What really made this book for me is the history of the silk weavers of East London and the industrial unrest between the master weavers and journeyman. The story in the foreground is easily predictable, a standard tale of rivalry and tentative empathy between a mistress and her personal maid, of a loveless marriage and doomed romance. Velton writes well but technically the voices of the two women of different social strata shouldn't sound the same as they do here: the craft isn't here to differentiate and make them individual. All the same, this is atmospheric easy reading, similar to The Miniaturist though in a different setting. Entertaining switch-off reading.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC.

"You are but a woman."

But hell has no fury like a woman scorned!
Meet Esther, wife of London master silkweaver Elias, a firm Huguenot. The year is 1768 and Esther is a good christian and dedicated wife. When accidentally seeing Sara being boxed by her madam, she decides to offer the desperate girl a position as lady's maid in her household.
Meanwhile husband Elias takes on an apprentice journeyman who uses the looms in their attic to weave his masterpiece. As it turns out both woman and men have their secrets and pretty soon it's a messy situation.
But those abiding woman have a fierce fire raging inside. It's a beautiful thing to watch them follow their dreams, stay true to themselves and lift each other up.

Blackberry and Wild Rose is stunning historical fiction.
I loved being in London's East End, learning about the silkweavers and seeing early trade unions being formed.
The strong female characters gave me great joy in this overwhelmingly male environment.
Written so vividly I could smell the dirt, hear the noise and feel the tension. A fast paced, exciting story wrapped in a gorgeous cover. So good!

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.

Thanks to Quercus Books for this review copy in exchange for honest review.

A little slow to start but once you get into this one, you'll not be able to stop reading till the end. Brings to life all the terrible things about London at the time vidily. Your heart will go out to both mistress and maid. The harsh treatment of apprentices, wives, and anyone not wealthy shows how society has changed and stayed the same in some ways.

This is the story of two women living in Spitalfields during the reign of George III. One (Esther Thorel) is the wife of a respected Huguenot weaver, the other (Sara) is a prostitute at the seedy Wig and Feathers tavern. When Esther pays for Sara's freedom from her life of prostitution and gives her a job in the Thorel household, both women's lives are changed forever and not in ways they could foresee.

There is so much that is fabulous about this novel. The chapters alternating between the perspectives of the two women make the story compelling; although this isn't a radically new device, in this novel it takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions and results in constantly shifting sympathies. I honestly couldn't decide whose side I was on as it kept changing! Also, the descriptions of Georgian London are vivid and engaging - this is a grimy and dangerous London where mobs can rule and justice is far from guaranteed. The plot is tight and there is a serious feeling of menace at times - I could not put this book down!

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction. This is a beautifully written and captivating novel that deserves wide readership and critical acclaim.

What an amazing book! I was completely and utterly immersed in this story. Great characterisation and plot, it was a real page turner. I enjoyed reading from 2 perspectives and felt I really understood both of the main characters.

I read this book almost straight after receiving it and absolutely adored it. It has everything I love about a book:
A complement of complex female characters who will go to almost any lengths to get what they want out of life in an era when they weren't even supposed to think for themselves. Rich in historical detail which flows beautifully off the page. Twists and turns to keep me wondering and written in a delightfully captivating yet literary style, so you know you're reading something intelligent but never feel spoken down to.

The remainder of my review will appear a little nearer publication date, here, on my blog and Goodreads.

A period / historical book- interesting story- this book is totally out of my usual reading interest. However this one was totally different, it was fast paced yet still had a natural flow to it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus book for my ARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book. A privilege to read this beautifully written debut novel, well researched and based on the factual lives of eighteenth century silkweavers living in the Spitalfields area of London. Emotions are high as a young girl arrives in London and ends up in an insalubrious area and is put to work by one of the local Madams. She is saved from her fate and given employment by the wife of a Huguenot silk merchant. The rights of the Journeymen, those weaving for the silk merchants are highlighted as well as those of women who aren’t trusted to be involved in the design of patterns for the silk looms, and also the social class differences. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

A prickly, fast paced and sumptuous historical fiction novel set in a time period I knew little about, which is always refreshing! The two viewpoint characters – wealthy silk weaver’s wife, Esther, and abandoned daughter turned reluctant prostitute, Sara – are from completely different worlds. Theirs is an uneasy relationship where any closeness is strongly mitigated by the frustration at the other not being able to see beyond her own concerns. On the surface this is a fast and engaging read, replete with pleasing historical detail. Below that, it is an unflinching look at the vagaries of human nature. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sonia Velton and Quercus Books for my ARC of BlackBerry & Wild Rose.
Set during the time of the silk weaver's riots in Spitafields, BlackBerry and Wild Rose is told from the perspective of two very different women.
Sara never understood why her mother sent her off to London on her own to find a place in service, but she is quickly intercepted by Mrs Swann, a madam who immediately drugs her and sets her up in her brothel above a tavern.

But Sara's rescuer comes in the form of Mrs Esther Thorel the Hugenot wife of a Master Silk Weaver, who takes her away from the brothel and gives her a place in her household. But neither sees the other as they think. While Esther thinks Sara is grateful for her position, Sara begrudges the poor wages, and her mistresses blindness to what is going on in the household right beneath her nose. While Esther sees Sara as just another charitable cause.

This book was a surprisingly fast paced, page turner with rich and interesting history and a dramatic and well informed view of both sides of the class divide. Both women provoked feelings of empathy but also annoyance as their inability to see outside of their own problems caused issues for each other.
Esther could be both open and narrow minded, able to help but also to hinder and unable to see that her decisions were not always the best ones. Sara could be both kind and also gossipy, back stabbing and self centred. But of course these are all part of the human condition and the two women's personalities and actions gave the novel a realistic and honest feel. Even if Esther's blindness to reality outside of her desire to design her own silks was sometimes frustrating!

Overall I thought this was a great historical fiction novel for fans of Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist.