True 19th-century London is brought to life in this book. I was left stunned by the claustrophobic storytelling. I loved the wallpaper business element and learned a thing or two, nice that it’s a little bit different of a profession. Creepy vibe with equally as creeping characters. I did find that the research into this Victorian time period could have been a bit more accurate and did distract from the storyline at times but I still really enjoyed.

This is a Victorian gothic mystery. The atmosphere was so good in this book and you always felt as though something bad was going to happen. It is well written and I liked the creepiness. The characters are well developed.
I felt the ending was left unsolved which was a disappointment

Sizzles with tension, desire, and a forever-escalating sense of menace! Let this supremely enjoyable thriller whisk you up, up and away. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Braithwhite family has always lived a privileged life as the owners of Braithwhite & Company— the marvellous manufacturers of decorative wallpapers. When Mr Luckhurst, responsible for running the business, dies, the family is in turmoil. Soon, a young man called Julian Rivers arrives, claiming to be training under Mr Luckhurst to lead the company. Lucy Braithwhite, as the heir, attempts to look beyond his charming manners and soon discovers his more malevolent nature...

The Company was an interesting lecture. It starts as a very down-to-earth story and gradually becomes more mysterious and gothic. Throughout the book, I wondered if the reasons behind the more gothic scenes are supernatural. Is there something evil in the Braithwhite wallpapers, or are the characters experiencing some effects of the poisoning from arsenic used in bright green dies? Those questions kept me hooked until the end.

The Company

I once began a masters in Victorian Studies and did a lot of work around literature, art and visual culture. I developed a lifelong love of the Pre-Raphaelites and the design of the Arts and Crafts period, so the scandal of Victorian wallpaper poisonings was something I’d researched and written about before. I was very keen to see how the author had used this moment in history to inspire a Gothic story. As the 19th century progressed more intricate and vibrant wallpapers were the fashion, in much the shame way that they’re having a moment now. In the early part of the century a rich, vibrant green named Scheele’s Green emerged. The colour was so incredibly popular that by the 1850’s it was being used in the production of household items from wallpapers, paints, and candles, to clothes and children’s toys. When a vibrant green called Schiele’s Green emerged in the 1850’s, but was manufactured using large amounts of copper arsenite. Arsenic had a completely unique property that enhanced colour pigments and stopped them from fading, perfect for items like wallpaper that would be affected by sunlight over time. Manufacturers knew that arsenic was toxic, but chose to promote the line that it was only harmful if ingested - a dangerous lie that lasted decades. As wallpaper became ever more popular, reports began of people suffering slow and agonising deaths. Damp homes amplified the problem because of toxic fumes released by moisture on the walls. Rooms with large fires created the same problem meaning that many Victorian homes were veritable death traps. Alison Matthews David who wrote about the problem in ‘Fashion Victims: The Dangers Of Dress Past And Present’, explained that “arsenic didn’t fade and looked bright under lights. It was stunning and became hugely popular in clothes. A ball gown would contain enough arsenic to kill 200 people and a hair wreath 50. The amounts used were lethal.’ This background knowledge had me champing at the bit for some horrifying deaths and characters terrified by intricate, poisonous wallpaper.

Braithwait and Company are a Victorian wallpaper company caught up in the arsenic scandal and murky work practices at their copper mines in Devon, where the family are from. When our heroine Lucy Braithwaite, along with her brothers Tom and John were young and living at the family’s country home there was an accident in the copper mine. There were small children from the village in the most remote and claustrophobic points of the mine. They were all killed. Mr Braithwaite died soon after and the family chose to move to their London home, nearer to the company’s offices. The company ran under the management of long running company manager Mr Luckhurst, who had worked closely with Mr Braithwaite for many years. Mrs Braithwaite concentrated on the home front, filling their home with the latest wallpaper patterns from the company. Apart from Lucy who chose to have her room painted in the palest blush pink to be a calm and quiet space in contrast to the rest of the house. Yet the family’s luck was still on a downward turn after the death of Tom, who seemingly declined while being tortured by terrible hallucinations. Were these visions from within or without?

Their luck seems set to change completely when Lucy is a young woman and a new, young and dynamic manager takes over after the death of old retainer Mr Luckhurst. Mr Rivers is young, handsome, gallant and personable, immediately charming Lucy’s mother and brother John. John is the obvious successor to the company, but he has become frail since moving to London. Lucy decided to move his bedroom down to their father’s old study so he doesn’t have to contend with stairs. His room is a combination of workplace and bedroom, the desk enabling to go through company papers and keep abreast of matters. He and Mr Rivers hit it off immediately and it’s soon common for them to retire to John’s bedroom after dinner and talk about the company. Lucy finds it strange that despite coming from Devon and apparently working under Mr Luckhurst for years, she has never met Rivers before. However, his knowledge of the company and it’s history is entirely accurate. I found Rivers suspicious straight away and I loved how the author creates this uneasiness in the description of his expressions, his speech and the sense that he’s saying all the right things, but is he just saying what the family want to hear? His name in a Victorian novel seemed significant, because my brain went immediately to Jane Eyre and St.John Rivers. The author’s description of Rivers and his gleaming eyes reminded me of the Jane Eyre character whose own eyes betrayed his fanaticism, of a religious kind in his case. Jane Eyre didn’t accept his proposal because there was no love there, but also due to this steeliness and determination that meant he would pursue his aims to the end. I sensed this same determination and a dangerous aim that might bring harm to the family.

I loved the tension the author heightened towards the end and as I was reading on NetGalley I didn’t expect it to stop where it did. Rivers assures Lucy and her mother that the recipe for the wallpaper colours is not being altered and it isn’t causing any harm. However, his industriousness with brother John would suggest some sort of changes were being made. Also, John’s health is in serious decline. Lucy is called to his room in the night by screams of terror, apparently he sees phantoms but are they caused by his green wallpaper and it’s writhing botanical pattern? He insists on how much Rivers means to him and I started to wonder if there was more than a working connection. Was the attachment one that was considered unnatural? I felt like Rivers was trying to romance every member of the Braithwaite family, using whatever weakness he could find. I found Lucy intelligent, perceptive and able to think differently from her mother. Mrs Braithwaite really did want someone to sweep in and look after everything for her, whereas Lucy has been actively looking for evidence, befriending the boy Rivers uses as a lookout and appealing to those in their circle that they can still trust. Is there a chink in her armour? It’s perhaps likely that Rivers expects the archetypal Victorian heroine who might swoon at a mention of romance, but I was desperately hoping he was wrong. As the reckoning approaches would she be able to remain clear headed and courageous enough to form a plan? I found the final part of the book perplexing. It was exciting and nail-biting, but still with a shroud of mystery over certain details. I came away wondering and I still find myself thinking about it three or four days later. I know sooner or later I will have to pick it up and read it again. Another novel that left this feeling behind was The Turn of the Screw by Henry James; it’s scary and unsettling but difficult to pinpoint exactly what happens. I think the author wanted to wrap the reader in those toxic fumes till we were unsure which parts are real and where the supernatural creeps in, rather like Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. It doesn’t ruin the book, in fact it enhances that sense of the uncanny that always terrifies. Mysterious, gothic and brimming with historical detail I definitely recommend it, but don’t expect a mystery where every loose end is neatly tied.

Based in a nasty truth (The Victorians LOVED a vivid wallpaper, and yes it was given its deep tones by the use of arsenic, and yes, people died) this novel blends reality with a real feel of a classic Victorian gothic novel.
There are secrets, knowledge denied and unspoken, revelations, and fear. Our heroine is, as were most Victorian women, under-estimated and so overlooked.
Victorian society was a dark place for those not wealthy; there was no power for the working man, woman or child, and all were subject to the greed and whim of their masters, who used their power to hide their worst excesses and poor treatment of workers, which, in this novel, rather comes back to bite the rich family suddenly at the mercy of an unknown quantity.
Darkly twisting, the reader is kept in a constant state of dread right up till the final moments, when we can finally close the book with a sigh of contentment.
If after reading this novel you don't want to learn more about the arsenic used to create those vivid greens, and how the scandal finally came to light, I will be amazed.

Braithwaite and Sons is company that mines copper and makes the most beautiful wallpapers but in the second half of the 19th century there is some concern about the effects of the arsenic in their goods. The company has been run by a trusted advisor since the death of Mr Braithwaite many years ago and Lucy's brother is in ill health so relies on the management. However when the manager dies, his successor takes over and Lucy becomes more and more uneasy both about the dangers of the papers and also Julian Rivers. There is tragedy in the past and now it seems to have reappeared.
This is quite a short book but it packs a punch. There was a scandal about the arsenic content of wallpaper in Victorian Britain, dense colours were enhance but when the aper got damp it released arsenic into the atmosphere. Added to this is a gothic tale of tragedy and haunting. It shouldn't work, too much in too short a book but it does work incredibly well.

“The room’s paper was of a dark emerald green, and it contained things shaped like leaves, and leaves shaping themselves into vines, and strange winding serpents that curved into rivers. It had been father’s favourite. As a girl I’d seen angel wings somewhere in that dense forest, and John had picked out monkeys and pineapples.”

My thanks to John Murray Press Baskerville for an eARC via NetGalley, of ‘The Company’ by J.M. Varese.

This impressive novel, set in 1870s London, was inspired by a real-life controversy about the use of arsenic in luxury wallpapers. I find the designs of Victorian wallpapers fascinating though was unaware of the hidden dangers that had been present.

The plot focuses on Lucy Braithwhite, heir to the fortune of Braithwhite & Company, the most successful purveyor of English luxury wallpapers the world over. Key to the company’s success is their formulas that have remained cloaked in mystery. Alongside the originality of the designs is the brilliance of their colours. Many wonder if the spell-like effect of these wallpapers is due simply to artistry, or something more sinister…. Given that this is a Gothic mystery, I am betting on the sinister explanation.

Then the company’s manager, Mr Luckhurst, suddenly dies. He had also served as a surrogate father to Lucy and her invalid brother John since they were children. Lucy is shocked to discover that there is no succession plan in place and it is uncertain who will ensure that the company and her family continue to thrive.

It’s not long until the dishy Julian Rivers arrives on their doorstep. It turns out that he has been deeply involved in the company's operations for some time. At first he seems like the answer to their prayers, though Lucy begins piecing together Julian's true intentions. Meanwhile, John’s condition deteriorates and he starts reporting spectral visions within his bedroom wallpaper. No further details to avoid spoilers.

I found ‘The Company’ a slow burn atmospheric novel that effectively utilised Gothic tropes and its setting to create a sense of creeping unease. Lucy’s journey from an entitled innocent to a woman taking control of her life and destiny was inspiring.

Aside from an author of fiction and nonfiction, J.M. Varese is a historian and educator with special interest in 19th Century literature, culture, and the works of Charles Dickens. As a result of this background it is no surprise that ‘The Company’ is grounded in an impeccable sense of its period setting and historical background.

On a side note the colour and design of the cover was very striking.

Overall, I found ‘The Company’ a compelling Gothic tale and I will be interested in reading more of J.M. Varese’s writing.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Braithwhite and Company is an incredibly successful business that manufactures wallpaper well known for their original designs and almost unnaturally vibrant colours. In 1870, 24 year old Lucy Braithwhite's world comes toppling down when Mr Luckhurst, long-term manager of the business, suddenly dies. Increasingly worried for the inevitability that her sickly brother will have to take control of the business, Lucy is relieved when the able and willing Mr Julian Rivers presents himself as the new manager. However all is not well and suspicions arise with Mr Rivers's intentions along with dark rumours linking the beautiful wallpapers of Braithwhite and Company to madness and death. Lucy must do all she can to protect her family and her legacy.

Inspired by the arsenic wallpaper scandal of the late 19th century where colours in the paper could produce fumes in heat that led to arsenic poisoning and, in extreme cases, death, this novel tackles a deeply interesting subject interwoven with familial secrets, betrayal and desperation.

Distinctly gothic, the atmosphere essentially oozes from the page and I soared through this book.

I enjoyed the build up in tension through Varese's skillful storytelling which was uniquely visual, especially in regards to the wallpaper itself, which made segments read as eerie and claustrophobic and I felt as though I were in Lucy's shoes seeing the paper through her own eyes at points.

The language is subtle with an old-fashioned flair which I adored and felt truly transported me as a reader to the setting, making it much more authentic.

A dark gothic historical novel, this is one to read when the nights are quiet and in shadows.

I enjoyed this rather dark and sinister tale. The premise was both disturbing and fascinating, the use of arsenic in the colour mixes of wallpaper in Victorian England and it's effect on the inhabitants. The beguiling but dreadful Mr Rivers, the visions appearing within the wallpapers and the strength of Lucy as the main female character all added to the drama. I did find it a slow burn and felt that perhaps there were unanswered questions, or maybe the reader is left more to draw their own conclusions. I would recommend if you enjoy a bit of gothic paranormal and creeping dread. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance proof in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise for this book. My favourite type of stories are Victorian gothic mysteries. I was intrigued by the real-life arsenic wallpaper controversy of the late 19th century too as I hadn't heard of it before.
I loved the atmosphere of this novel and the feeling of impending doom really grabbed me from the outset. I thought the book was well written and I loved the creepy vibe and the mysterious nature of the house, with it's hauting wallpaper that possibly caused hallucinations!
The characters were well written and interesting. I particularly liked the elusive, sinister Mr Rivers.

For me, this book was let down in the final chapters. I was expecting an explanation and a resolution to the mysterious story but I found far too much left to the imagination of the reader! As a result I was left feeling confused and had a lot of unanswered questions!

If you enjoy immersive Victorian gothic novels with a touch of the supernatural then I would definitely recommend this but be prepared to draw your own conclusions!

In a Nutshell: Utterly confused about my opinion because this is an utterly confusing book! This does not realise the potential it had promised, though it has some good points.

Story Synopsis:
1870. Twenty-four-year-old Lucy Braithwhite (isn’t the right spelling Braithwaite?) is the heiress to the fortune of Braithwhite and Company – the most successful wallpaper manufacturer in England for almost a century. Braithwhite’s designs are original, and their colours unnaturally vibrant, but their wallpapers also seem to create hallucinatory effects or health issues, though no one knows the reason for this.
When Mr. Luckhurst, the long-term manager of the company and surrogate father to Lucy and her invalid brother John, passes away suddenly, a young and eneigmatic man named Julian Rivers presents himself as being the successor appointed by Luckhurst. But the arrival of this stranger sets into motion many sinister happenings, and Lucy realises that it is up to her to save the company and more importantly, her family.
The story comes to us in the form of a book discovered in an abandoned warehouse, supposedly containing the journal entries written by Lucy in first person.

Where the book worked for me:
👻 As a Victorian Gothic story, the book has all the right ingredients – an eerie house (with seemingly alive wallpaper), a creepy stranger, a strong heroine, and loads of atmosphere.
👻 The atmosphere deserves a separate mention. The scene setting is absolutely and vividly creepy.
👻 I wasn’t aware of wallpapers being coloured with arsenic back in the day, so it was enlightening to be more aware of the facts related to this.
👻 It was refreshing to see a strong young woman whose focus isn’t on romance or marriage, but on saving her family and her family-run business. Lucy was more capable than the men in the story, not a common occurrence in historical fiction.
👻 The plotline is quite unusual, I’ll give you that. Though it wasn’t my kind of book ultimately, I still felt the urge to read on.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
☠ I am not fond of paranormal elements in books. But when I stumble upon such reads unknowingly, I expect some kind of an explanation for the events, even if it is a sinister one. This book offers none! I still don’t know how or why whatever happened, happened. Just like the characters, I cannot distinguish between what was supposed to be reality and what were hallucinations. It is a befuddling book!
☠ The prologue introduces the book as being published in 1903, and based on Lucy’s writings from 1870 supposedly being discovered in an old abandoned warehouse. But the whats and the hows of this discovery are never revealed.
☠ It was slowwwwwwwwwwwww! And a great chunk of it was also repetitive, with Lucy revealing the same thoughts again and again.
☠ I wanted more focus on the arsenic wallpaper controversy of the late 19th century, but this aspect stays in the background, with the spectral ingredients taking centre stage.
☠ Other than Lucy, the characters are quite unidimensional. Everyone has only one role to play, and they stick to that throughout the plot.
☠ The ending is almost anticlimactic. After all that build-up about the eerie components, the resolution fell flat and rushed.


All in all, I am definitely disappointed. I love Gothic mysteries, but when the mystery stays a mystery even at the end, I feel like I wasted my time. The story had so much potential, but it was almost as if it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a mystery or a horror or a historical or a Gothic.
This might work better for those who enjoy the reading journey without worrying about the destination. Many Gothic paranormal lovers have enjoyed this as well, so do check out more reviews before you take a call.

2 stars.

Pro Tip: Read the prologue once again after you complete the book. It makes far better sense during the reread.

My thanks to John Murray Press, Baskerville, and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Company”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I found The Company to be very good on atmospheric Gothic dread, but less good on characters with believable motivation.

Lucy Braithwhite suffers from lots of nameless horror and fuzzy recollections of horrible happenings, but what actually happened, when and to whom was unclear to me. I think my favourite reading of the story is that all the characters are perfectly happy and normal, except for Lucy who suffers from delusions and paranoia. Then it really is a horror story!

Recommended for lovers of Victoriana and atmosphere.

London, 1870. Lucy Braithwhite's family are the owners of Braithwhite & Company - a company which keeps them in a comfortable lifestyle off the back of its popular wallpaper designs. Their designs are full of vibrant colour, yet Lucy dislikes them & had the paper lining her room removed as a child as it upset her so much. Since the death of their father & the youngest son, Tom, Lucy, her brother John, & their mother have left the running of the business to Mr Luckhurst. Although he is the eldest son, John, has always had ill-health & is not thought up to running the business day-to-day. One day they receive the news that Mr Luckhurst has died, & the future of the company (& family) is in turmoil.

They are, therefore, surprised when they receive a visit from Julian Rivers, a young man who says that Mr Luckhurst has been training him for over a decade to take over running the company. No-one has heard of this man before, but he is full of reassurances & grand plans, & John & their mother seem to readily acquiesce to Rivers' wishes. Lucy is initially as charmed as everyone else, but at one point glimpses something malevolent behind Julian's charming façade. John suddenly takes a turn for the worst & Lucy is afraid that Rivers has something to do with his decline. As Lucy slowly becomes aware of Rivers' real intentions, she knows that she needs to come up with a plan to defeat him, but Julian Rivers has an almost supernatural ability to know what she is thinking & planning, can he be vanquished?

Wow, I found this to be a stunningly good read. The wallpaper storyline is based in fact. It is known that Victorian England had many uses for small amounts of arsenic: in paints & dyes, in medicines, in make-up. & in the lush colours of wallpaper, especially greens. When hung in homes, the colours could produce fumes in heat & damp conditions which brought about arsenic poisoning & led to deaths. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning were similar to those of cholera, but in severe cases, agitation, disorientation, & even hallucinations were known.

Another reviewer uses the word 'hypnotic' to describe the reading experience of this book & it's entirely apt. I found myself caught up in the creeping menace of Julian Rivers. Is he real or some incarnation of evil? It's not going to be to everyone's taste as it's a slow moving book, especially at first, but for me, it's a mark of good book when you settle down to read for a short while & before you know it, an hour has passed in what seems like five minutes. It's left to the reader to decide on most things, at times I found myself wondering if Julian Rivers even existed. The ending left me slightly unsatisfied & I can't help feeling that I missed something. This is one of those books that I'm definitely going to read again at some point so see if I pick up on anything new second time around. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, John Murray Press/Baskerville, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This is a fascinating gothic novel with the right level of creepiness and an interesting historical background.
It's a classic story with the angel faced evil guy and a young woman who fight against him.
There's a lot of secrets, twists and a grand-finale that was entirely satisfying.
There's some confusing moments but it kept me turning pages and surprised me with the twists.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The Company is a historic gothic tale set in the 1870s when cyanide was used to enhance the colour of dyes.

I adore books like this! The Company takes what we know now and twists it on its head. Combining the very real threat we know of with the implied paranormal threat means the tension runs through the pages from beginning to end.

Some readers may find this too slow or too subtle a read but I love delving into the language and reading the unsaid. That is where the beauty lies when seemingly nothing truly happens.

Would I read more from this author? Yes!

I wanted to say this is a little creepy, but I’m not sure if it is……maybe a little…frightening…also a little!

The story follows the Braithwaite family, with our leading lady being Lucy. Not a lady particularly to be messed with, but still not overstepping her place back in 1870, just sitting on the sidelines watching until things need dealing with. And someone most definitely needs to be dealt with once the Company is in danger.

This is an excellent read, I love stories set in this era, and the author sets the mood perfectly, and kept me on my toes all of the time, perfectly tense!

My thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great read! I loved how so much was left unsaid between characters but what was happening was so clear. The feeling of being trapped and under threat was so palpable that I felt anxious myself! The historical background of the arsenic wallpaper scandal was brilliantly woven in too.

Hi and welcome to my review of The Company!

I had just finished Laura Purcell’s The Whispering Muse and found myself craving more historical fiction. Running through the options, I decided that a story set against the backdrop of arsenic poisoning would be just the thing to scratch that itch. So you see, that’s how The Company and I got off on the wrong foot. Firstly, because Laura Purcell is my go-to Gothic fiction author and I enjoyed her latest novel immensely, so picking up a book in the exact same genre right after was always a bit unfair. Secondly, because the aspect that drew me in most, the whole arsenic business, is not as prominently present as I’d thought it would be.

I won’t summarise the story here, the blurb is more than elaborate enough, and what I gleaned from it was that The Company would be a suspenseful story focussing on the wallpaper business, the use of arsenic, the discovery of its dangers and how this renowned wallpaper emporium is faced with those issues and, presumably, with the actual health hazard as well, as I would expect this family to have the wallpaper they fabricate plastered all over their own walls.

There is some of that, and those were the parts I enjoyed most. Still, a lot of this book felt a bit convoluted to me and I felt a tad discombobulated on more than one occasion. The elements that supposedly were to invoke a Gothic vibe were just confusing to me and drew me out of the story instead of into it. Furthermore, while I’m usually quite a fan of the atmospheric, slow-burning, scene-setting build-up using vague references to “later” and the narrator telling the story with the wisdom of hindsight, which we all know is 20-20, here it just didn’t work for me. I enjoy books that make me think and ponder and wonder, but books that make me wonder what I’ve missed, and whether there might be a hidden layer I’m too dense to pick up on? Not so much.

Look, this is not a bad book by any means, in my humble opinion there is just better historical fiction out there. I’m sure many people will enjoy it more than I did, and going in with the right expectations will probably also help, so don’t let me put you off.

The Company is out in digital formats, audio and hardcover on 16 March.

Many thanks to Baskerville (John Murray Press) and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Was very much looking forward to this one.

Sadly though it wasn't for me. The writing style perfectly fitted the tale and it hit a lot of the Victorian gothic notes that I love - madness, shady handsome stranger, unseen danger & secrets.

However I thought the book dragged and I felt like I missed something as I was left confused half way through. So much so that I went back to the beginning but still it felt a bit opaque for me.

Unfortunately not the book I had hoped but I am sure it will have its fans elsewhere