrificed in favour of endless passages of abuse, Bone China gets back to what I love about her books. Morvoren House is the perfect, spooky setting, especially when coupled with the remote Cornish coast in winter. Bone China is an incredibly atmospheric novel that is perfect for a chilly autumn night.
This book departs from her usual style in that we get multiple points of view. Hester Why’s first person perspective starts the book, then we shift to forty years prior and get Miss Pinecroft and her father’s points of view. It was a little jarring to suddenly switch to a new perspective and style about 25-20% into the book -- which felt a little far to be suddenly changing perspectives -- however it made sense with the revelations of the story and the transitions between the viewpoints became smoother. I ended up enjoying the shifting perspectives and they worked great with the story that unfolded.
Hester is definitely a ‘classic’ Purcell character, and she’s easily the most interesting in the book. She’s a woman running from a shady past, which is slowly revealed through flashbacks, and abuses alcohol and drugs as a result. Her drink and drug-induced haze gets thicker and thicker throughout the book, and it’s hard to tell what is real and what she is imagining. I also enjoyed Ms. Pinecroft’s character -- her backstory is tragic and unfolds in an incredibly interesting way, both in the past and present.
Bone China is a fine addition to Purcell’s catalogue of Gothic fiction. It is a creepy and unsettling tale is filled with twists and turns that will keep you on your toes until the very end. I highly recommend this book if you’re enjoy her other Gothic fiction or if you’re looking for the perfect fall read.
Another truly excellent novel by Laura Purcell, Bone China is riveting, mysterious, and absolutely gripping. Set in Cornwall, this book is full of folklore and magic, not just that of the fairies, but also of the setting. Cornwall is a truly magical place, and it is a fitting location for this book.
An unusual book set in the 19th century. Hester Why runs away to Cornwall to escape her past. She becomes lady's maid to Louise Pinecroft and soon discovers that strange things are happening. The story jumps from the present to Louise and Hester's pasts. Superstition and belief in fairies play a pivotal role. Though well written it is not for everyone.
Laura Purcell is becoming the defining author of my twenties as J. K. Rowling is the defining author of my childhood. I truly love her work and each book ticks all my boxes for a great story. So much so, I would camp outside a book store the night before a release to get one of the first copies.
Her latest addition continues to cement her growing reputation as the Queen of Gothic Horror. Bone China, is set in Cornwall during the Georgian era, where a ladies maid seeks new employment in a house set on the cliffs far from civilisation. She is running from her dark past but this same dark past is running after her too. Once she arrives, she is plagued by the superstitions of the staff and a strange mistress with an interesting past involving a tuberculoses experiment conducted on criminals in the cave beneath the house. But what if its not superstition after all and the warning should be heeded? After all everything can be explained away rationally until it can't, isn't perception reality?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher – Raven Books, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.