Nope, this one did not chill the socks off of me like I had hoped. I did not think it was gothic enough to create atmosphere and, whilst Irwin has created a really interesting premise, I do not think it was as gripping as it could have been.

I was really surprised to discover that this book focuses mostly on the past, Juliana’s story. As she begins to see sightings, readers get the impression that this is linked to Jan, the character we are introduced to in the opening chapter. However, I largely found the narrative to be rather dull and could not care less about the French Duke and his storyline.

All in all, I found this story to be rather monotonous – a bit like how Jan is described! I was yearning for there to be more ghostly, supernatural episodes. Instead, this was a particularly slow narrative that, by the time the gothic really strengthened, I had already lost interest. This was a book that I had to keep plodding away at; it felt more like a chore than a spine-tingling reading experience.

This is the second time I have tried a book by Irwin and again my expectations have been dashed. I love trying new authors and was excited by this promise of 1920s gothic fiction, but this really did not work for me. As for as Irwin is concerned, I don’t think this is a novelist that I will return to in the future.

With thanks to Agora books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the idea of this book but the ending was a little rushed and left me wanting for more. Also, some aspects that would have been really interesting, were left superficial.

Still She Wished for Company is the story of two young women. Both live simple, withdrawn lives. Jan lives in the 1920s and looks on her life with the conservative office job and her fiancé whom she might love or not. Because there is still the portrait of the unknown gentleman that she can't get out of her head. Juliana lives a secluded life in her family's mansion in the 1770s that is very foreseeable until the moment her father dies and her oldest brother, Lucian, returns to the estate.

The book was originally published in 1924 by Margaret Irwin who is best known for her historical fiction. This story was advertised as a gothic ghost story and loved its atmosphere. Every description was on point and it was super easy to imagine the world Jan and Juliana live in.
I loved reading about both of them.

There is a supernatural aspect to the story - I would have loved to explore it further, but the book was very short in this regard. The book is carried by the way the characters and their surroundings are described. I missed the "how" and "why" in some places and felt a bit cheated by the ending but ultimately, although the story has been around for nearly 100 years, I haven't read something similar in ages. Loved the concept and the twisted approach to a ghost story. It certainly is not nearly as spooky or creepy as the marketing tries to make you believe but I had fun reading it.

Before Still She Wished for Company I haven't read anything by the author but strongly consider picking up one of her historical fictions. Any recommendations?

I tried but this book was just sooo slooow. It's a historical fiction with some sci fi and ghost story involved. Neither one of these three are strong. It was first published in 1924 and maybe back then it would have been a great book, but to me it just wasn't that interesting .

The characters, of what I read, were boring to me. There was no real meat to them. Lucian and Juliana took up most of the part of the book I read.

Even though, I didn't care about this book, it doesn't mean you want. If you like slow books this just might be for you. Everyone reads a different book with the same title.

Thanks to Timeless Fiction and Netgalley for the Kindle version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Still She Wished for Company by Margaret Irwin

This book tells the stories of two young women - Jan Challard in 1920s London and Juliana Clare in the 1770s at Chidleigh House, a country estate. The novel is part historical fiction, part time slip (backwards and forwards), part gothic mystery and part ghost story, all in one! I really enjoyed Juliana's story and the background to her family in and of itself, so the supernatural elements were just a bonus really. An intriguing book and not like anything I've read before.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Thank you to Agora Books for the copy of Still She Wished for Company.

This was a strange tale originally published in 1924. Usually I love classics, but this one was difficult. It took me weeks of puttering through to finish, and honestly, I will forget by the next. While the premise sounds interesting, what it delivers is not what you expect. It is a ghost story, science fiction, historical fiction, but also none of those with strength. Most of the tale is told between Juliana and Lucian, her brother, and neither particularly fascinated me.

If you enjoy a slow-paced tale, this may be for you. However, this was highly forgettable for me.

Thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for providing a review copying exchange for honest feedback.


First of all, I did not even expected that I will be reading a book that almost reached a hundred years old. Nevertheless, it's fine, i still can proceed. I enjoyed the Juliana's part however Jan's part is so short I kind of is this all Jan's have?

A bit of dissapointed that I hardly understand the time travelling thing happened. I seems lost or probably it's classics. I understand that Jan's life is like this and Juliana's life is that. I must be missed out or misunderstood whenever these two characters switch their soul or something. I might need a movie to understand better. A visual retelling.

A bit odd to me why is the relationship of a brother and sister seemed so close. Lucian and Juliana almost acted like lovers. I then grasped on the understanding when I read the reviews here. However it seems to be off for me on why Jan's screen time is so little, is it because she's in Juliana's body the whole time? I was so confused till the end. I just can't see the magic happened but surely this can consider gothic thriller.

I believe others would find it entertaining and enjoyed to be read.

This book is well written and quite an interesting concept as it definitely makes you consider your own mortality and connections between generations. It is also good to read a different style of writing as this book was originally published in the early 1900s. Overall though I was disappointed that there wasn’t more interaction between the two time periods, and a bit more ghostly gothic goings on. I wasn’t quite sure at times what was going on and the relationships all seemed quite difficult.

Loved this book from the opening pages.I consumed this book in one day.So beautifully written wish it went on longer.Time travel two stories that come together seamlessly.#netgalley#agorabooks

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I’m not sure I even know what it was about. I was expecting a time travel type book and maybe it was but just different from others I’ve read. I’m sure others will enjoy this book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

This elegant and odd book is a bit of an enigma: there's little plot but plenty of lovely description; interesting characters whose stories stop abruptly; and the author introduces a wonderful idea about how time layers itself onto place, but ultimately limits her use of it. Ultimately, this is a bit like a dream, and perhaps that's what the author intended: specific details nestled inside a flimsier form. Anyone who has ever been captivated by the stories of the women visiting Versailles who claimed to have seen Marie Antoinette's retinue in the 19th century or Jack Finney's novels about time will probably enjoy this.

It's been a few days since I finished this book, and I can't recall anything about it. It's almost as if I haven't read it at all, and maybe that ponts to something. If a text isn't memorable enough to even make one remember the main character's name, the overall storyline and setting it's a clearn indication that it just weren't for you That's what I get for requesting books on the base of their covers.

This is a new edition of a book first published in 1924 by British author Margaret Irwin (her debut novel, I believe) and that is great, that a book from so long ago - by a woman - is deemed a classic, in some circles, and deemed important enough to be reprinted for a new and modern audience. I like that.

Looking back to the synopsis of the novel it says it's about two young women in different time periods. We have Jan in the 20th century and Juliana in the 18th century (I think!). I faintly remember most of the story being about Juliana and that she sometimes sees Jan in her mirror instead of herself? Might be wrong.

All in all. Read it. Can't remember the tiniest bit. Will rate it accordingly.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I thought the writing style was very prosaic . I've enjoyed a few of the authors previous books but this one i didn't really connect with. The plotline was very clever with the past and future intertwining so that neither time knows who's haunting whom. I didn't find the characters all that likeable or interesting . Maybe I need to read it again at a later date and see if my views are still the same.

Sadly, I was not able to get into this book. I didn't connect with the characters or the plot and I found my find and thoughts wandering far away whenever I tried reading it.

I enjoyed this time-slip (or maybe ghost) story, originally published in 1924 and now re-issued by Agora Books. A modern 1920's young woman, Jan, has glimpses of the past while on holiday in Berkshire, seeing members of the Clare family who lived at Chidleigh in the 1770's. More interestingly, some of the Clares also see Jan on occasion and invisibly visit the modern day.

There's a bit of romance, a bit of dashing but devilish gentlemen, a sinister brother-sister relationship, dreams, ghosts and maybe satanic rituals. Some readers might find this book a little slow paced, but I found it just right for the reading mood I was in.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I found "Still She Wished for Company" a slightly odd read. The premise of the book sounds strong - 2 different female protagonists living in different time periods who can see each other at certain times. However it didn't feel like a ghost story, gothic novel or strongly historical either. It felt slightly wishy-washy.

I enjoyed the relationship between Juliana and Lucian with the nod towards the dark arts but good gothic novel would have run with this and created a more powerful eerie atmosphere.

Part ghost story, part time-slip fantasy and part historical fiction, Margaret Irwin’s first novel from 1924, recently reissued with a pretty new cover, is a wonderful, dreamlike read.

Jan Challard is a young woman living in 1920s London and trying to find her place in the new society which has emerged from the aftermath of the First World War. Life seems to be going well, but Jan feels restless: she is bored with her office job, bored with the nice, suitable young man who wants to marry her, and haunted by a face in a portrait – a Gentleman Unknown, who seems to be following her everywhere she goes.

In 1779, we meet another bored young woman: seventeen-year-old Juliana Clare, the youngest daughter of an aristocratic family with an estate in Berkshire. Juliana spends her days walking in the gardens of Chidleigh House and writing in her journal, while waiting for something more exciting to happen and remembering a line from her favourite childhood fairytale: “…still she sat and still she span, and still she wished for company”. Company does eventually arrive, but perhaps not in the way Juliana had expected.

First, following the death of Lord Chidleigh, Juliana’s eldest brother Lucian returns after a long absence to take up his father’s title and his inheritance. Stories of the wild, debauched lifestyle Lucian has been leading have reached the family and he receives a frosty welcome at Chidleigh House. Juliana is the only one who is happy to see him and as the brother and sister grow closer, something strange begins to happen: the centuries separating Juliana’s life from Jan’s seem to dissolve and merge. Jan can see Juliana and Juliana can see Jan, but which of them is the ghost and which of them is real?

This is a very short novel, but just the right length for the story – or stories – being told, and it really doesn’t need to be any longer. Jan’s story frames Juliana’s and is confined to a short section at the beginning of the book and another at the end; Margaret Irwin appears to be more comfortable writing about the eighteenth century (a period she obviously knew well and knew how to bring to life) and most of the novel concentrates on Juliana. I couldn’t help comparing this to most of the dual time-period books being written today, where I usually find that far too much time is spent on a weaker present day narrative, leaving me impatient to get back to the more interesting historical one. The structure of Still She Wished for Company is much more effective, in my opinion, as I could become fully immersed in Juliana’s story without being pulled out of it after every few chapters.

The book is beautifully written, with the same elegant prose and powerful descriptive writing I’ve loved in the other Margaret Irwin novels I’ve read. There are no obvious anachronisms, no dialogue that feels jarringly wrong for the time period...it was just a pleasure to read! The eighteenth century storyline on its own could have been the basis for a compelling novel, but the addition of the ghost story/time travel elements make it something special, particularly as they are handled so well that they feel almost believable. It’s a lovely, magical read and just the sort of thing I was in the mood for at the moment!

I enjoyed this book very much, it had me gripped from the very first page until the last. I didn’t know what to expect from it but I’m really glad I read it. It was a quick read and I could have read it in one sitting. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Superb! One of my favourite writing eras, this Golden Age mystery is breathtaking, written in beautiful language that is impossible to replicate in modern times. The first sentence to the last...especially the last!...enchanted and riveted. Supper was delayed but who cares when in the midst of a wonderful story? If I could, I would give this a 6/5! Just look at the title!

Two women, two time periods in England, one magical bond. Jan is a dreamer, somewhat fanciful and preoccupied, and works at a ho-hum job in the 1920s. Juliana is also an an abstracted young woman who lives two centuries earlier. Born into an upper class family she is determined to stave off boredom by journaling. What happens next is a splendid gothic story chock full of delicious twists and mysterious happenings, very unique. Lives intermingle in a remarkable way, very satisfying to the reader. As we follow these understandably perplexed women threads tangle and untangle.

This book is the answer to your mystery craving with just the blend of gothic romance (think Daphne du Maurier), perfect for Golden Age and Mystery fans.

My sincere thank you to Agora Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

Time Is, Time Was, Time Will Be...

A haunting time travel story in which the future haunts the past. It follows the story of Juliana Clare, a young woman in the 18th century who lives in a big English estate with her family. She lives an ordinary life that she believes “will always stay the same.” The other storyline follows Jan Challard a young woman in 1920s London who becomes enamoured with a historical painting of a man whom she seems to be chasing in her waking life. The two women’s lives intersect as the veil of time stretches thin so that they both see each other without ever meeting. Juliana’s mysterious brother Lucian arrives and recognizes a supernatural power within Juliana that he uses to chase Jan Challard through time.

The story’s spectral quality was tingling and beautiful and surprised me with its depth and poetry of the fabric of time. Like a handprint on a pane of glass, like a whisper in your ear late at night, like a ray of light that catches your eye, this book captured the evanescent pain of fate and memory. The past being haunted by a future story was incredibly unique and brought a romantic dimension to the classic time travel genre. What is impressive is that this book was originally published in the 1920s. The supernatural gothic elements of the story were both metaphysical and philosophical and the ending left many questions unanswered. There is a whimsical uneasiness to the story that will make you invest in the simplicity and desires of the characters who ultimately are looking for timeless love.

For those who believe they live a hum drum life that will never change, or for those who feel attached to a person they have yet to meet, this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a brand new book, but that is not the case. For me, the writing did not hold my attention. This is nothing against the author or any of her books because I cannot write to save my life. I just couldn't get past the first few chapters. Overall, I am sure this book is amazing, but it just was not for me.