jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
On the edge of the moors in West Yorkshire lies Potter's Pleasure Palace, an old mill building turned into a place of wonderment for young Billy Shaw. The Great War is over and the people of the area flock to The Palace to dance, skate, boat and enjoy the teas produced by Billy's mum. Billy gets the opportunity to become a companion to Jasper Harper, who lives at High Hob with his mother Edie and her brother Charles, a popular novelist. In modern times Ackerdean Mill is the site of a museum dedicated to the Harpers and the new custodian is Anna who is determined to solve the mystery of the deaths of the Harpers in 1936.
It took a while for me to get into this book, I'm not sure why as the setting is fairly local to me and of great interest. However once it clicked I was hooked. The characters are complex and there are layers and layers of intrigue which are barely touched upon, for example Anna's backstory haunts her yet it is only briefly touched upon. In fact there are lots of little gems that enrich this story - who was Charles' lover, who was the father of Jasper etc. They are all answered but in a natural way that doesn't really draw attention. That is what works so well here, there are few histrionics and the writing is very restrained yet the storyline is powerful and moving. A great read.
It took a while for me to get into this book, I'm not sure why as the setting is fairly local to me and of great interest. However once it clicked I was hooked. The characters are complex and there are layers and layers of intrigue which are barely touched upon, for example Anna's backstory haunts her yet it is only briefly touched upon. In fact there are lots of little gems that enrich this story - who was Charles' lover, who was the father of Jasper etc. They are all answered but in a natural way that doesn't really draw attention. That is what works so well here, there are few histrionics and the writing is very restrained yet the storyline is powerful and moving. A great read.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
The Companion
What a marvellously creepy and unsettling novel! Ooh from that first page, this was a page turner and shivers went down my spine. I LOVED Billy Shaw and his family. Despite the poverty and the misery, there is a real sense of community and friendship between the characters. When I found out that the Palace was real (well sort of) it filled me with a sense of excitement. I love novels which take a real building or real story and spin in into a fictional mystery. Well, this mystery was so well done and expertly crafted that it lasted the entire novel and the pace never let up. Hardly room to breathe if I’m honest – Sarah Dunnakey you have unsettled me big time!
It’s a novel to savour and read slowly but surely – enjoy the sense of creepiness even before that weird boy Jasper appears. I wanted to grab hold of Billy’s hand and get him out of there. Billy was a great character – his humour and fun way of seeing life belied his difficult start in life and his troubled life so far. He goes up to the house not even knowing what a companion was. Ah, and when he thinks that the characters from a book are going to be living in the house with them! It does turn out that the book 1984 does have a role to play..
There’s so much to enjoy with this novel. The writing is clever, the language funny and spot on, the Yorkshire charm both in the landscape and the people very evident indeed. The mystery slowly unravels and really ramps up towards the end and oh what a tangled web some people weave! Those Yorkshire moors hold many many secrets – it’s not just the place where women are locked in attics and men in cloaks go wandering across them…no there’s an old house where two writers live and where a strange little boy seems to rule the roost…
This is such an immersive read and I loved every creepy second of it. I won’t forget Jasper or Billy for a very long time .
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
4.0
The Companion was slightly different to what I was expecting but I enjoyed it a lot. It is a dual narrative novel with Anna in modern day and Billy in the 1930s. Anna has moved into the area to start again after suffering an emotional loss. She becomes friendly with Frank, a local man who encourages her to convince the board who have control of the old palace to open the top floor to the public.
Billy who lived in the village in the 1930s and whose family worked at the palace is told he is to become a companion to Jasper, who lives with his mother and uncle at their home High Hob which is up on the moors. At first, he misses his family and friends but settles in to his new life.
I found all three members of the family spoilt, snobbish and very unpleasant. Jasper, especially made my skin crawl. A lot of children would play games, where they would convince each other that there were wild animals in the area but he had a healthy obsession with death, cruelty and power.
I couldn’t work out what had happened. Most of what Anna learned was from passed down memories and not all of them were accurate. What you think you learned about Billy in modern day was proved to be false a few chapters later. I liked the way this was done, having worked on family history for years you always hear stories that are later proven to be inaccurate.
I liked his character a lot. He understood immediately what Jasper was capable of, had hopes for a successful future and dreamt of a life with Lizzie. His friendship with Lizzie was lovely to read but also upsetting at times.
I’ve always enjoyed a novel that covers different generations and found this novel to be remarkable. There was the 1930s where life was changing dramatically. Between the wars, and a changing approach to the way the working class enjoyed their leisure time. And then modern day, where people realized they should know more about what their predecessors did in work and leisure.
The whole area felt real. I could see the transformation of the old palace and feel the isolation of the moors and the people who lived in both. The superstitious shepherd, the cook who couldn’t cook and the maid who witnessed more than she realised.
A fascinating book about a Yorkshire community and its history. Recommended.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received
Billy who lived in the village in the 1930s and whose family worked at the palace is told he is to become a companion to Jasper, who lives with his mother and uncle at their home High Hob which is up on the moors. At first, he misses his family and friends but settles in to his new life.
I found all three members of the family spoilt, snobbish and very unpleasant. Jasper, especially made my skin crawl. A lot of children would play games, where they would convince each other that there were wild animals in the area but he had a healthy obsession with death, cruelty and power.
I couldn’t work out what had happened. Most of what Anna learned was from passed down memories and not all of them were accurate. What you think you learned about Billy in modern day was proved to be false a few chapters later. I liked the way this was done, having worked on family history for years you always hear stories that are later proven to be inaccurate.
I liked his character a lot. He understood immediately what Jasper was capable of, had hopes for a successful future and dreamt of a life with Lizzie. His friendship with Lizzie was lovely to read but also upsetting at times.
I’ve always enjoyed a novel that covers different generations and found this novel to be remarkable. There was the 1930s where life was changing dramatically. Between the wars, and a changing approach to the way the working class enjoyed their leisure time. And then modern day, where people realized they should know more about what their predecessors did in work and leisure.
The whole area felt real. I could see the transformation of the old palace and feel the isolation of the moors and the people who lived in both. The superstitious shepherd, the cook who couldn’t cook and the maid who witnessed more than she realised.
A fascinating book about a Yorkshire community and its history. Recommended.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received
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