Charles Lambert - The Bone Flower

Charles Lambert - The Bone Flower 

5⭐

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Gothic, Paranormal 

Pages:  255

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher: Gallic Books 

Date Published: 22nd September 2022

Huge thank you to Gallic Books for sending me a proof copy of The Bone Flower to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

On a November evening in Victorian London, the moneyed but listless Edward Monteith stokes the fire at his local gentlemen’s club, listening to stories of supernatural experiences and theories of life after death. His curiosity leads him to a séance, where he falls under the spell of a beautiful flower seller. But Victorian society does not look kindly on love between a gentleman of means and a Romani girl, and when he faces being cut off by his family, Edward makes a decision with horrifying consequences.

Two years later Edward is married and anticipating the birth of his first child, in a beautiful house lined with orange blossom trees. But the wrongs of the past are not so easily forgotten, and the boundary between the living and the dead begins to thin… A deliciously chilling Gothic novel, The Bone Flower is a deeply human story about guilt, betrayal and the cruelty of social expectations.

A dark, uncanny love story from the author of Polari prize-shortlisted Prodigal and The Children's Home, The Bone Flower will delight fans of Edward Carey and Essie Fox.

My Review: 

When I started reading The Bone Flower, I thought it was going to be a simple Gothic love story but…Wow! It was so much more than that! It had mystery, a spooky atmosphere, forbidden love, betrayal…All of that and set in Victorian London. This book ticked all the boxes and is honestly a perfect read for this upcoming spooky season!

The book follows young gentleman Edward Monteith who is still a bachelor and without a passion in life, although from a wealthy(ish) family. He joins a gentlemen’s club where explorers, scientists and other wealthy men discuss the meaning of life and death, including supernatural, spirits and life after death. After one of the evenings in the club, Edward is invited to a séance to experience the supernatural with his own eyes. Reluctantly but with an open mind, he agrees to this adventure. In the séance, he meets a beautiful young lady Settie and falls head over heels for her. They begin their secret romance, but since she is a Gypsy Traveller and he is from a reputable family and Edward is afraid that his father will take away all of his money if Edward introduces Settie to his family. However, Settie feels that Edward is ashamed of her and gives him an ultimatum, either she leaves him or he marries her. With one horrible decision, Edward’s life is turned upside down…

I loved how much was explored in this book and how much detail was put into this story, even though the book itself is not that long. Lambert uses such beautiful language and scene setting that I felt I was transported into Victorian London. Although the book started quite slowly, from the very beginning it just grips the reader with the mystery and atmosphere. I really didn’t want it to end and wished it was longer.

I also adored how Lambert explored the topics of societal expectations and class differences of that time and adds them to the story in such a subtle manner. The forbidden love story and then the betrayal just added to that even more, making The Bone Flower such a powerful read.

Overall: Loved this book so much! The setting, the plot and the writing are all fantastic. I loved how topics of love and betrayal, as well as, societal classes were explored together with the supernatural, curses, traditions and ghosts. This book is a must-read during the upcoming spooky season as its atmosphere makes this book a perfect read for long autumn nights. It was my first book by Lambert but it definitely won’t be the last I read of his. 

About the Author:

Charles Lambert was born in the United Kingdom but has lived in Italy for most of his adult life. His most recent novel, The Bone Flower, is a Gothic love story with a sinister edge, set in Victorian London. His previous novel, Prodigal, shortlisted for the Polari Prize in 2019, was described by the Gay & Lesbian Review as "Powerful… an artful hybrid of parable (as the title signifies), a Freudian family romance, a Gothic tale, and a Künstlerroman in the tradition of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” For the Kirkus Review, The Children's Home, published in 2016, was 'a one-of-a-kind literary horror story', while Two Dark Tales, published in October 2017, continues to disturb. Earlier books include three novels, a collection of prize-winning short stories and a memoir, With a Zero at its Heart, selected by the Guardian as one of its top ten books from 2014.

https://charleslambert.wordpress.com/about/