In the caves beneath a remote house on the Cornish coast Dr Pinecroft and his daughter, Louise, have created a sanatorium in an attempt to find a cure for consumption. Pinecroft is convinced the sea air and the cold will lead to a huge turning point in treatment of this pernicious disease, which has already devastated his own family. Louise, his remaining child - an intelligent, spirited and gifted young woman - remains with him to be nurse to his patients.

Forty years later Hester Why takes up employment as the now elderly Louise's personal maid/nurse. Hester finds the house unsettling, some of the staff even more so. She has had a difficult journey herself to get to this point and she is our main point of contact with the household of the elderly, paralysed Miss Pinecroft - but is she a reliable narrator? You'll have to see what you think!

Purcell draws on supersition and folklore in 'Bone China' much as she did in 'The Silent Companions', building an atmosphere of unease and haunting dread as the story gathers pace. Here in Cornwall we encounter not witchcraft but fairies. These are not the sweet little creatures who live among Cicely Mary Barker's flowers, they're the malevolent and cruel beings of folklore. Morvoren House holds many secrets, even the china display harbours something. Creeda - long time servant and nursemaid of Rosewyn (Miss Pinecroft's strange, childlike ward) - believes utterly that she herself was stolen by the faery folk as a child, and then brought back; this event informs her whole outlook. Both Louise and Hester - a generation apart - find Creeda an unsettling force to be reckoned with; is Creeda mad...or can she see more than most?

This is fundamentally a story about loss. We discover that Dr Pinecroft is only able to buy Morvoren because it's previous owner suffered a devastating loss of capital. Pinecroft himself has lost almost all his family; his patieints are convicts - thier freedom gone, they'll die in prison - or in his cave-sanatorium. Louise feels any possible other life receding - she knows she will never marry, and so devotes herself to her Papa and his work. Hester believes herself to be cursed, in going to work at Morvoren she is running away from catastrophe.

Morvoren is not a happy house, it sits on the cliff top, cold and unwelcoming, the house seems haunted, there are 'dripping sounds' and unearthly singing. The cliffs contain caves where strange noises are heard, there are deep fissures emerging in unexpected places. Even Louise's one walk with her faithful dog, one taste of freedom, is affected by the landscape. In setting this in Cornwall Purcell has tapped into the savage nature of this beautiful coast; Rebecca's Manderley, wreckers, mermaids and pixies were never far from my mind while reading this.

Bone China is an unsettling read from start to finish. I was never sure quite where I was with the events described here - even the significance of the titular china is hard to pin down entirely (though I thought I had many times). With it's two eventually converging timelines and several narrators it would have been very easy for Bone China to have become confusing, but Purcell moulds these narratives brilliantly into a creepy and uncanny whole.

If you're a fan of spooky gothic tales then I think this is an ideal autumn/winter read, if you can do so in a big house on a cliff then even better, but maybe keep some of the lights on...and watch out for faeries.

Bone China is a gothic historical novel set in Cornwall and written from the perspectives of two very different women 40 years apart. The first main character Hester works as a companion and carer to the mute and partially paralysed Miss Pinecroft in her very creepy house but in the alternate viewpoint we follow the young Miss Pinecroft when her family first move to Cornwall. I loved the very early chapters which explain why Hester is on the run from her previous employers and that was my favourite part of the story.
I didn’t really enjoy the chapters with the young Miss Pinecroft as much and there wasn’t much of a connection with the rest of the novel. The atmosphere was very spooky throughout and I Ioved the descriptions of the house and the references to Cornish folklore. The author writes really well and the historical setting is well realised. However the ending was disappointing and the two different perspectives didn’t really complement each other as well as they could but overall this was a decent autumnal/Halloween read for when the nights start drawing in!
E- Arc received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Laura Purcell writes another of her well written and atmospheric trademark gothic historical novels set in a isolated house, Morvoren House, on the Cornish coastline that goes back and forth in time. Hester Why is running away from her post as a lady's maid in London, a situation of which we learn much more later. She has changed her name as she arrives in Cornwall at Morvoren House to help nurse the partially paralysed, almost mute Miss Louise Pinecroft. However, Hester just might well have climbed out of the frying pan into the fire. Miss Pinecroft just stares around her, clearly disturbed in her mind in a cold room, her gaze often drawn to the fine china collection surrounding her, it is clear something is not right. The servants around around are a odd lot with their superstitions and folklore about fairies, and strange rituals aimed at fending off the fairies practiced around Miss Pinecroft.

Forty years ago, Louise and her father, Dr Pinecroft, lost their entire family to consumption, leaving them the only survivors, weighed down by an unbearable grief. Dr Pinecroft becomes convinced that sea air is the key to a cure for the ravages of the disease. To prove his controversial ideas, he undertakes an experiment, acquiring some prisoners with the disease, with his daughter, Louise helping him to manage. He brings them to the house, has them taken down into the caves, looked after by carers. What happens there has consequences that echo down the years, and form the basis of local legends and myths. Hester is a woman with the love of gin and opium, it is rather difficult to discern just how far we can trust her through the blurring haze of unreliable experiences. The author excels in creating the psychological conditions where ambiguity runs throughout the narrative, is it the supernatural at work or is it madness?

Purcell has created her very own brand of dark, disturbing, downright chilling and unsettling reading fare that immerse the reader in undertones of horror and creepiness. There are beautiful and well written rich descriptions, particularly of the wildness of the location that serves as an ideal background to the atmospheric tale that unfolds. This is complex storytelling with its complicated characterisations, with its house of secrets, magic, spells, fear and madness. I very much enjoyed reading this despite the occasional unevenness in the narrative, although I must admit that The Silent Companions remains my favourite from the author. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed Laura Purcell’s first two novels, but this one was a big let down for me. She has stepped away from the eerie gothic aspect we have come to know her for, and replaced it with ridiculous folk law fairies that we are supposed to buy into. I rate this author, but not this title. Read one of her others and give this one a miss.

This another compulsive, creepy book from the wonderful Laura 'Spooky' Purcell. This story is told over two time-lines. forty years apart, and is set for the most part on the rugged coast of Cornwall.

After the death of three family members from consumption, Doctor Pinecroft and his daughter Louise move from Bristol to Morvoren House, a property perched on the edge of cliffs overlooking the sea. The heartbroken Doctor is determined to find a cure for the disease that took his beloved wife and two youngest children, and arrangements are made for a group of consumptive inmates from the local prison to be moved to caves in the cliffs below Morvoren House for the Doctor to treat and, hopefully, cure. Morvoren House is not a huge property but Doctor Pinecroft employs a maid to assist with the day to day running of the house, a girl who has plenty to say about the local folkelore and superstitions.

Forty years later 'Hester' leaves her employment as a maid i London in somewhat of a hurry and takes up work at Morvoren House as a personal maid to the Lady of the house who is an older woman in very poor health who spends all day, every day, and most nights, sitting in a chair in a room surrounded by selves and shelves (and more shelves) of blue and white bone china.

As with Laura Purcell's previous books, this is a very atmospheric story with a hint of something possibly supernatural. Another fantastic, eerie read from an author who has become a firm favourite.

I am a huge fan of Laura Purcell’s writing and I loved her first two books, The Silent Companions and The Corset. Gothic fiction is one of my favourite genres and Bone China showcases Purcell’s talent in this arena yet again.
Bone China is set in Cornwall so the comparisons with Daphne Du Maurier are unavoidable. They are very different though, both play on superstitions but I think Purcell plays on the reader’s fears more, her narratives are a little darker.
Hester Why has arrived at Morvoren House which is set on the Cornish cliffs. She is to care for Louise Pinecroft, an elderly lady, partly paralysed and mainly mute. Hester has her own demons and she believes this to be her escape but she is so wrong. The house holds many secrets, Miss Pinecroft has a female ward who is locked away all day. Hester had not even been told of her existence. The house is full of strange noises and the staff persist in talking about the ‘little people’ who come in the night.
The story flits between Hester and Louise Pinecroft forty years ago and we begin to learn how she has ended up so isolated and fearful. Hester has done some bad things and she sees Louise as a way of righting some wrongs. She is determined to help her new mistress but does she have any idea what she is up against?
Bone China is packed full of suspense and superstition. Changelings are a big theme and I found this fascinating. The idea that a fairy comes in the night and takes a person but leaves behind a replica. Fairies sound harmless but there is a very sinister edge in this book, steeped in Cornish folklore passed down from generation to generation.
Hester and Louise are very different people yet they have both been driven to try and right some wrong they feel they have done. Laura Purcell is masteful in the way she builds suspense. She builds it up with small details and events and then suddenly a situation is out of control and you are going along for the ride.
I can highly recommend Bone China, it is beautifully written and I’m already to see what Laura Purcell does next.

This was my first introduction to this author and I was absolutely blown away by her writing. Beautiful prose that captivated me from the first line. I couldn't wait to get back to the book each evening. The setting, the plot, and the characters were all brilliantly brought to life. A five-star read.

After reading The Silent Companions and thoroughly enjoying , I was very excited to read this latest story, unfortunately I feel that this book has not quite reached the same standard. It started well for me but then I felt the plot became disjointed. I really enjoy the writing style and will certainly be keen to read more books by this author but in this instance the story and characters just didn’t gel for me.

I really enjoy Laura Purcell’s books and this one was no different. I love the atmosphere and the history that is recreated which in turn is full of suspense.
Hester Why gets a job looking after the mistress of Moroven House, but she knows from the start that something isn’t right. She sits all day in a freezing cold room, staring at her china.
This story is really three stories in one. The first being Hester’s previous job and what happened for her to leave and run away to Cornwall. The second being what happened to Miss Pinecroft when she came to be mistress of the house, and third, what is happening in Moroven house now as a result of the past.
It is such a clever story and it’s woven together nicely. I did think it was a bit drawn out in places but there was enough to keep me hooked. A good book to read on a dark winters night

Laura Purcell is definitely one of my favourite authors at the minute. The Corset started my obsession with dark VIctorian settings and I haven't stopped since.

Bone China is set in a world of superstition for the fae people and mixed with a consumption epidemic. The setting was perfect with the caves and creepy mansion.

I would be with Hester trying to find a logical explanation for what is happening but as the book went on I had a creepy uneasy feeling which is exactly what I want from this genre!

I would recommend for lovers of the Victorian tales that unsettle you just a little bit more as the story goes on.

I have loved both of Laura Purcell's previous novels. I'm a big gothic fan. While I loved elements of this one it isn't my favourite of hers. I loved the story about Dr Pinecroft and his experimental treatments for consumption but I would have liked more of that part of the story than the later part.
I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bone China is the latest offering from gothic writer Laura Purcell, and follows multiple timelines and threads 40 years apart to weave a tale steeped in Cornish folklore with her traditional spooky writing style. I loved The Silent Companions, and was hoping for something with a similar atmospheric feel, but there’s just something missing here.

There no denying that Purcell can write, and write well. Her stories are always consumed with atmosphere and underlying tensions, drama and a rich history. But I think this looses itself in weak protagonists and a messy, convoluted plot. Having two distinct storylines that fail to interweave effectively leaves the story open to a slow pace that at times left me feeling confused. It also ruins the writing style, because as soon as I got into one plot and felt as though I was being pulled into the wonderful descriptions, I was quickly moved onto the next - leaving me feeling disjointed. The ending also leaves a lot to be desired, with a number of unanswered questions and what feels like an unfinished plot. Tighter editing could have helped towards this, especially with the plot involving Miss Pincroft - which felt largely unnecessary. Sticking to one timeline could really have propelled this further.

I also found Hester, the main character, rather weak. She doesn’t feel well developed, with no nuances to her personality to make me root for her. She’s unlikeable, which in itself isn’t a problem, except there’s no explanation to her actions or thoughts. More time fleshing out her personality would have gone a long way to making me appreciate her more. As a result, I wasn’t really that interested in what happened to her.

Good descriptions and atmosphere that unfortunately can’t support a weak protagonist and convoluted timey-wimey plot. Stick to The Silent Companions for your crappy gothic kicks.

Bone China is a truly wonderful book. Laura Purcell has yet again created a beautifully written, complex novel that is a joy to read, full of intrigue and mystery and makes you excited to read more of her works.

Creepy, gothic, tragic, superstition, insanity: these are becoming the hallmark of a Laura Purcell story and long may it continue. Does belief in the local Cornish folklore make it true? This tale is saturated in folklore, fear, paranoia and dread. Hester Why is a misguided and sad character who seems only to want to be loved and needed- finally she finds a way to save one of her charges. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I loved Laura Purcell's last two novels ('The Silent Companions' and 'The Corset') so was very excited to be granted the opportunity to review 'Bone China'. And I wasn't disappointed!

Focusing on Morvoren House, a windswept desolate house in Cornwall perched up on the cliffs, Bone China tells the story of grief-stricken Louise Pinecroft and her consumption-ravaged family (all dead except her father, who is trying to find a cure), and Hester Why, a maid who joins the household forty years later when only Louise Pinecroft and some faithful retainers are left.

Louise's father, Dr Pinecroft, has plans for a revolutionary experiment using a group of prisoners from the local prison who are all consumptive, in the cliff caves under Morvoren House. Louise is his right-hand woman, tending to the prisoners and helping her father with his experiment. But the superstitious locals are concerned. The caves are ruled by the fairy folk. And they don't like usurpers...

Forty years later, Hester Why arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralysed and almost entirely mute Louise Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try and escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers that her new home may be just as dangerous as her last.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a genuinely suspenseful read (although not as much as 'The Silent Companions', which I could only read during the day in a well-lit room!) and atmospheric too. The significance of the title only becomes apparent part way through the novel; I don't want to spoil the book for prospective readers, so won't go into details. Suffice to say that it is not what I expected it to be?!

I would definitely recommend this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Raven books for a copy of this book I was looking forward to reading Bone China as I loved her previous two books The Silent Companions and The Corset.
Set in Cornwall Hester Why is travelling to her new job in Morvoren House, after leaving her previously job abruptly. We learn more about why later in the story. When she helps someone as they just fallen off the carriage. She arrives at Morvoren house where she meets an eclectic group of people. The story also goes back 40 years and we are introduced to Louise and her father Dr Pinecroft.
I was quite disappointed with Bone China. Don’t get me wrong it started very well and I like her writing style. It was gothic and atmospheric. I don’t know if it was just myself but, with the different timelines I found this very confusing and I couldn’t really tell you the rest of the storyline was about. I was expecting more but this didn’t deliver. 2stars from me
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I have interest in both English china and gothic novels and I was delighted with the opportunity to review a new book by Laura Percell. Many thanks to @NetGalley and the publisher for providing copy of the book for free in exchange for a fair review.

Alas! Great idea, poorly executed. But, actually, what idea was that? I never grasped the reason behind on of the characters sitting in a freezing room surrounded by all that beautiful china. I never understood the reason for the other character's substance abuse. I never got scared. I did not connect to any of the characters (and there were too many!).

I guess this book could make a really spooky/jumpy film - which one watches just for the frights! The book has no real message or any real idea behind the narrative.

Or am I missing something?
And why all this china?

I received a free copy from Netgalley to review. Here is the blurb

"Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft’s family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the same disease in the cliffs beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm.

Forty years later, Hester Why arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralysed and almost entirely mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try and escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers that her new home may be just as dangerous as her last…"

Having read The Silent Companions by the same author and reading the blurb above I was really excited to read this book. Having completed the book I found it was ok but just not as good as the one I had read previously.. Plus points were the author is good at making you feel you are in the time period she is writing about and it feels authentic.. The bits I struggled with were I just didn't feel any connection with the character Hester Why but wanted to know more about what had happened to Louise. I also kept waiting for a big wow moment about the faeries and the china set but it never happened for me. Overall the book was ok but not great and I found myself comparing it to The Silent Companions.

Bone China by Laura Purcell is a gothic novel set in Cornwall. Hester Why has travelled to Cornwall to take up a post as a Lady’s maid - and also to escape her past. But if she thinks she’s going to have an easy time of it, she has another thing coming! Morvoren House has its own secrets, not helped by the very strange Creeda, who believes that fairies will spirit Miss Rosewyn (the ward of Miss Pinecroft, the elderly woman that Hester is looking after) away.

We also get to see some of Hester’s past before Cornwall - and the reason why she has ended up in Morvoren House; and that of Louise, some 40 years before Hester’s arrival.

Unsurprisingly, bone china features prominently in this story, and I was delighted to hear the story of the willow pattern again - a story that my own grandmother used to tell me when showing me her willow pattern tea service.

Louise’s story tells of the time after her mother and siblings have died of phthisis (or tuberculosis), and her father, who was a doctor, deciding that he will find a cure for it. Prisoners from the local prison are kept in caves beneath the house, the theory being that the fresh air would strengthen their lungs. I know! Horrifying!!

I didn’t find the jumping between timelines at all confusing, and I really enjoyed the way it did this. The unreliability of Hester’s narrative due to gin and laudanum was also really well done. I never knew if what was happening was due to the gin, laudanum, actual reality or the fairies!

And the landscape and sights of Cornwall were beautifully described. I love Cornwall - it’s one of my most favourite places. The rawness of the coast is a pleasure to read about, and instantly took me to the cliffs by the sea.

I tried to make this book last longer, but had no luck at all because I was desperate to know what was going to happen! And that ending - I’m still in shock!!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this completely absorbing book! It was a pleasure to read.

Laura Purcell is fast becoming one of my auto-buy authors.

Much like her debut, The Silent Companions and her previous novel, The Corset, Bone China is gothicly atmospheric and creepy period piece. Purcell perfectly manages to teeter on the edge of psychological horror and paranormal fantasy. In Bone China the elements at war against each other are guilt, grief and illness versus superstition and fairy changelings.

It's hard to review this book without giving too much away: much like Purcell's other books the mystery of what's actually happening and what the character's think is happening is crucial. The tension it creates as you wonder the true origins of the events is the stories greatest strength, and I wouldn't want to give that away.

What I will say is that I found Bone China incredibly readable. Purcell has a beautiful writing style that completely captivates you.

In this particular novel, the setting is as central to the story as the characters. The ramshackle house, perched atop crashing waves and abandoned caves was so very clear in my mind's eye while I was reading. The sense of isolation that our protagonist, Hester, experiences -- both because of the house's location, her own inner demons, and the insular community she enters -- was a palpable feeling.

The only problem that I had with Bone China was a slight issue with the plotting and pacing. The novel has two timelines: Hester's present-day POV and Louise's POV from forty years previously.

For me, personally, the dual timeline would have worked better if they were woven together: maybe not exactly in alternating chapters but something closer to it. Instead, the first and last thirds of the book are Hester with the middle third giving Louise's backstory. While I was reading Louise's section I kind of forgot about and lost interest in what was happening to Hester. It felt a little like two entirely separate books. While Louise's section is compelling and answers some of the questions that developed during the early stages of the novel, I still think that these two periods could have been more integrated.

Bone China straddles the psychological/supernatural divide throughout, keeping you on your toes and flipping pages. While I think I might have slightly preferred The Corset, I thought Bone China was a great place to start reading Purcell's work.