atwrm's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
shmaroon's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
books_with_kayleigh's review
5.0
As someone who is A. a wuss and B. Not a huge fan of spook, I was a bit nervous going into this book. However I needn't have been, atmospheric from the off, Lambert's beautiful writing sucks you in, and keeps you suitably intrigued to try and brush over the shivers because you have to know what happens next.
There were some gruesome parts, some really scary (nothing creepier than a weird child) - but throughout your grounded through Edward and the cast of characters. This is a truly masterful read, but if you're a wuss like me maybe read it in daylight hours.
There were some gruesome parts, some really scary (nothing creepier than a weird child) - but throughout your grounded through Edward and the cast of characters. This is a truly masterful read, but if you're a wuss like me maybe read it in daylight hours.
thereadingparamedic's review
4.0
4.5 stars!
This is one of those books I probably never would’ve read if I wasn’t a book reviewer. So thank you to Gallic for sending this one my way!
Set in Victorian London, it tells the story of Edward, a man of means & stature who, after taking part in a seance, falls under the spell of Settie. However, Settie being a Romani girl, their pairing is not accepted in society & Edward faces being cut off by his family. He makes a decision he will live to regret.
Two years later, Edward is married & expecting the birth of his first child. But the wrongs of his past come back to haunt him.
The Bone Flower is a beautifully written book, with a supernatural tale of life after death. It’s creepiness (& a little gore in places!) is perfect for the darker nights now drawing in.
A highly recommended autumnal read!
This is one of those books I probably never would’ve read if I wasn’t a book reviewer. So thank you to Gallic for sending this one my way!
Set in Victorian London, it tells the story of Edward, a man of means & stature who, after taking part in a seance, falls under the spell of Settie. However, Settie being a Romani girl, their pairing is not accepted in society & Edward faces being cut off by his family. He makes a decision he will live to regret.
Two years later, Edward is married & expecting the birth of his first child. But the wrongs of his past come back to haunt him.
The Bone Flower is a beautifully written book, with a supernatural tale of life after death. It’s creepiness (& a little gore in places!) is perfect for the darker nights now drawing in.
A highly recommended autumnal read!
krissysbooked's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that I love a bit of Gothic literature, my favourite book is Wuthering Heights after all. So when The Bone Flower landed on my doorstep I was very excited (I have waaaay too many books to read though so it’s taken me a while to get to it).
We start the story following Edward in London as he goes to a party and a seance with some friends. On the way he meets a flower seller who mesmerises him. At the seance however a prediction is made about his future love and family that he pushed to one side but soon derails his life. A bad decision and it’s consequences leave him alone and heartbroken and he flees to Europe.
Skipping forward 2 years and Edward returns from extended time abroad with a new wife and a child on the way, but his past literally comes back to haunt him and his new family.
This story was gripping and so beautifully written. I really felt the love and grief that gripped Edward and the fear that struck him and his family as the hauntings’ developed. I kid you not, I had to do the quick run from my bathroom back to bed whilst staying up to finish it one night because I was so creeped out.
I also really enjoyed the attention to detail and interweaving of different beliefs and traditions regards death and restless souls from Africa, to Europe, and even Romany traditions.
This is definitely belongs alongside other classic Gothic literature like the Woman in Black and Rebecca. I’m now intrigued to read more by the author, Charles Lambert.
Verdict: A perfect drop of gothic literature that is best read in spooky autumnal weather!
artbreakerbookclub's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thesleepyreader79's review
5.0
The Bone Flower is a sad, yet mysterious Gothic love story set in 1800's England. Edward Monteith is a young man who has money, but not much else. While spending time at his local gentleman's club, he is surrounded by men who are scientists, explorers, and he listens as they recount the stories of their adventures and their forays in to the supernatural. One of them suggests that he attend a seance with them and when he does, he is enthralled with one of the young women there, Settie, a woman he has also seen selling flowers on the street.
Edward and Settie begin a whirlwind romance. Spending weeks together in a little cottage by the sea. But Settie feels hidden away and tells Edward to make her his wife and be out in the open or she will leave forever. They are very much in love but also worlds apart. She from a Gypsy family and he afraid his father would never accept her.
This book is part ghost story and part Gothic mystery. Its beautifully written, touching on topics that were taboo for the time and I can tell the time period was well researched. It's a slow and steady read but I would also say a page turner because I could not stop reading it. I received this book free from the publisher for an honest review.
Edward and Settie begin a whirlwind romance. Spending weeks together in a little cottage by the sea. But Settie feels hidden away and tells Edward to make her his wife and be out in the open or she will leave forever. They are very much in love but also worlds apart. She from a Gypsy family and he afraid his father would never accept her.
This book is part ghost story and part Gothic mystery. Its beautifully written, touching on topics that were taboo for the time and I can tell the time period was well researched. It's a slow and steady read but I would also say a page turner because I could not stop reading it. I received this book free from the publisher for an honest review.
amothersmusings1's review
5.0
“THE BONE FLOWER” is the most satisfying Gothic ghost story I’ve read recently…..I simply adored it from start to finish and I genuinely didn’t want it to end. The author Charles Lambert has returned with this masterpiece, perfect for the onset of Autumn and for fans of Susan Hill and Andrew Michael Hurley.
It’s November in Victorian London. Edward Monteith is sitting around the fire with his friends at a gentleman’s club, listening to far flung tales and legends of the supernatural. Upon leaving, he sees a young flower seller and instantly senses a mutual attraction. As his curiosity about the possibility of an afterlife has been piqued, he’s offered to attend a supposed seance where he meets the flower seller girl again. However, society of the time does not look kindly on a relationship between a gentleman and a Romani girl and after the threat of being cut off by his family, he makes a decision with horrifying consequences. Two years later, Edward has made a new life for himself but is his past about to resurface in a most frightening and supernatural nature?
I absolutely adored this Gothic ghost story. I felt like I was immersed in a black and white Gainsborough film of the 1940’s with the likes of James Mason and Lauren Bacall…..(since I’m a certain age to appreciate those movies) - which enabled me to visualise each scene vividly in my mind. The characters were so well developed and I thought Edward’s friend Giles was superb but really there wasn’t one character I didn’t like or endear to. Evocative and atmospheric, Charles’ descriptive storytelling meant I could almost smell the sweetest of flowers and the orange blossom trees.
What stood out for me the most was how social expectations was so cruel and even true love couldn’t break that barrier down. The two social divides never mixed and it was interesting how the Romany travellers protected their own at all costs. The focus of grief, guilt, betrayal and superstition was transformed into a fabulous readable novel that was addictive and engrossing.
Charles Lambert is a truly exceptional author who captures exactly what he has in his mind for a story and conveys this to his readers perfectly. Born in England, he has lived in central Italy since 1980 and his novel ‘Prodigal’ was shortlisted for the Polar Prize for LGBTQ writing in 2019.
#TheBoneFlower - 5 stars and more!
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