Recent Reads: Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton
Blackberry and Wild Rose is set in Spitalfields, in London, with 2 women changing each others life. The year is 1768, Esther is married to a Huguenot silk weave master, and Sara is a whore in a tavern, and being set on by her madam when Esther tries to help her.
We are taken back to the 18th century in the way food is made, the clothing people wear, and how they treat each other, and it is a fascinating step into history, with enough detail about silk weaving to let you imagine it, without making it boring.
But, all isn’t jolly, there’s unhappiness from the silk weavers who feel they aren’t being paid enough, and there’s cheaper materials coming in, unhappiness from the masters as the silk is getting more expensive, unhappiness from an ignored wife, and from the jostling of servants for their mistresses approval and good graces. Revenge, boredom, arrogance and spitefulness all play a part in this story, along with hope, love and desire.
I really enjoyed this book, with evocative characters, a rich background and sumptuous silks.
Blackberry and Wild Rose is out on 10th January 2019, and will be available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books!
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and Quercus (the publishers) for this book.
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