
Blackberry and Wild Rose (Paperback)
Sonia Velton (author)- We can order this
'Sumptuous and moving. Velton weaves her tale with the threads of betrayal, thwarted dreams and good intentions gone awry' Laura Purcell
'A richly imagined and brilliantly twisty tale' Anna Mazzola
'A plot as finely detailed as Spitalfields silk' Stacey Halls
WHEN 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.
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781787470798
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 300 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 30 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
This exquisitely evocative novel will appeal to fans of The Miniaturist -- Sarra Manning * Red *
Velton gives [her characters] genuine depth in a moving story of love, secrets and betrayal * Sunday Times *
Romance and revenge, hypocrisy and hardship play out against a vividly researched backdrop * S magazine *
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“Everything has a price!”
This sumptuous cover caught my attention and I do love historical fiction. Blackberry and Wild is richly detailed and subtly observed. Transported to a world of weaving and the bustling streets of London.
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“Historical Fiction”
Set in late 18th century London this book carries the historical nature of its fiction well. The author has created an evocative tale of the people involved in the silk weaving industry and their place in society. I... More
“Spinning a tale”
This is the story of two women: Sara Kemp who arrived in London as a naive young girl and was pounced on by one of the city's many brothel-keepers and Esther Thorel, the wife of a silk-weaver. One rich and one... More
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