Horror

The Silent Companions

The Silent Companions

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  • Create Date：2021-05-18 11:54:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Laura Purcell
  • ISBN：1408888033
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Summary

Inspired by the work of Shirley Jackson and Susan Hill and set in a crumbling country mansion， The Silent Companions is an unsettling gothic ghost story to send a shiver down the spine。。。

Newly married， newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate， The Bridge。 With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile， Elsie only has her husband's awkward cousin for company。 Or so she thinks。 But inside her new home lies a locked room， and beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary and a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure – a Silent Companion – that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself。。

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Reviews

JK ，

In order to fully set into your hearts how bloody terrifying this novel is， it’s important to understand what a silent companion is。 They look like this:Painted figures intended to provide company， deter criminals， or simply to delight guests with their oddness and curiosity。 The Victorian versions of cardboard cutouts。 Nope， no thank you， my Uber is here， goodbye。In a very hostile， gothic house - The Bridge - newly widowed Elsie is forced to contend with these wooden horrors as they follow In order to fully set into your hearts how bloody terrifying this novel is， it’s important to understand what a silent companion is。 They look like this:Painted figures intended to provide company， deter criminals， or simply to delight guests with their oddness and curiosity。 The Victorian versions of cardboard cutouts。 Nope， no thank you， my Uber is here， goodbye。In a very hostile， gothic house - The Bridge - newly widowed Elsie is forced to contend with these wooden horrors as they follow and trick her throughout the dark rooms。 The noise they make as they move， their incomprehensible ability to reappear even after being destroyed， their moving eyes - all of this turned me into a nervous wreck。We experience the tale through three different timelines。 Initially， we see Elsie confined to an asylum， mute and confused， with a doctor attempting to pull her story from her。 We then move to the events as they happened， with Elsie arriving at the house and discovering the companions。 Trickled amongst these two perspectives are the entries of a discovered diary， written by a previous inhabitant of The Bridge， giving context and history to the companions， and raising even more supernatural questions。 This style was a masterstroke from Purcell， as it creates further mystery and questions， adding to the chills and frightening possibilities。Purcell’s writing here is perfect for the genre。 She creates a tension which is unsettling and almost unbearable， evoking strange moans and ‘no no no’s from me as I read in abject terror。 The atmosphere is thick with suspense， anticipation crawls on your neck， and a strong sense of foreboding prevails through every paragraph。This is one of the most chilling and utterly petrifying horror novels I’ve read。 During my time with it， I experienced some unsettling moments at home - a picture falling off the wall and my kettle turning on by itself - causing dramatic squeals and the throwing of the book across the room。 I’m just relieved I no longer have my Ginger Spice cardboard cutout from the 90s - she’d have been thrust firmly in the recycling bin and Spice Up Your Life would never again be played in this house。 。。。more

Seona ，

Once I got into it （bit of a slow start） I needed to keep reading。I loved the setting， timeline and how it all came together。 The companions completely freaked me out when reading and picturing them。The asylum parts were a bit cliche but overall I loved it and will read more from this author when I need a bit of a scare。 This would make a great movie if done right！

Liz ，

I love a Gothic Thriller and this didn't disappoint！ I found it hard to put down as you find out a little bit more of the mystery in each chapter。 It's so creepy & definitely gave me the chills more than once。 I'm definitely going to read Laura Purcell's other books now！ I love a Gothic Thriller and this didn't disappoint！ I found it hard to put down as you find out a little bit more of the mystery in each chapter。 It's so creepy & definitely gave me the chills more than once。 I'm definitely going to read Laura Purcell's other books now！ 。。。more

andrea ，

I'm not a normal fan of ghost/supernatural stories but if I read them at all this is the exact type I enjoy。 Paying homage to the gothic tales of DuMaurier， the Brontes， and James with a creepy house， suspicious servants， unreliable narratives， all set in a past era makes this book a worthwhile exception to my normal aversion to this genre。Book is a perfect length and easily devoured over a day or two。 I can see this becoming a book I reread as a regular Halloween staple the way I have Xmas them I'm not a normal fan of ghost/supernatural stories but if I read them at all this is the exact type I enjoy。 Paying homage to the gothic tales of DuMaurier， the Brontes， and James with a creepy house， suspicious servants， unreliable narratives， all set in a past era makes this book a worthwhile exception to my normal aversion to this genre。Book is a perfect length and easily devoured over a day or two。 I can see this becoming a book I reread as a regular Halloween staple the way I have Xmas themed books I regularly revisit each December。 Its a perfect spooky， goosebump raising， turn on all the lights read to get one in the mood for all the thrills and chills the month of October blooms in most of us。Even though not particularly original or ground-breaking in its "twists" If you've watched/read even a small number of gothic materials。。。you'll see where this one is headed。 Thing is， its so well-written you'll happily enjoy the journey even though you know where its headed。 。。。more

David Anthony ，

A bit silly， and didn’t deliver at the end。

mimo ，

Chills！ I had my doubts in the first quarter or so of the book， as I kept predicting the typical horror "beats" before they happened， such that none of them were really hitting me。 Soon enough， though， I was hooked by the atmosphere and the escalating action - I devoured this book practically in one sitting， interrupted only by dinner。If you want a horror-thriller that is as much supernatural as psychological， this could be just the quick and absorbing read for you。 Chills！ I had my doubts in the first quarter or so of the book， as I kept predicting the typical horror "beats" before they happened， such that none of them were really hitting me。 Soon enough， though， I was hooked by the atmosphere and the escalating action - I devoured this book practically in one sitting， interrupted only by dinner。If you want a horror-thriller that is as much supernatural as psychological， this could be just the quick and absorbing read for you。 。。。more

Kati ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Mir hat die Idee der "stillen Gefährten" von Anfang an sehr gut gefallen。 Ich konnte mich in die große Angst von Elsie Bainbridge sehr gut hineinversetzen， da ich selber， durch Schlafparalysen， ungewollten Besuch bekomme。 Ihre Angst， vor den hölzernen Figuren， die immer wieder zufällig auftauchen， ihr gsrmit Blicken folgen， ist beängstigend aber auch spannend zugleich。 Man möchte unbedingt wissen， wie es weitergeht und liest Seite für Seite。 Eine， meiner Meinung nach， sehr gelungene Geistergesch Mir hat die Idee der "stillen Gefährten" von Anfang an sehr gut gefallen。 Ich konnte mich in die große Angst von Elsie Bainbridge sehr gut hineinversetzen， da ich selber， durch Schlafparalysen， ungewollten Besuch bekomme。 Ihre Angst， vor den hölzernen Figuren， die immer wieder zufällig auftauchen， ihr gsrmit Blicken folgen， ist beängstigend aber auch spannend zugleich。 Man möchte unbedingt wissen， wie es weitergeht und liest Seite für Seite。 Eine， meiner Meinung nach， sehr gelungene Geistergeschichte， die mit den Gefährten einen frischen Wind in die klassischen Geistergeschichten bringt。 。。。more

Gara ，

Engancha MUCHO。 Necesitaba un libro así para salir de mi parón lector。 La autora consigue mantener la intriga constantemente。 Me encantó que pudiera leer qué pasaba en diferentes tiempos， obteniendo poco a poco detalles y queriendo descifrar el misterio。

Jen ，

Good book overall。 Slightly underwhelming。 Felt it could have been shorter。 Also felt there were quite a few threads not tied up at the end？？ But if you like The Woman in Black by Susan Hill or the weeping angels in Doctor Who， you may like this 🤷🏻‍♀️

Madeleine ，

So good， so creepy！ There came a point where I couldn’t put it down and just had to finish it， as should happen with a book like this。

阿绒（๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵） ，

goddamn it Hetta ！

Jacqueline ，

Auf dieses Buch hatte ich mich unglaublich gefreut。 Das Cover ist ein echter Hingucker und der goldene Buchschnitt ist ein echtes Highlight。 Doch auch der Klappentext sprach mich sofort an und ich war gespannt was mich hier erwarten würde。Der Einstieg ins Buch fiel mir sehr leicht， denn die Autorin hat einen wundervollen Schreibstil。 Sie schreibt einnehmend， fesselnd und bildhaft。 Es gelang ihr mühelos mich in den Bann der Story zu ziehen。Bereits nach wenigen Seiten war ich vollends in der Gesch Auf dieses Buch hatte ich mich unglaublich gefreut。 Das Cover ist ein echter Hingucker und der goldene Buchschnitt ist ein echtes Highlight。 Doch auch der Klappentext sprach mich sofort an und ich war gespannt was mich hier erwarten würde。Der Einstieg ins Buch fiel mir sehr leicht， denn die Autorin hat einen wundervollen Schreibstil。 Sie schreibt einnehmend， fesselnd und bildhaft。 Es gelang ihr mühelos mich in den Bann der Story zu ziehen。Bereits nach wenigen Seiten war ich vollends in der Geschichte versunken。Die Geschichte beginnt relativ ruhig aber das machte nichts denn die Atmosphäre war sehr intensiv。 Die Stimmung im Buch war beklemmend， düster und auch etwas melancholisch。 Ich muss sagen dass mir das ganze unglaublich gut gefallen hat。Es gibt mehrere Handlungsstränge und das sorgte in meinen Augen für Abwechslung und Spannung。 Ich spürte deutlich daß etwas in der Luft lag。 Ich spürte dass irgendwas passieren würde。 Die Gefährten lehrten mich das fürchten。 Anfangs war es mehr wie ein Gefühl aber nach einigen Seiten waren diese Gefährten wirklich gruselig。Ich hatte immer wieder Gänsehaut。 Das Ganze war wirklich beklemmend。 Außerdem hatte ich absolut keine Ahnung wie das Buch enden könnte。Es war unsagbar spannend und gruselig。 Langsam setzten sich die Puzzleteile zusammen und ich erwähnte die Ganze Tragödie。 Das Ende an sich baute sich wie ein finaler Showdown auf。 Ich war so geschockt und überrascht denn damit hatte ich absolut nicht gerechnet。 Wenn du denkst noch schlimmer kann es nicht werden， dann liegst du völlig falsch。 Das Ende hat mich absolut umgehauen。 Ich hatte vieles vermutet aber dass wirkliche Ende habe ich so nicht kommen sehen。Das war verdammt großes Kino！！！！Absolute Leseempfehlung！Fazit:Mit "Die stillen Gefährten" gelingt Laura Purcell eine viktorianische Geistergeschichte die mich auf ganzer Linie überzeugt hat。 Eine völlig neue Geschichte die sich mit nichts vergleichen lässt。 Gut ab， dass war einfach großartig！！！！ 。。。more

Kati ，

A creepy gothic read - a good one to read for Halloween。

Nicky نیکی ，

Macabre， thrilling read This book was eerie， atmospheric， creepy， and at times， straight up frightening。 I read it cover to cover and was fully engrossed the entire time。 A great horror novel。

thebookbabbler ，

This one started off really promising， with all the makings of a classic gothic novel。 But it felt like it was always building up to something that never quite payed off。

Suzy Dominey ，

great Gothic read， spooky and twists I was not expecting。。。。。。

Katie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very creepy， all the talk about the splinters all the time was just 。。。nope。jpeg for me。 I didn't really like the ending， if only because I felt like it just ripped a happy-ish ending away out of nowhere。 And I'm never really a huge fan of the trope of， and this character was just born evil， no we will give no explanations， maybe the devil， idk？ So mixed feelings about this book。 Very creepy， all the talk about the splinters all the time was just 。。。nope。jpeg for me。 I didn't really like the ending， if only because I felt like it just ripped a happy-ish ending away out of nowhere。 And I'm never really a huge fan of the trope of， and this character was just born evil， no we will give no explanations， maybe the devil， idk？ So mixed feelings about this book。 。。。more

KBrekker ，

*4。5The only horror book I've genuinely liked so far。 （Apart from The Shining）The three perspectives were so well done。 I thought I wouldn't like that as much but wow。 Loved it。 I have a few unanswered questions and I called the ending but consider me spooked。 Would recommend 200%。Also I heard that this book has literal jumpscares and although I didn't jump I can totally see it happening。 *4。5The only horror book I've genuinely liked so far。 （Apart from The Shining）The three perspectives were so well done。 I thought I wouldn't like that as much but wow。 Loved it。 I have a few unanswered questions and I called the ending but consider me spooked。 Would recommend 200%。Also I heard that this book has literal jumpscares and although I didn't jump I can totally see it happening。 。。。more

Simone Aparecida ，

Gostei muito de boa parte do enredo。 Excelente a utilização dos companheiros silenciosos na estória， e toda a trama vitoriana。 Mas chegando ao final， achei que alguns fatos ficaram em aberto， sem uma explicação adequada。 Ficaram pontas soltas na estória。 Não gostei do final， poderia ter sido dado um melhor final para a personagem protagonista， Elsie。

Eliana ，

2。5Sinceramente me esperaba otra cosa y la historia no logró atraparme del todo。 Las últimas 100 páginas se me hicieron interminables。 Las dos estrellas y media son claramente por el final， que fué lo único que me pareció bueno。

Lexie McNinch ，

gaslight， gatekeep， girlboss。

enya ，

4。5* because my mind was really screwed up by the end。

Jan Howarth ，

More horror than gothicThis reads like a Stephen King novel。 It has a disturbing masterminded plot。 Reviews called it gothic。 Gothic novels are suspenseful with a hint of supernatural then an uplifting sense in the story; unlike this book。 Still it is an interesting read。

Marcos Sobrinho ，

"A morte， uma vez concebida， era voraz。 Tomava tudo para si。"Ganhei esse livro de presente， sem saber sobre a autora， sobre a história， ou qualquer detalhe do contexto。 Tudo foi uma grata surpresa。Se tratando de um romance gótico， temos aqui uma mansão no meio do nada， ventos frios， madeiras rangendo， empregados com segredos。。。 temos uma atmosfera fria， solitária e esses "companheiros silenciosos"。Esses "companheiros silenciosos" transmitem uma sensação de vigia constante que é muito incômoda。 T "A morte， uma vez concebida， era voraz。 Tomava tudo para si。"Ganhei esse livro de presente， sem saber sobre a autora， sobre a história， ou qualquer detalhe do contexto。 Tudo foi uma grata surpresa。Se tratando de um romance gótico， temos aqui uma mansão no meio do nada， ventos frios， madeiras rangendo， empregados com segredos。。。 temos uma atmosfera fria， solitária e esses "companheiros silenciosos"。Esses "companheiros silenciosos" transmitem uma sensação de vigia constante que é muito incômoda。 Temos personagens que sofreram traumas， grandes perdas， tendo que lidar com essa comunidade que os odeia， e ainda mais com esses "companheiros" espalhados pelos cômodos o tempo todo vigiando， julgando， de certa forma， até os perseguindo， o tempo todo。E sobre os traumas e perdas dos personagens que acontecem antes da história， eu achei a abordagem do livro muito boa， pois a autora não entrega em grandes parágrafos explicativos no final do livro， mas vai soltando ao longo dos capítulos em frases e pensamentos dos personagens， trechos que vão reconstituindo tudo que aconteceu。 Então se encaixa na história， sem parecer forçado。A abordagem com as três linhas do tempo também deixa a história mais interessante。 Prolonga o mistério， desenvolvendo três linhas narrativas com mistérios próprios e que se completam ao final。Enfim， muito encantado com a autora， que escrita envolvente。 Muito difícil querer largar o livro no meio do capítulo que sempre terminam com ótimos ganchos。P。S: Descobri que os "companheiros silenciosos" realmente existem e estou me perguntando como as pessoas conseguiam ter essas coisas em casas。 。。。more

Samikshan Sengupta ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "The Silent Companions" by Laura Purcell is a multi-layered novel。 On the face， it is as it is， a Victorian horror story， arguably one of the very best。 It has all the necssary ingredients - a storyline set in the 1860's， a huge Victorian mansion， an illustrous medieval family， complete with heirlooms， banners， stuffed animal heads， tight-lipped etiquettes & a fair share of hushed-up secrets。 The "companions"， life-like dolls， gradually gain "life" & move about the house， first in the dead of th "The Silent Companions" by Laura Purcell is a multi-layered novel。 On the face， it is as it is， a Victorian horror story， arguably one of the very best。 It has all the necssary ingredients - a storyline set in the 1860's， a huge Victorian mansion， an illustrous medieval family， complete with heirlooms， banners， stuffed animal heads， tight-lipped etiquettes & a fair share of hushed-up secrets。 The "companions"， life-like dolls， gradually gain "life" & move about the house， first in the dead of the night & then gradually in broad day-light。 Their uncanny resemblence with the deceased house residents only add to the eerieness of their behaviour。 Extraordinary credit goes to the author， who paints pictures with her words， keeping the storyline & the readers tension on a taut string。 We can almost see the wretched village of Fayford， its inhabitants speaking in hushes about the Bainbridge house， the ill-managed garden of thistles， which once had seen roses & lillies， Jasper， the black cat， & even the companions。 From the Victorian horror （mixed with a dash of Gothic horror as well） perspective， the story provides a satisfactory conclusion， no doubt。But， if we consider another perspective， the psychological one， that of Elsie Bainbridge （nee Livingstone）， we are bound to see the story in a different light。 Elsie， raised by his match-factory owner dad & her slightly deranged mom， had a abused childhood。 She was repeatedly beaten by her father， even made to work in the match factory by him， so much so that she developed a strange antipathy towards wood， splinters & smoke in her later life。 After her father's untimely death， her mom became even more deranged & accused her of hideous things。 Her only solace was her brother， Joylyon， who was 12 years younger than her & whom she repeatedly referred to as "my boy"。 Elsie practically brought up Joylyon， after their father's death & thus he was almost like a son to her。 But。。。。But， Elsie， scarred & neglected throughout her childhood is not without guilt as well， deeply embedded within her subconcious， a genuine guilt。 Thus， her entire episode at "The Bridge"， her tryst with the "Companions"， her friendship with Sarah， her interactions with the servants， their gradual increasing hatred towards her - might have been her imagination。 Thus we have a "biased POV" throughout the novel & the conclusions drawn by Dr。 Shephard， even the allegations by Sarah， right at the end， can NOT be ruled out！！！Thus what we have here is a classic psychological crime thriller， because all the ghosts & unnantural happenings have rational explanations。Last， but not least， "The Silent Companions" is the tale of the Victorian woman。 Repeatedly ignored， mocked at & "shown their place" by the mensfolk， Elsie actually helds her own against the tide & heads a silent revolt。 Despite being an elder sibling & hence a more experienced partner of Joylyon in the match factory， when her presence in the investor's meeting was questioned， she shot back sharply。 She refused to buckle down under pressure， when she lost her husband & moved to hostile territory， where people thought widows bring bad luck。 Bearing the child of her lost husband， she worked with the uncooperative， yet experienced servants & tried to establish order in the mansion she inherited。But， she was unlucky in her childhood， she was unlucky in her adulthood as well。 Joylyon， her own brother， the light of her life， didn't beleive her & tried to get her admitted to an asylum。 While this may sound to be a helping attitude on Joylyon's part， we cannot but notice the harshness of his dealings with Elsie after she fell from the garret & broke her leg。 Also， he let her go on her own to "The Bridge" after Mabel's death， knowing fully well， this trip might "unhinge" her again。 Surely， his "mother-figure" deserved better， even if he beleived Elsie was losing her senses， he needed to be on her side。Did Joylyon had the idea of grabbing the mansion by removing his sister from the path？ We would never know。The same theme is prevalent at the time of Anne Bainbridge， nearly 180 years ago。 Patriarchy was even more prominent & vengeful during those times & thus Anne lived only to please her husband， Josaiah， to make the house ready for the royal visit， etc。 She protests against her husband's decision to exclude Hetta from the masque， but that was it。 The protest had no effect。 Poor Anne， who was good with the knowledge of herbs （which she passed on to Hetta） & who clearly missed a female company， was branded a witch by the common folk。 Her husband supported their verdict & the prevalent social system only effected in making Anne even more incredulous & senile， thus proving their wretched theory。 Finally， she was burnt at stake & we suspect Elsie would have suffered a similar fate， had she born 180 years earlier。Against these humongous avalanche of male dominance & patriarchy， poor Annes & Elsies had little but some control over the household & few exotic knowledges （like herbology）， which actually allowed her to conceive。 But their sense of guilt were just too great， too heavy for them to bear。。。Elsie's setting fire to "The Bridge" probably mirrors her protest in the form of burning down this unjust social structure， no matter the consequence。Also， it's significant to note that Elsie's & Anne's enemies on their paths are none but WOMEN only。 For Anne， it's Lizzy， whose presence is a constant reminder of her seemingly "evil" conception & making her weak in every step。 For Elsie， it's clearly Sarah。*******************************************Anyways， the readers are bound to enjoy the novel。 The writing is so vivid， that I， myself， experienced dreams during the last 4 nights， I finished reading it。 Also keeping up till 4 am in the morning， didn't help either。 ;） 。。。more

Roberta ，

Beautiful， beautiful， beautiful。 There are still beautiful gothic novels out there！ The story， the settings， the back and forth between two centuries， everything is spot on。 If you like the genre you can deduct the ending， but this don't take away anything to the experience。 Highly recommended。 Beautiful， beautiful， beautiful。 There are still beautiful gothic novels out there！ The story， the settings， the back and forth between two centuries， everything is spot on。 If you like the genre you can deduct the ending， but this don't take away anything to the experience。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Diane Sutton ，

Loved it！！ Just the right amount of chill factor， especially if you have noises coming from your loft （hiss， scratch）。 Read over 2 sessions as I couldn't put it down - would of been in on go if I had had the time。 Best to read on a dull day， under a blanket with no one else around。 Loved it！！ Just the right amount of chill factor， especially if you have noises coming from your loft （hiss， scratch）。 Read over 2 sessions as I couldn't put it down - would of been in on go if I had had the time。 Best to read on a dull day， under a blanket with no one else around。 。。。more

Sue Davis ，

Hetta or Sarah？ Good story regardless。 Jasper is the real hero。

Babywave ，

Dieses Buch hat definitiv Schaueratmosphäre。。。。 vor allen Dingen abends， wenn es dunkel und windig ist。 Ich hab mich hin und wieder gegruselt， hab die Spannung gespürt und auch die Anspannung der Protagonisten miterlebt。 Es ist eine Geschichte， die man entdecken muss。 Mich konnte das Buch leider nicht zu 100% überzeugen。 Das Ende war etwas mystisch。。。。 man bekam keine abschließende Antwort。。。。wobei man das auch nicht immer zwingend muss。。。。。。Trotzdem macht man sich seine eigenen Gedanken und übe Dieses Buch hat definitiv Schaueratmosphäre。。。。 vor allen Dingen abends， wenn es dunkel und windig ist。 Ich hab mich hin und wieder gegruselt， hab die Spannung gespürt und auch die Anspannung der Protagonisten miterlebt。 Es ist eine Geschichte， die man entdecken muss。 Mich konnte das Buch leider nicht zu 100% überzeugen。 Das Ende war etwas mystisch。。。。 man bekam keine abschließende Antwort。。。。wobei man das auch nicht immer zwingend muss。。。。。。Trotzdem macht man sich seine eigenen Gedanken und überlegt， ob es nun Geister waren， die alles zu Fall gebracht haben。。。。。。 Aber eventuell ist eben auch das Ungeklärte der Reiz dieser Geschichte。。。。。。 。。。more

Amanda Long ，

4。5

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Silent Companions

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Silent Companions&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Silent Companions&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0