Written by Sonia Velton
|
| Published by | Quercus (10 Jan. 2019) |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Pages | 416 |
| ASIN | B07BFD4CJ6 |
| ISBN-10 | 1787470792 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1787470798 |
| Audiobook ASIN | B07KKKJYVF |
The choice for discussion at this month's book club is Sonia Velton's debut historical novel Blackberry and Wild Rose. I opted to listen to the audio book version this time.
The blurb:
Blackberry and Wild RoseWHEN ESTHER THOREL, the wife of a Huguenot silk-weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel she thinks she is doing God's will. Sara is not convinced being a maid is better than being a whore, but the chance to escape her grasping 'madam' is too good to refuse.
INSIDE THE THORELS' tall house in Spitalfields, where the strange cadence of the looms fills the attic, the two women forge an uneasy relationship. The physical intimacies of washing and dressing belie the reality: Sara despises her mistress's blindness to the hypocrisy of her household, while Esther is too wrapped up in her own secrets to see Sara as anything more than another charitable cause.
IT IS SILK that has Esther so distracted. For years she has painted her own designs, dreaming that one day her husband will weave them into reality. When he laughs at her ambition, she unwittingly sets in motion events that will change the fate of the whole Thorel household and set the scene for a devastating day of reckoning between her and Sara.
THE PRICE OF a piece of silk may prove more than either is able to pay.
Historical Fiction
My thoughts:
I love historical fiction. It's an opportunity to learn something as well as enjoy a good story, and so long as the story is does not stray too far from fact, then I'm happy to immerse myself in it.
Blackberry and Wild Rose has been well researched. It is set in eighteenth century London amid the Huguenot silk weavers, and tells the story of two women, Esther, the wife of a master weaver, and the other, Sara, a young girl who had been working as a prostitute until Esther helps her to escape that life. This fast-paced story is told from the perspectives of the two strong female characters.
The cover excited me before I'd even started listening to the story. Its design reminded me of the ornate fabrics used in those times.
Esther Thorel's husband, Elias, is a master silk weaver. He would have had more doors opened to him, had he married within the Huguenot community, but he chose to marry against his family's wishes, and accepted that he had to had to take a back seat in all things. The Thorels are childless but his priority is his business, not his wife. Esther longs to create her own silk designs, but Elias dismisses her, telling her she does not understand his business, and should go back to her charitable works.
Sara Kemp is the daughter of a servant. Her mother sends her to London to make her way in the world, giving her the address of someone who will help her settle. Unfortunately, Mrs Swann, a brothel keeper, sees the pretty young girl alight from the coach and lures her to the Wig and Feathers tavern, where she is drugged, robbed and put to work as a prostitute.
While Esther is delivering bibles for Pastor Gabeau, she witnesses a young girl being badly treated by an older woman, and intervenes. This is how Esther first meets Sara, and decides to help her into a respectable position.
I absolutely loved this beautifully narrated audio book, and was enthralled from the first chapter. I was captivated with the comprehensive descriptions of the working of the silk looms which helped me visualise the journeyman weaving while his draw boy controlled the warp thread. I was also interested in the economics of the time, learning about the Indian calicos and cheaper silk imports which threatened the weavers' livelihoods.
Blackberry and Wild Rose was compulsive listening and I'd highly recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment