J. M. Varese
Author of The Company
Works by J. M. Varese
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Braithwaite and Sons is company that mines copper and makes the most beautiful wallpapers but in the second half of the 19th century there is some concern about the effects of the arsenic in their goods. The company has been run by a trusted advisor since the death of Mr Braithwaite many years ago and Lucy's brother is in ill health so relies on the management. However when the manager dies, his successor takes over and Lucy becomes more and more uneasy both about the dangers of the papers show more and also Julian Rivers. There is tragedy in the past and now it seems to have reappeared.
This is quite a short book but it packs a punch. There was a scandal about the arsenic content of wallpaper in Victorian Britain, dense colours were enhance but when the aper got damp it released arsenic into the atmosphere. Added to this is a gothic tale of tragedy and haunting. It shouldn't work, too much in too short a book but it does work incredibly well. show less
This is quite a short book but it packs a punch. There was a scandal about the arsenic content of wallpaper in Victorian Britain, dense colours were enhance but when the aper got damp it released arsenic into the atmosphere. Added to this is a gothic tale of tragedy and haunting. It shouldn't work, too much in too short a book but it does work incredibly well. show less
In a Nutshell: Utterly confused about my opinion because this is an utterly confusing book! This does not realise the potential it had promised, though it has some good points.
Story Synopsis:
Where the book worked for me: show less
Story Synopsis:
1870. Twenty-four-year-old Lucy Braithwhite (Isn’t the right spelling Braithwaite?) is the heiress to the fortune of Braithwhite and Company – the most successful wallpaper manufacturer in England for almost a century. Braithwhite’s designs are original, and their colours unnaturally vibrant, butshow more
their wallpapers also seem to create hallucinatory effects or health issues, though no one knows the reason for this.
When Mr. Luckhurst, the long-term manager of the company and surrogate father to Lucy and her invalid brother John, passes away suddenly, a young and eneigmatic man named Julian Rivers presents himself as being the successor appointed by Luckhurst. But the arrival of this stranger sets into motion many sinister happenings, and Lucy realises that it is up to her to save the company and more importantly, her family.
The story comes to us in the form of a book discovered in an abandoned warehouse, supposedly containing the journal entries written by Lucy in first person.
Where the book worked for me: show less
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- Rating
- 3.2
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