Yeah, that cover right? Irresistible. I was all in on this one even before I skimmed over the blurb.

A Victorian gothic, part fantasy, part sci-fi tale about spiders and their silk!

Told in two time frames, in the present(Victorian era(ish) England) and in the past, a couple of generations before where the ancestors of some of our main characters are searching the Greek Islands for a mythical spider, who legend has it, makes silk that can silence the world among other things.

A really intriguing premise and the two time lines work well up to a point. The writing in large parts is absolutely beautiful. I’ve never read this author before but there is certainly a flair to her words that is very impressive.
The story is really interesting and both worlds feel very familiar and yet otherworldly.

Now the problems I had with the book:

It’s too goddam long. There are large parts of the book where little if anything happens. The book really dragged in parts.
The characters. Not one of them felt well written. They were either waifer thin or just incredibly stupid and unlikeable. Our main character Henry is both of the latter. Like the book kind of hangs on his exploits and he just makes too many dumb decisions, seems to idolise another hugely unlikeable character for no conceivable reason other than to move the story along and just becomes incredibly frustrating and unpleasant to spend time with.

Also, the storyline from the past just stops dead, after promising a lot more. It ends up just being a vehicle to explain where the spiders came from and that could have been done in a couple of chapters. It had been slowly revealing what may or may have been going on on the island and then….thats it, no more. Infuriating.

This could have been great. There are sprinklings of brilliance and the idea is so interesting. It just falls apart on a lot of the basics for me. Character development and storytelling. It feels muddled, like the author ultimately was unsure what she wanted the book to be.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because, despite my criticisms, there was nearly a gem here.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

This was an unusual and quite odd book - it took me a long time to get into and I must admit that at the beginning I thought I'd missed a bit as it seemed to start in the middle of a story. However I realised that like prey to a web I had gradually been drawn into this Gothic novel and appreciate Ms Collins vivid imagination and ability to write about her ideas. I did feel it dragged slightly in the middle but overall I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

After losing his wife in child birth Henry Latimer is working as an audiologist for his father-in-law when Sir Edward Ashmore Percy visits seeking help for his deaf daughter. When he gives Henry a square of Telverton Silk Henry sees it as a chance to escape to the silence that he craves.
Told from the alternating viewpoints of Henry & then Sophy Ashmore Percy's 1820s diary on a Greek Island where her husband is searching for the spiders that spin the silk thread.
Brilliant gothic story with great twists & turns.

3.5/5

My first ever gothic historical fantasy and it was such a treat! I really enjoyed the descriptive writing style and the author did a great job setting up the eerie environment in both timelines (the island and the factory). I liked that we had a dual timeline situation and was especially consumed with Sophie's POV as it dove more into the origins of the spiders and their potential "mythical powers", as opposed to Henry's which was much more grounded and plot based.

I really loved the set-up of this book, probably until the 60% mark but then it hit a bit of a slump for me. The ending third fell a little flat (especially with no reappearance of Sir Edward or explanation of the spiders) and a plot point was revealed at the very end, which didn't make much sense to me. All in all, still enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to character-driven gothic historical fantasy book lovers.

review to come, but let me tell you the first reason you should read this book is its writing. IT’S PHENOMENAL

Henry finds himself trying to help a young deaf girl but soon ends up embroiled in a different career after learning about her father's silk. It seems almost magical but can it really be so good.

This was an interesting read, its quite a dark story and you do find yourself feeling rather sorry for the creatures involved in this. The story is told by him and Sophia further in the past. It does take a bit of following and i was slow to get into the story but it eventually drew me in. The plot is a slow and steady build. The ending was dark and then hopeful which really finished the story well. Henry is not the most likeable, but he goes through a lot and you start to understand him more. A dark, gothic story.

This powerfully woven tale draws you into its web from the very beginning. I found it almost impossible to put down. It is that rarest of things; a novel with a brilliantly original idea and a terrific plot.
Grieving widower, Henry Latimer, falls under the influence of a charming industrialist, the enigmatic Edward Ashmore-Percy, who has discovered how to weave a silk from spider thread that has a strange effect on the transmission of sound. But as Henry takes on his new job and learns more about the ‘Silence Factory’ and the history of the spiders, his fresh start takes a terrible turn.
The two storylines are deftly woven together, each with their own twists and turns and surprises, building to a terrifying climax. They work together to build an atmosphere of genuinely frightening gothic horror. You don’t need to be afraid of spiders to find yourself brushing your neck as you read; in fact, the spiders are in many ways the least scary of the monsters in this book. That being said, the thought of the rows of spider tanks, with their silent, watchful denizens will stay with me for some time.
I particularly liked the way this novel worked on so many layers. Henry himself sometimes admits that he feels he has fallen into a ‘penny dreadful’ beneath the brilliantly-realised gothic adventure, deeper issues are at play; the theft that lies at the heart of empire, the abuse of power, the dangers of allowing the ends to justify the means, the exploitation of nature for profit. And, running through it all like a sinuous thread of spider silk, the suffocating oppression of women. Henry’s growth in understanding, both of the world around him and his own nature, is all the more powerful because he is so very much a man of his time. As the story grows ever darker, everything he thought he knew will be turned upside down. And some of the webs ensnaring him are not made by spiders.
I absolutely loved this book. For me, it combined the sinister threat of the darkest Sherlock Holmes stories with the passion and fury of the Brontes – with a touch of Bram Stoker for spice. It was beautifully written, thoughtful and thought-provoking – and I was desperate to find out how it ended. What a great read. It turns out that silence is not always golden.

What drew me into this gothic historical mystery by Bridget Collins was its eerie cover art and captivating storyline. Looking at it closely, the haunting cover sets the tone perfectly- expect a journey full of surprises, lores and deep thematic exploration.

Collins masterfully weaves two timelines together, introducing us to characters like Sophia Ashmore Percy and Henry Latimer. Sophia's 1820 diary entries on a Greek island and Henry's struggles in the industrial era shed light on societal injustices, poverty, and the dark underbelly of wealth-driven motives.

The magical element of spider silk adds a unique twist, enveloping readers in a world of intrigue and mystery. However, amidst the brilliance, there are moments that falter. While the story grips you, some character flaws can be a bit distracting. Henry's presence is extremely exhausting and he does nothing to make the store better.

Yet, despite these nuances, the novel shines in its depiction of the Victorian era's harsh realities, highlighting themes of greed, corruption, and societal disparities with raw authenticity. Sophie's diary, intertwined with Henry's narrative, adds depth and emotional resonance, making you empathize with characters caught in the web of societal pressures and manipulations.

Overall, this is a great pick for fans of historical mysteries and gothic fiction. Collins' vivid portrayal of the era's complexities and her characters' struggles make for a compelling and thought-provoking experience, leaving an impression.

Bridget Collins is a unique voice in the historical fiction genre. Weaving a touch of magical realism into her novels she likes to explore emotional themes and reexamine history, relationships and humanity from interesting new angles. The Silence Factory takes us to industrial Victorian England with a creative reinvention of the silk weaving factories. This novel interrogates voice and agency viewing the restrictions placed on subsets of people based on their gender, sexuality, class and disability. It is also a story of echoes with hints of colonialism and the ethics of scientific research. Thought provoking and fun! Although content warnings for arachnophobics!
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I really enjoyed this. It was a very…. strange story, but one I really did enjoy reading.
I liked the characters, well, most of them. Some weren’t too nice. But in my mind the writing painted pictures, I wanted to be friends with some of them. I wanted to see their homes, and visit their countryside.

As I said, it was a very strange story, but one that called to me, to have me wanting to be in there, with them, wanting to know them.

"The Silence Factory" by Bridget Collins is a mesmerizing tale that draws you into its web of intrigue and mystery.
From the moment I started reading, I was captivated by the allure of silence and the enigmatic Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy. The premise of silk that can drown out the noise of the world is both fascinating and chilling, and Collins weaves it into a narrative that feels almost too real to be fiction. The characters are richly portrayed, each with their own secrets and motivations, and the descriptions of the spiders and their silk are so vivid.
As Henry is drawn deeper into Sir Edward's world, the stakes rise, and I found myself unable to put the book down.
“The Silence Factory" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys immersive storytelling and thought-provoking themes.

‘The Silence Factory’ is a dual timeline novel, set between the 1820s and roughly forty to fifty years later. It is in this latter period in which we meet Henry Latimer, working as an audiologist in his father-in-law's shop. Stifled by the grief of losing his wife through childbirth, he is offered an opportunity to leave London to attend to a wealthy industrialist’s deaf daughter and soon discovers the town of Telverton, with its imposing factory and enigmatic owner.

Similarly to Collins’ previous two novels, ‘The Binding’ and ‘The Betrayals’, ‘The Silence Factory’ is set in a world very much like our own but with a layer of magical realism. In ‘The Silence Factory’, I found this to be particularly deftly and subtly done, to the point where you are so immersed it’s possible to believe the astonishing properties of the silk made in the factory.

Though Latimer is the main character here, his benefactor Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy is the more elaborately drawn. I found him fascinating, not least because he is devastatingly charming but also totally inscrutable. The factory itself could also be considered a major character in this novel, its malevolent presence in the town utterly palpable through the pages.

I would have liked to have had more of the novel given over to the portion set in the 1820s, following Sophia and James Ashmore-Percy, but since this is presented through diary entries written by Sophia, perhaps it’s the intention of the author to keep these characters at an arm’s length, to allow the latter timeline to fully develop ahead of its cataclysmic conclusion.

I love Bridget Collins’ world-building and am always captivated by the stories she tells. Though I have to confess that this hasn't replaced my favourite of her novels so far (that title would go to ‘The Betrayals’), I would say that she, and ‘The Silence Factory’, still stand head and shoulders above her peers in this arena.

With grateful thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for the advance copy of ‘The Silence Factory’, on which this review is based.

A captivating, gothic, historical mystery… it is haunting, magical, eerie and sometimes just downright weird! Despite this being a very unique, artistic and really well written book… I did find the premise slightly strange!! And at points I just felt like the plot was slightly pointless… but I was also completely addicted and definitely really enjoyed it! I absolutely loved The Binding and this just fell a little flat compared to that for me.

Beautifully constructed tale of greed and ambition for power, fame and fortune -capitalism at its worst. Those who are either forced, coerced or tricked with the promise of financial gain eventually find that the outcomes promised are not what was expected. Some are able to walk away whilst the lives of those dependent on the factory for their livelihood are irrevocably damaged beyond comprehension.

I have devoured all of Bridget Collins’ adult novels and even though The Betrayals was less brilliant The Silence Factory is back to the same ridiculous standard of The Binding, if not better.
Collins’ combines the horrors of the Industrial Revolution, the haunted house, and a mysterious island, and (shudders) spiders to create an atmospheric gothic novel.
Featuring Dual perspectives and two different timelines the book mostly follows Henry Latimer, a widower and aurist is recruited by the powerful, wealthy and charming Sir Edward Ashmore Percy first to see if any of the hearing aids Latimer’s Father-in-Law creates can help his deaf daughter. In so doing Henry encounters the mysterious and dangerous silk the Ashmore-Percy fortune is built upon. Its incredible silencing properties allow the grieving Henry to sleep properly for the first time in months. Astonished by the silk he impulsively defends the silk to an investor her happens to overhear denigrating the silk and the business to Sir Edward’s face. Impressed Sir Edward takes Henry on as his publicist as Henry wilfully ignores the Terrible echoes and the damage the silk is doing to the factory workers rendering them deaf, dumb, and madness seeps through the town.

Alongside the main narrative runs the diary of Sophia Ashmore Percy. Trapped on the Greek island of Kratos with her husband James she is subject to his conditional love and scientific obsession with the spiders he is convinced will make his fortune. Once there, however, she sets on her own voyage of discovery—stumbling across the very creature he is looking for, making an unexpected connection with a local woman, and ultimately reconsidering her marriage, life, and own desires. Once there, however, she sets on her own voyage of discovery—stumbling across the very creature he is looking for, making an unexpected connection with a local woman, and ultimately reconsidering her marriage, life, and own desires.

I was gripped and I adored the story. Ultimately I longed for more from Sophia whose tragic story is the catalyst for everything that happens to Henry which is the only reason I gave it four stars. Henry replaces the damsel in distress being charmed and seduced by the dangerous and powerful Sir Edward with Collins’ making the implicit queerness of Gothic literature explicit in both timelines. The spiders and the story and the method behind them borrows from Greek Myth whilst also gently lambasting it - particularly the very narrow patriarchal, misogynistic interpretation of the classics that dominated at the time.

The characters are so engaging, Sir Edward has much in common with today’s billionaires not stopping to wonder if a thing should be done only that it can and that it must make money. The deranged psychopathic Worsley, the fierce, loyal and compassionate Miss Fielding, the mysterious and fascinating Hira, the tyrannical and mercurial James, and the patient, kind, and plain speaking Quaker Hinshaw are all as vivid as the settings that are so clear I felt as though I could touch them from the textile mill, the great house and the wooded yet rockily coastal Greek island I was so lost I could hear the silk, hear the waves, hear the clanking clamour of the factory totally forgetting the racket of the world around me.

This book is a treat narratively, descriptively and it would be a tragedy to miss out.

Having previously never read Bridget Collins before, I was intrigued beyond belief.
The story is told with a dual narrative, Henry Latimer and Sophie.
Both strands of the story were extremely and equally well written.
I could feel the tension, the emotion, the claustrophobic nature especially with the spiders. The spiders themselves are really interesting too. I really, really enjoyed this book. Thank you. I just reviewed The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins. #TheSilenceFactory #NetGalley

This isn't a style as a book I would normally go for, but the 'selling silence' aspect piqued my interest. We start off with some diary entries from a woman named Sophie, and it's through her POV that we learn how the rare spiders were discovered and came into the families possession. We are then brought to the present day, where we follow a young man named Henry and follow his journey as he becomes tangled up in the Telverton silk business, where we find out the unique qualities the spiders silk offers. Both the trials and tribulations involved growing a niche business, and the results by the end were both interesting and well deserved as it showcased how greed and power can change people. At the same time, I felt like the author also showed us how easily blinded we can become by a vision of what we want or feelings we may have, and that can be just as dangerous.
I was more interested in Sophia's story, and I looked forward to her diary entries more than I did Henry's story. Henry came across a little plain for me, although I did feel for him towards the end as it became clearer that he wanted someone to love and notice him.

James has moved to the top of my villain list. I know most of his opinions of Sophie and how she should act fit with the time period, but oh em goodness. This man is a manipulative shit and the most selfish and inhumane person I've ever read. Please have a look for trigger warnings as there is a big one in Sophie's story. What he did and said had me speechless, and I had to take a break after reading it. I don't get triggered, and I can read pretty much anything at least once, but what this man did angered me to my core. So, props to the author for filling me with a rage I've never experienced before while reading.

The beginning was slow, and I felt more invested about halfway through, but I still enjoyed this book. I don't see myself picking it up again as the ending wasn't mind-blowing, but I'm glad it ended the way it did. Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

What a treat to be immersed in Bridget Collins’ extraordinary writing again. Silk, secrets and silence woven into a gleaming Gothic web. Loved it.

I've previously read The Betrayals by Bridget Collins, a book which I found hard going but ultimately worth every second spent on it. The Silence Factory also has an element of fantasy in it so I was looking forward to it.

This book concerns the use of spider silk and how two men in particular became fascinated with its powers. It is a dual timeline with two main POVs. Henry, recovering from the loss of his wife and child, yearns for silence. A piece of cloth woven from spider silk appears to give him this. The man who gifted it has a deaf daughter and henry who works with deaf aids offers to help with her., falling in love with her father at the same time. Interspersed with this is the tale of how Sophia's husband also became obsessed with the spiders and brought them back to England.

i found this to be an unengaging read. The main characters irritated me, especially Henry who seemed to have no moral compass at all although he did redeem himself slightly towards the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Silence Factory is a tale so well told it is almost believable. Spiders, we know, make intricate patterns with their silk so that is a given. That a particular breed of spider, from Greece, made such strong silk that when manufactured provided silence is the premise for this title. That the spiders are worshipped on this Greek island and that their removal by James Ashmore-Percy for research and development causes death and destruction decades later.
Henry is a widower who works for his father-in-law selling 'hearing aids' and that is how he meets Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy who is looking for something to help his daughter who is deaf gain some hearing. He gives Henry a piece of his silk which gives him silence and enthrals him.
The characters are so well portrayed and the descriptions of the spiders, their silk, the effects of the silk are so beautifully portrayed the writing is mesmerising.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Bridget Collins/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.