Bone China

''This is the bitterest winter I can recall. Too cold, even for snow. A world washed innocent and white might bring me some comfort, but no - this is the season of sleet and gunmetal skies. Everything is grey and cold. It is like purgatory, like my heart.''

A heavy winter in Cornwall. Frost, mist. Silence. Icy tears on the windowpanes, the murmur of the tireless sea, the silence in a house where the past walks, rattling heavy chains. Two women. Hester Why, escaping from a dangerous position, fragile and susceptible to her demons, finds herself in a house where the sea can be heard through the walls, where locks turn by themselves. Where her mistress refuses to walk, her eyes fixed on a collection of china. Forty years earlier, Louise show more Pinecroft is trying to help her father with his ambiguous experiments on tuberculosis, the plague of the era. But how can you cope with unknown forces, forged by superstition and a very harsh reality?

My review cannot do justice to the unique ability of Laura Purcell to create modern masterpieces. Her talent to weave every feature that defines British Gothic Literature and Historical Fiction in a novel with astonishing results is awe-inspiring. In Bone China, the setting couldn't be more vividly depicted. We've seen it in The Silent Companions, we've seen it in The Corset. Here, Cornwall becomes a character, the driving force behind the plot. This wild corner of the British Isles provides the perfect background for a haunting, dark story and Laura Purcell makes excellent use of the powerful material. Legends of the fairy folk, shared in careful whispers by the members of the household. Bogs, strange cries, dogs barking, staring at the shadows. The wind is coming from the moors, carrying secrets whose roots are deep like the roots of an ash tree that reaches the underworld. Changelings breaking into the world of the mortals. Figurines staring at us, witnessing and waiting.

‘’The wind dies. The curtains slap back into place. Outside I can see the ocean, writing with glee, as if this were all a game.’’

‘’The wind howls and ravens about the house, crashing the branches of the ash trees together. The waves roar back. They are wild creatures, these elements. They will tear one another apart.’’

Apart from the features of Folklore and fable, Laura Purcell poses accurate questions on issues that are extremely ‘’human’’ and tangible. The complications of social hierarchy, the ambiguous bonding between a maid and her mistress. The agony of a doctor who has witnessed his family perish, unable to intervene. The desire of a young woman to follow her vocation and serve Science, free from prejudices. The ethical complexity of the prisoners’ treatment. Is it acceptable to use them as guinea pigs? So you see, Bone China is so much more than a (brilliantly written) Gothic novel.

‘’However, the landscape was a different prospect. She loved the untamed beauty of Cornwall. How it rose, fell and curved. Its vital breath. Even the granite and moorland were not wholly bleak; here and there were flashes of vivid colour. ‘’
The dark beauty that permeates the pages of the book will haunt you. Purcell creates striking images with the foreboding and formidable Cornwall as the background. Louise walking on the beach at night, by the light of the lantern. Hester wandering in the silent corridors. Beautiful, haunting imagery. The prose is spotless, the dialogue transports you to the past and the heart of the action. And the characters...I loved Hester and Louise. I felt I knew them, I found myself understanding their choices and their actions. Purcell is outstanding in giving birth to realistic female protagonists that are quiet and powerful, sensitive and determined, broken and brave. Hester and Louise are no exceptions.

One last thing. Regardless of the genre, this novel is perfect. Plain and simple. If you want your stories neatly wrapped in a box, decorated with a shiny bow and closures where all answers are handed over to you on a silver platter, then a) why? And b) look elsewhere. But if you want to be challenged by a multi-layered story where nothing is as it seems, Purcell’s books are for you.

‘’Waves slap against the cliff face. I close my eyes briefly, picturing them rushing headlong to the place where they break and scatter. What we desire and what we have lost. Are they not always the same?’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

A dual timeline Victorian gothic horror story set in Cornwall. Underneath the cliffs near his home, Dr Pinecroft is experimenting on a group of prisoners who have consumption, in the hope of discovering a cure. Forty years later, escaping her past, Hester Why takes up the position of nurse to Louise Pinecroft, the strange and ill daughter of the aforementioned doctor. Odd things start to happen and superstitions regarding folklore abound. Hester doesn’t know what to believe!

This is a dark, atmospheric and wonderfully creepy tale set in a stunningly picturesque part of Britain. The descriptions are so vivid I could almost believe I was there. The two timelines are woven together brilliantly and there is a great sense of foreboding and show more eeriness throughout the story. It’s a slow burner with a gradual build up of tension, drawing the reader in and making you wonder if there are in fact ‘little folk’ and ‘changelings’! Not the Tinkerbell type of fairy either. 🧚‍♀️ The ending is a surprising and quite shocking one - it made me gasp. This is definitely a tale of the unexpected.

Beautifully written and well plotted, I really enjoyed this sinister, disturbing and other-worldly read. I’m still thinking about it now and will continue to for a while. show less

A gothic Victorian novel about consumption, grief and folklore set on the wind ravaged cliffs of Cornwall? Yes please! The Corset by Laura Purcell made my list of Top 5 Books of 2018 last year, making her latest novel Bone China my most anticipated release of the year. And I loved it!

Hester Why is a lady's maid and nurse running from her past when she applies for a post at Morvoren House in Cornwall. Her mistress Miss Pinecroft is seemingly affected by a stroke and in poor mental and physical health.

Hester slowly uncovers the mysterious workings at Morvoren House and the reader gains some insight into her previous positions. We're then taken back in time 40 years to when Miss Pinecroft assisted her father Dr Pinecroft in the attempt to show more find a cure for consumption. Ministering to prisoners under their care on the proviso their freedom would be assured upon recovery, Miss Pinecroft and her father could have no idea what was in store for them.

I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple plot lines however Hester's previous positions as lady's maid were the most gripping.

The forbidding landscape and gothic setting of Morvoren House combined with the local Cornish folklore created a menacing and creepy atmosphere, making this perfect for an October read.

Bone China by Laura Purcell was a highly enjoyable gothic historical fiction novel and although it didn't achieve the dizzying heights and absolute brilliance of The Corset, it certainly kept me in suspense the entire time and I highly recommend it.

Laura Purcell is now an automatic must-read author for me.

* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury * show less

I quite enjoyed this gothic historical mystery set during the early 1800s in a creepy house that overlooks the wintry Cornwall coast. The story takes place in two different timelines, one narrated by an alcoholic lady's maid who has assumed the name Hester Why and taken a position in the remote location to escape the tragedies that have befallen her previous mistresses. Hester finds the house's occupants quite unusual. Her elderly mistress spends all her time in an icy cold room staring at china. There is a young woman who seems to have the mind of a child and who is kept confined to her room. And there is another elderly maid who pours salt into doorways and talks of protective charms. As the mystery unfolds, the story goes back in show more time to when Hester's new mistress was a young woman assisting her father, a doctor, with a radical treatment for tuberculosis after the loss of the rest of their family members to the disease. And perhaps the supernatural is at work--the mischievous little people that Cornwall is known for--or is it just madness? Creepy and atmospheric, this novel reminded me a lot of Purcell's first novel, The Silent Companions, which introduced me to her and made me a fan. show less

If you favour sinister and creepy Gothic tales then Bone China by Laura Purcell is a must-read!

The novel is set in an isolated house - Morvoren House, on the Cornish coastline, a perfect setting for the story and goes back and forth in time. Both of the main characters, Hester and Louise, were likeable, feisty and strong women for their time and I was keen to know what happened to make their stories merge.

Laura Purcell is definitely a magnificent story-teller. Her descriptions were amazing, taking you right in the middle of the historical era that she excels in and I could tell that she possesses an immensely vivid imagination.

In this character driven tale of superstition, obsession and insanity, every page was filled with unsettling, show more ominous foreboding and I was beguiled and completely engrossed. For many readers, a time-spanning tale complete with alcoholism, supernatural pottery, and mental illness issues would be too much, but in Laura Purcell’s grip I was rewarded with a tense, well drawn character study.

I loved that Purcell left an clever, open ending giving this Gothic horror story an edge. Once started, Bone China was a novel that demanded to be finished and I was only too happy to oblige. This was such a terribly good, compulsive, historical-supernatural-mystery that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bloomsbury via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion. Thank you also to Pigeonhole and Laura Purcell for giving me the opportunity to read this book! show less

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 show more 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. show less

Having loved [b:The Silent Companions|35458733|The Silent Companions|Laura Purcell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500725504l/35458733._SY75_.jpg|55746774] and [b:The Corset|39098246|The Corset|Laura Purcell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521746242l/39098246._SY75_.jpg|60683917] by Laura Purcell I was excited to read Bone China as it was described as a A brilliantly atmospheric and chilling tale and seemed like my kind of book and while I enjoyed the story I found it a little confusing and had trouble connecting the threads within the story.
Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft's family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken, but Dr show more Pinecroft is working on a ground breaking 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.
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…

Laura Purcell seems to have all the key elements for an intriguing Gothic thriller but it just didn’t thrill me like her other novels and while I liked it I found it a little tedious and slow. By the end of the novel I was glad to part company with the characters. I think the fairy element of the story just didn’t work for me. I purchased this one in hard copy and while I didn’t love it, i will still place it on my real life bookshelf alongside Laura Purcell’s other novels. show less