jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
Sara Kemp has left her home in the country and arrived in London with a small amount of money and a contact address given to her by her mother. Sara is naive and easily falls victim to the madam of a local brothel where her money and virtue are taken and she is forced to work. Esther Torel has married into the close-knit Hugeneot society of Spitalfields which has led to problems for her husband. All Esther wants to do is translate the paintings she makes in silk patterns for her husband. Esther decides to help Sara but with rival calicos destroying the silk trade and unionisation by the workers, Spitalfields is a powder keg waiting to explode..In 18th Century London women has strictly delineated roles - wife and mother or whore - Sara is one and Esther is the other.
Having lived in Spitalfields many years ago I have a fondness for books set in the area. My old (rented!) room was in a house that was one of the Hugeneot weavers houses with an attic space for work. The problems for the silk trade in the mid-18th century form a backdrop to this novel and politically it is quite interesting. however I did find the main characters a little cliched, particularly Sara. She becomes a whore then a ladies' maid, the confidante of her mistress but then betrays the one person who has helped her. Esther is a little colourless, she wants to design silk but not much else. This book is promising rather than really engrossing.
Having lived in Spitalfields many years ago I have a fondness for books set in the area. My old (rented!) room was in a house that was one of the Hugeneot weavers houses with an attic space for work. The problems for the silk trade in the mid-18th century form a backdrop to this novel and politically it is quite interesting. however I did find the main characters a little cliched, particularly Sara. She becomes a whore then a ladies' maid, the confidante of her mistress but then betrays the one person who has helped her. Esther is a little colourless, she wants to design silk but not much else. This book is promising rather than really engrossing.
unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dragana86's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ⭐
Dopala mi se priča o dve žene i njihovoj sudbini u svetu muškaraca. Potpuno različite, a opet toliko slične. Njihove žudnje, strahovi i surovi pritisak okoline koji se trudi da im slomi svaki začetak strasti.
Tvrdoglave i nepopustljive, jedna drugoj će zauvek promeniti živote.
Povećala sam ocenu sa 4 na 4.5 samo jer nije zašećerila kraj i pretvorila ga u limunadu. Kraj je realan i imala sam grč u stomaku dok sam čitala.
Mnogo mi se dopao i deo o tkanju.
Dopala mi se priča o dve žene i njihovoj sudbini u svetu muškaraca. Potpuno različite, a opet toliko slične. Njihove žudnje, strahovi i surovi pritisak okoline koji se trudi da im slomi svaki začetak strasti.
Tvrdoglave i nepopustljive, jedna drugoj će zauvek promeniti živote.
Povećala sam ocenu sa 4 na 4.5 samo jer nije zašećerila kraj i pretvorila ga u limunadu. Kraj je realan i imala sam grč u stomaku dok sam čitala.
Mnogo mi se dopao i deo o tkanju.
womanon's review
4.0
This was a lot better than I expected! Since this isn't the usual genre I read, I was a bit hesitant at first, but I absolutely loved it! It took a while for the story to really pick up, but once it did, I couldn't stop reading.
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
A solid book, average in just about every way. The two main characters, Esther and Sara, have a complex mistress of the house and maid relationship, compounded by Sara's past, and while the setup for this particular dynamic is interesting, it doesn't really go anywhere. In fact, the plot in general doesn't seem like it advances much. While it ends in a somewhat satisfying way, it feels like the book took forever to get even that far. The main characters were also vaguely unlikeable in different ways, which made parts of it hard to read/listen to. The silk bits were interesting though, even if the rest of the book likely won't stick with me for very long after finishing it.
justanotherpageturner's review against another edition
4.0
BLACKBERRY AND WILD ROSE: atmospheric historic fiction set in 18th century London.
⠀⠀
The narrative is split between Sara, a young woman tricked into prostitution, and Esther, the wife of a silk weaver. When the women’s paths cross the story of fractured friendships and the impact and influence of wealth begins. In a time when women’s rights were non-existent, the story beautifully explores the struggles of the women, particularly Esther who is battling with her creativity being repressed by her husband.
The writing has great depth and it was apparent that Velton had done her research around the topic making it believable. The characters are well developed but for me personally I found some of them particularly unlikeable to the point where I loathed them- Sara’s sense of entitlement really irritated me! However, I loved Esther’s character; her ambition and talent helps contribute to her complexity and I loved the enterprise element.
If you love historical fiction then I’d recommend this one-it would be a great read for you PLUS look at that cover!
Thank you to Quercus Books for gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review.
⠀⠀
The narrative is split between Sara, a young woman tricked into prostitution, and Esther, the wife of a silk weaver. When the women’s paths cross the story of fractured friendships and the impact and influence of wealth begins. In a time when women’s rights were non-existent, the story beautifully explores the struggles of the women, particularly Esther who is battling with her creativity being repressed by her husband.
The writing has great depth and it was apparent that Velton had done her research around the topic making it believable. The characters are well developed but for me personally I found some of them particularly unlikeable to the point where I loathed them- Sara’s sense of entitlement really irritated me! However, I loved Esther’s character; her ambition and talent helps contribute to her complexity and I loved the enterprise element.
If you love historical fiction then I’d recommend this one-it would be a great read for you PLUS look at that cover!
Thank you to Quercus Books for gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review.
lindseymg's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kitty_kat21's review against another edition
2.0
A pretty mediocre historical fiction. The delivery of this story felt almost clumsy to me. It was a pretty quick read even if it was a little dull. Wish I had skipped this one.
always_need_more_books's review against another edition
5.0
Set in Spitalfields London in 1768, Sara Kemp arrives in London from her country home to work in a house but is soon enticed by a madam to enter the world of prostitution. Ester Thoral, a wife of a Huguenot silk weaver rescues Sara from the brothel, thinking she is doing God's will. Sara is not convinced being a ladies maid is better than being a whore, but the chance to escape her "madam" is too good to refuse.
Ester's husband is a master weaver of silk and offers a journeyman weaver, Bisby Lambert the chance to become a master himself by letting him into his home to weave his masterpiece. Esther herself is a talented artist and wishes to see one of her designs transferred to silk - her husband is dismissive so she approaches Lambert who guides her and offers to help her weave her drawing which is named Blackberry and Wild Rose onto silk, unknown to her husband.
I just loved this historical debut! The story is told in very short chapters, from the point of view of the two women who both very much have their own agendas. Sara wants to find a way to better herself and isn't remotely loyal to her mistress. She soon starts a relationship with a journeyman weaver and is always looking for ways of undermining her mistress to suit her own ends. Esther is a good Christian woman but is wrapped up in her own secrets and is unable to see Sara as anything more than a charitable cause. Neither woman is very likeable for most of the book but my the end I felt I understood them well.
Based loosely on the story of master silk designer Anna Marie Garthwaite, this is a rich and atmospheric book, perfect for fans of The Miniaturist and if you love historical fiction, this is perfect.
Ester's husband is a master weaver of silk and offers a journeyman weaver, Bisby Lambert the chance to become a master himself by letting him into his home to weave his masterpiece. Esther herself is a talented artist and wishes to see one of her designs transferred to silk - her husband is dismissive so she approaches Lambert who guides her and offers to help her weave her drawing which is named Blackberry and Wild Rose onto silk, unknown to her husband.
I just loved this historical debut! The story is told in very short chapters, from the point of view of the two women who both very much have their own agendas. Sara wants to find a way to better herself and isn't remotely loyal to her mistress. She soon starts a relationship with a journeyman weaver and is always looking for ways of undermining her mistress to suit her own ends. Esther is a good Christian woman but is wrapped up in her own secrets and is unable to see Sara as anything more than a charitable cause. Neither woman is very likeable for most of the book but my the end I felt I understood them well.
Based loosely on the story of master silk designer Anna Marie Garthwaite, this is a rich and atmospheric book, perfect for fans of The Miniaturist and if you love historical fiction, this is perfect.