3.75 stars

I finally got around to reading City of Silk. I initially received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but the formatting of the PDF made it unreadable on my eReader, so I didn’t end up reading it until after it was published. Thanks to the publisher, Allison & Busby, for providing the opportunity to read an early copy, even though I ultimately used the finished version.

If you’re considering reading this, I’d recommend looking up trigger warnings beforehand. The book turned out to be darker than I anticipated. While the themes were necessary for the story, they could be difficult for readers who’ve recently dealt with similar sensitive topics.

The setting was one of the book’s strong points. The religious and cultural atmosphere of Bologna felt authentic and well-researched, suiting the time period perfectly. There were moments when I wasn’t sure how the story would maintain its momentum, but Virgo managed to keep the narrative flowing smoothly.

I also appreciated the depth of the themes and Virgo’s bravery in tackling difficult topics. This wasn’t just a straightforward historical fiction about a seamstress, the story was thought-provoking. Elena, the protagonist, was a flawed character, which made her more relatable and realistic. Other characters often called her out for being self-centered, which I appreciated, as it showed her need for growth. However, even when she was aware of her behavior, she didn’t always change it, which was occasionally frustrating. For example, when a character changes their name during the story, Elena refuses to use their new name despite knowing it would mean a lot to them. It’s realistic, but it shows she still has much to learn about respect and empathy.

That said, Elena’s age was a source of confusion for me. Based on the timeline, I thought she was around 13 or 14, but some of her reasoning and actions felt too mature for someone that young. Also, the epilogue places a significant responsibility on her that felt unrealistic for someone so young. It’s possible I missed her exact age being mentioned, but I hope she was meant to be at least 17.

Where the book struggled most for me was in its believability. The idea of a woman becoming a tailor’s apprentice during that time seemed highly unlikely, and the ending felt a little too neatly resolved. While I appreciated the feminist undertones, they sometimes felt too modern for the historical context, which is just a shame.

In her debut novel, City of Silk, the author Glennis Virgo literally took me on a tour of 16th century Bologna, Italy, a city which was known for its silk production and where being a tailor was a sought after profession but still considered strictly a man's job. I enjoyed the descriptions of the sights and sounds of the city and also the details about the different methods of sewing. It was interesting to see how, in the absence of a sewing machine, every suit and dress was stitched by hand. While reading the book, I also kept checking photographs of the city and the major landmarks mentioned online to help me visualise the setting better.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Allison & Busby and the author for the digital ARC of the book. I have recently been auto-approved by the publisher so a big thank you to them!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Allison & Busby for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review. 


TW: sexual assault, racism, slavery, references to rape, homophobia, religion 


Bologna, 1575. Having been raised at the Baraccano orphanage for girls, Elena Morandi has made something of herself thanks to her talents in embroidery and sewing. She wants nothing more than to be a tailor but this is a profession that women are banned from. Elena’s life is shattered when she’s told that a marriage has been arranged for her, so she takes to the streets- seeking her fortune in the world outside to avoid this future. With luck and her incredible skill Elena manages to gain a role in the workshop of a master tailor with his own damning secrets. However, when Antonio della Fontana, the incredibly wealthy benefactor of the Baraccano who abuses many of the girls for his own gain, comes to the tailor’s, Elena soon plots for revenge and justice against him in remembrance of a lost friend, for herself and for those who are still threatened and victims of his terrible abuse. Aided by Sofia, a woman brought to Italy as a slave, the legendary artist family of the Carracis and Fontana’s own daughter, Elena goes up against a man who has until now been entirely untouchable. 


This is an incredibly detailed and richly woven story of justice and revenge set in Renaissance Italy during a time when women had little rights and certain men had all the control. Elena is a powerful main character, for all that she has been through she’s still incredibly kind and so deeply talented that everyone (whether they like it or not) can see it. I liked Elena’s relationships with the other characters a lot, particularly the older male tailor who takes a chance on her and how she comes to view him when she finds out his hidden secrets. This book makes no effort to hide the raw truth of the disgraceful things that people went through in this era, it focuses particularly on the treatment of slaves, women and LGBTQIA+ people by the upper classes and the lack of accountability given to rich and powerful men. The community that Elena builds for herself is beautifully written, whether it’s her fellow tailors, Sofia and the girls back in her old home or the famous Carraci family of artists, and I loved how they all worked together to destroy della Fontana. The Italian Renaissance is my favourite era of history and this book’s descriptions are gorgeous, you feel as if you’re walking the streets of Bologna alongside Elena and I was truly invested in her story.

In this vibrant and incredibly detailed new historical fiction title, readers travel to sixteenth century Bologna where Elena Morandi, a seamstress, dreams of becoming a tailor (a profession barred to her on account of her gender) and will do anything to make it happen -- including waiting patiently and disguising herself as a boy in the workshop of a master tailor. As her past comes back to haunt her in some terrible and traumatic ways in the form of Antonio della Fontana, Elena must do what she can to protect herself and her friends from his wrath, especially since he is above the law in Bologna. Planning to get retribution for everyone he has hurt and wronged, Elena and her allies must work quickly before more people get hurt. With content warnings for sexual assault and violence (towards adults and minors) as well as homophobia (within the historical context, though still potentially triggering), this new historical fiction title is masterful in its character development and worldbuilding. Successfully bringing Elena and her world to life, Virgo has created a complex, vibrant, and fascinating historical setting of Renaissance Italy and its material culture that fans of the genre will be immersed in in this new and incredible release.

Orphaned at an early age, Elena enters an orphanage in Bologna where the girls are subject to abuse at the hands of a wealthy patron. Elena is a talented seamstress but, to avoid a dreary marriage, she gets work at a tailor’s workshop. In the 16th century this is frowned upon and when her abuser appears and demands she is removed, Elena finds herself at her lowest. However friendship and talent mean that she is able to exact her revenge.
There is a lot to like about this book, the setting and the plot to a certain extent but it never really catches fire for me. I did like teh treatment of racism and prejudice but it’s all a little too ‘clean’.

A beautifully written story of a woman with a talent for tailoring, living in 16th century Italy, who overcomes obstacles to become a respected tailor in her own right and defeats the powerful and the corrupt who would try to stop her. Elena Morandi jumps off the page and draws you into her story as skillfully as she makes her garments. A real delight to read.

Glennis Virgo immerses the reader in the world of 16th century Italy through Elena, a young woman with dreams of becoming a tailor. With the detailed descriptions of Bologna’s sprawling alleys and roads, the famous churches and towers, as well as the well-known Piazza Maggiore, you get an idea of the hustle and bustle of historic Bologna. With that being said, I think this book could have been 50 pages shorter if there were less instances of Elena’s travels from this side of the city to that side of the city. I seriously felt worn out with just mentally traversing the city - but more importantly, not really much happened on these travels, just inner dialogue. I also found Elena to be frustratingly self-centered. Once someone tells you that their real name is ___, I feel like it should be obvious that you should call them by their real name unless otherwise stated. The ending felt a bit abrupt and I wish we would have gotten more. And honestly, what is even the point of the possible romance between Elena and Agostino? I don’t think it was necessary, especially with how it ended. The way Virgo describes the fabrics and the art of tailoring is beautiful though and certainly made me appreciate and acknowledge it in a way that I hadn’t before.

Thank you NetGalley, Allison & Busby and Glennis Virgo for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing 16th century Bologne through the eyes of Elena - a superbly talented seamstress. Heartbreak at times, yet many of the people who come into her life build her up, far more than her oppressor is able to tear her down.
Would definitely recommend!

I was sent a copy of City of Silk by Glennis Virgo to read and review by NetGalley. I enjoyed this novel, although I did find that it ran along a similar vein to some other historical novels that I have read. The book is written first person, which I always like and there is obviously a lot of research that went into producing this book, however I did find it somewhat pedestrian and predictable in places. There was also a section towards the end of the book that seemed to be missing completely, which was a little confusing for a moment or two. I also thought that after the whole build-up of the story the end seemed rather rushed and I was torn between giving it a 3 or 4 star rating. I eventually decided on the latter as there is no 3.5 option.

A well-crafted story with plenty to appreciate. The pacing, characters, and plot twists kept me interested throughout. I'm looking forward to seeing how readers respond once it's released!

*Thank you to NetGalley & Allison & Busby for providing a digital copy to review*

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres to read and after not reading one in a while this just felt like a warm hug. I just adore getting glimpses of another time and place especially if they’re set in places like Bologna which is somewhere I would love to visit one day and find fascinating.

I really enjoyed reading the story of Elena who manages to get a position in the workshop of a master tailor, a profession she cannot pursue because of her sex. Her new beginning gets threatened however when a figure from her past walks right into the shop and she is forced to confront the terrible things that happened in her past which are closely linked to the powerful and corrupt man.

I greatly admired Elena’s bravery. Trying to stand up for herself, her friends, and all the girls from the orphanage who were at this man’s mercy. We also see her ingrained thoughts and beliefs challenged and she learns to be accepting of the people around her. This book was a real character-building journey for Elena and I enjoyed seeing her grow.

I also really enjoyed the inclusion of the Carracci’s who are notable Renaissance artists and it just made me so happy as I am an Art History nerd and am particularly interested in the Italian Renaissance.

What a fabulous book. It ticks all the boxes; beautifully written, a very engaging story, believable characters that the reader engages with and a beautiful setting but to mention a few. I loved it.

Elena parents die and she ends up in an orphanage for girls, where the benefactor, a rich nobleman, takes advantage.
All Elena wants to be is a tailor, but as a girl all she can be is a seamstress. But she is a determined young lady who manages to secure a job at a master tailor. Will she be able to reach her goal? Will she overcome the trauma from her time in the orphanage?

Well done Glennis Virgo, you have written an amazing book and given me a new travel destination, Bologna.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought the characters and setting were wonderful. It's very timely, but still makes sense in the historical setting. It has many relatable elements like trying to land your dream job, found family, and things as serious as the dangers marginalized populations face on the daily. It's full of grit, determination, compassion, and it's ultimately very uplifting.

I thank NetGalley for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like Glennis Virgo, I too am enraptured by Italy of yesterday and today, so this book and its story of Bologna in 1575 felt positively hand to glove. There is a lot - and I repeat, a lot of plot that goes into this short but fairly detailed book. We meet our heroine, Elena, an orphan and a seamstress, with ambitions of becoming a tailor. Tailors were males in Bologna in 1575 and will be for quite some time. However, through cunning, gumption and desperation, Elena has a dream to make it happen, partly due to her talents, partly to honour her father's legacy and partly because she's stubborn beyond measure.

And as we lift the veil, we have an assortment of secondary characters that intersect in Elena's life. Sofia, who Elena calls Sofia but is actually Suhailah, is a fellow seamstress and a mixed-race character mistrusted in superstitious medieval Italy. We have the Signora, who wants to wed Elena off, meaning she'll never work in the profession she wants. So, Elena escapes and, by pure pluck, gains another position, which causes her personal life at the orphanage and her professional life to intersect when we meet Antonio della Fontana.

I thought this was a fine effort, especially for a debut. There was so much going on that perhaps this book could have benefited from some light dialogue to break up the action but I very much enjoyed the frenzied action. The plot I didn't totally believe, perhaps the last 50 pages or so, but it certainly provided great entertainment. The description of the threads, silks and designs within the city were illuminating and inviting, as were the foods and religious ceremonies. A real charmer of a novel.

Elena has a talent I covet, her talent is with needle and thread, spending her day amongst beautiful fabrics. I would give anything to spend my days there too. But in Bologna 1575, women were not tailors as her father had been. And especially not orphaned women, like Elena, yet that was her desire.
Because her life is no longer her own, a condition of being an orphan was to learn a skill, then be married off and Elena's time had come...so she runs and must carve out a living for herself. If only things were that simple.
Born into a world and a time where men are only considered, and men only can pursue their dreams, Elena's life is a daily struggle not only to survive, but to succeed.

It's a story about the loneliness of loss. Its about friendship, the cruelty of abuse and slavery, inner strength and determination.
The books language is like that of rich cloth, its characters are as individually designed as an array of voguish gowns. Its elegant and enchanting.
Thank you @netgalley @glennisvirgo and @allisonandbusby for the opportunity to read an early copy of this gorgeous book

Suse

A debut historical novel set in 16th century Bologna and is the story of Elena, an orphaned seamstress who yearns to be a tailor like her father in the City of Silk. I was captured by the impeccable sense of time and place, the well written characters and the social, cultural and political elements that were woven together. A beautiful and emotional novel that transported me back n time.

Set in Bologna in the 16th century, City of Silk is a beautifully written debut novel bu Glennis Virgo. The story opens with Elena, working as a seamstress for women but what she really wants is to be a tailor like her father, a profession unheard of for a woman. The story takes us through her backstory, including several years in a orphanage after the deaths of her parents as well as her efforts to satisfy her ambition to become a tailor. The story has a fairly large cast of characters, all well-developed and interesting, many of them drawn from real life. Elena, herself, is a strong, smart, and determined protagonist, one easy to like as well as empathize with. The story is compelling, providing beautiful, often lush, descriptions of the city, the materials used in the trade, and many of the customs of the city during the period as well as the situation for women at the time. It took me a bit to really get into the book but, once I did, I couldn’t put it down and ended up loving it. It should be noted this is not always an easy story, dealing with some very difficult subjects including sexual abuse of young girls, suicide, racism, and misogyny. I will admit I was first tempted to request this book from Netgalley because of it’s gorgeous cover and I am so glad I did because, overall, I found it a very enjoyable read with a great cast and even some added suspense and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Back in my favourite Era and Country, The City of Silk is the debut book from Glennis Virgo. Set in Bologna, the afore mentioned City of Silk, with Mulberry trees outside the city gates, and a trade in taloring and seamstresses this is the story of Elena, the daughter of a tailor. After the death of her parents she is sent to the Baraccano Orphanage, a place where young girls are at the mercy of it’s patron Antonio della Fontana, before being apprentice to a seamstress. Elena has higher dreams, but women are not offered the same chances as men, or is there another way.

City of Silk is Elana’s story, and it is through her eyes and experiences that we learn about life in sixteenth century Bologna. She is a wonderful heroine, facing adversity yet always having a positive outlook, even if that makes for some bold decisions. Not willing to be a wife Elena wants to apprentice to a tailor like her father, but women in the sixteenth century are not accepted in what is seen as a male industry. Through Elena we see the difficulties of women in this period, women expected to get married and have children, are accused of being prostitutes if they are out after dusk, and are second class citizens. As a character I admired her determination, her drive for trying to get around these constrictions put on her by society. I did like the fact that Glennis Virgo did show Elena’s faults her own prejudices that cause her problems.

What I really enjoyed about City of Silk was the historical detail that really set the social and cultural scenes of the period. I loved the descriptions of the festivals both the religious, at Easter and Christmas, and the more social festivals like ‘Porchetta” that is a feast dedcated to the pig. Glennis Virgo captures the vibrant colours, the sights, the sounds and joie de vivre of these events, how importand they were to the citizens and the positive effect they had on citizens. My only complaint is that there were two events in the book, that I thought were importane, were just suddenly announced. I found myself flipping back, worried that I had missed something, I found these omissions jarred me a little bit, stopped the flow for me. Glennis Virgo doesn’t shy away from the prejudices and patriarchy society, where wealthy men got away with abuse, where homosexuals could be beaten to near death and the racism towards a girl of colour.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed City of Silk, the book as sumptous as the material referenced in the title. Elena was a wonderful heroine, ambitious and full of life, wanting more from life than what was on offer. Full of historical detail, a fasciating supporting cast and and engaging plot, this is a stunning debut and I can’t wait to read what Glennis Virago writes next.

Since childhood, I've been captivated by orphanages and the art of sewing, so I was thrilled to receive this digital proof copy.

CW/TW: Sexual abuse, child abuse, homophobia, racism, suicide, slavery, violence, and corruption.

My Bookish Thoughts 💬
This debut novel (hard to believe!) is as intricately crafted as a tapestry. Set in the misogynistic world of 16th-century Italian tailoring, it vividly explores themes of resilience and friendship.

Elena is a remarkable protagonist—strong, determined, and unyielding in the face of abuse and societal constraints. Despite tackling heavy themes, the story handles them sensitively and purposefully.

The friendship between Elena, Sophie, and the Carracci brothers is heartwarming and reminds us not all men conform to the era’s oppressive norms.

Bologna comes alive through sumptuous descriptions of its streets and tailor shops, while the fabric details are so evocative you can almost feel them.

Let’s take a moment to admire the stunning cover—I'm definitely someone who judges books by their covers, and this one is exceptional!

This is now one of my all-time favourite historical fiction books. Historical fiction fans, take note: City of Silk is a meticulously researched and utterly compelling debut. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to Netgalley Gallery, Allison and Busby and Glennis Virgo for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really engrossing historical read, that transports you back to Renaissance Italy and tells the story of Elena who is a talented seamstress, who finds work with a tailor despite women being banned from the profession. Her work is allowed to speak for herself and she thrives given this opportunity.

But her life hasn't always panned out the way she would have liked, and her past soon comes back to haunt her, especially her time spent at the orphanage where some horrific times were experienced by many of those around her.

She has been witness to injustices in her life and this is what drives her on to be such a force when striving for equality and fairness. Seeing men of power and money getting away with crimes is not something that sits well with Elena and you can't help but cheer her on in her quest of getting revenge, all while following her own hearts desire of doing a job that she loves.

You really get a sense of the country and times thanks to the authors' research and wonderful descriptions. In Elena, she has created a powerful female character who is very inspiring. There are some serious subjects explored but they are written about sensitively, but just be aware before reading if you are triggered. Excellent debut novel and cannot wait for more from this author!