Newington Library Book Club Feb 2024

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell


So, I admit sadly this author has gone unnoticed by me. Where have I been? I originally picked it up because it was a buddy read for my reading group and I am so glad I did. My only problem is I am not sure how to word this review without giving too much away. I originally borrowed it from my local library, and I read it in three days. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the story, I actually found myself craving more about the world after finishing it. After that, I just knew I had to own it and make it part of my permanent collection so now it is in my eBook collection. In all honesty I am so surprised this was such a quick read for me because I often find that I cannot connect with period pieces but this one will stay with me long after the last page and let me just say the ending is a creepy one.

If you like thrillers, period pieces (this one is set in the Victorian era), mystery, supernatural stories, or just good books in general, I couldn't recommend this book more. I would tell you what it's about... but I don't want to. I want you to go out and actually read it. I had no idea what to expect when reading this book, and I think it added to my reading experience. So, go read this, and I hope you have as good a time as I did. Please comment below if you loved it as much as I did.

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This is a gothic supernatural tale set in two time periods - the Victorian 1860s and the reign of Charles I, pre Civil War - that revolves around a house haunted by painted figures, the Silent Companions of the title, which possess the power to move around and also to generate spontaneously. The protagonist - hideously burned and incarcerated in a mental asylum under threat of hanging for unspecified crimes - has her tale teased out by a progressive doctor who encourages her to write it on a slate for him to copy, as she has been left mute, so the Victorian part of the story consists of her experiences in the asylum interspersed with what led up to it. We are told at one point that she is a business woman, valued by her brother, and the sort of person to stand up for herself and him (and we gradually find out to just what extent she was willing to go), but she actually comes across as a typical passive gothic heroine who blunders from one disaster to another, and her brother treats her as such.

Meanwhile, the story of the house's earlier history and the origin of the companions, is narrated via the diary of the then-mistress who had a touch of psychic ability and trafficked in spells to secure the birth of a longed-for daughter. But I didn't find it particularly believable as a narrative set in that time, and the huge anachronism - witches were HANGED in England and Wales, not burned - derailed any credibility it might have had otherwise. The ending is cliched and there is no real motivation for the evil character other than "well, she's evil isn't she?" So, sadly, the book did not deliver on the expectations it raised. ( )

Creepy life like paintings from the past continue to haunt the living. ( )

I was in the mood for a gothic ghost story, and since this book had so many good reviews, I gave it a try. I really did, but just couldn't get into it. I was bored out of my mind a third of the way through. The main character never felt real to me. When the setting shifted to the 1600s, I thought I might get through it, and hopefully see what all the fuss was about. Sadly, no, I didn't feel like wasting my time anymore. ( )