BOOK REVIEW: Blackberry & Wild Rose

by Sonia Velton

4*

"...There are no secrets in London"

Esther Thorel is a wife of a Huguenot silk weaver, she rescues Sara Kemp from her unfortunate life in a brothel under the pretext of doing gods work however, when Sara begins her maid duties she is not convinced she is any better off but to escape her madam the offer is too good to ignore.

In the Thorels Spitalfields home, the ghost of two looms haunts the attic.  As the women's relationship is forged through the physical intimacies between maid and mistress, Sara becomes ever hostile to Esthers inability to see the hypocrisy of her household, too absorbed in her own secrets to believe Sara is a threat.

Esther is a painter, keen to transfer her artwork to the craft of silk weaving.  Her husband rebukes her suggestion which forces her to develop a relationship with a journeyman weaver working on the loom in the attic, in the hopes of obtaining his own status as master weaver.  This relationship not only teaches her to weave but ignites events which will effect the whole household.

I was kindly given the opportunity to review this book through NetGalley and Quercus and would like to thank them for the opportunity to give my true and honest review. 

The basis for this story is inspired by the true historical character, Anna Maria Garthwaite (pictured to the left) who resided in Spitalfields and was a foremost silk designer in the 18th Century, during the time the industrial tensions of this story take place, culminating in the Cutters Riots of 1763.

This is Sonia Velton's debut novel and starting out I have to say it did somewhat feel that way, the plot and character building was at time sluggish and it took at least 75 pages before I was interested or invested in the characters being portrayed.

The authors writing style is one of slow elegance and reminiscent of the writing style of Sarah Waters.  Her  descriptions of 18th Century Spitalfields and the portrayal of Sara's beginnings as a child born to parents in service highlights how your standing begins at birth during this time, leaving few other options available for the direction of her life and truly makes you appreciate the opportunities we have available to us in the 21st Century.

The weaving industry originated in Spitalfields during Tudor times and was initially in the creation of ribbons and trimmings, pure silk weaving however did not arrive in London until the early 17th Century.  The story details the position of the weaving trade during the height of it's success and beautifully builds the tension felt by the weavers when cheaper silks began to be brought to England from overseas by the East India Company putting pressure on the price of silk produced in the City.

Despite the slow start I would give this book a 4 star rating as the back and forth of the plot felt very much like the rythmic motion of the loom and its dramatic conclusion drew you hungrily to it's conclusion.