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!

This is a gloriously written and beautifully detailed book that will make you smile and break your heart.

In this book, we meet Elena, a young woman living in Renaissance Italy. After the deaths of her parents, she has been living in a home for orphans where she can continue learning the skills her Father had started to teach her in sewing garments. She becomes extremely skilled as a seamstress, but when told that she will be married off to a man she barely knows, she runs away. She is able to find employment as a helper to a renowned garment maker, but she is determined to become a seamstress. This is no easy task in a world where women are not often given the opportunity to work as a seamstress.

During her time there, she encounters some devastating reminders of her difficult and, at times, abusive childhood at the home for orphans, especially when she encounters the man who not only was abusive to her and others but is the man who caused the death of her best friend. She is determined to seek justice for them all, especially her friend.

This book is written in such a way that you can imagine seeing everything through Elena’s eyes. Some parts can be difficult to read because you quickly fall in love with Elena and want the best for her. She is so beautifully written that it shows her flaws but also her bravery and her love for her family and friends.

If you love a book that will take you on a journey of emotions, then this book is for you.

When we think about the period known as the Renaissance, we often think about Italy and the artists like painters and sculptors. However, other craftsmen made Italy their home. Take, for example, tailors and seamstresses. These skilled craftsmen and women can create art you can walk in with their hands. However, there are gender barriers between tailors and seamstresses in that only men can be tailors and only women can be seamstresses. One orphan girl from Bologna not only challenges what it means to be a woman tailor but also challenges one of the wealthiest merchants in the entire city who has a dark connection to her past. This is the premise for Glennis Virgo’s debut novel, “City of Silk.”

I want to thank Allison & Busby and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I know we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this cover is really why I wanted to read more about it. The description and knowing that it was a debut were also appealing factors as I wanted to see what a new author would do with 16th-century Italy and its complex nature.

We begin with the orphanage of Santa Maria del Baraccano where we find out that our protagonist is a young girl whose parents, a tailor and a seamstress, both died. The girl, Eleana Morandi, was raised in the orphanage, but something happened and she ran away. She would eventually work at the Palazzo of Signora Ruffo, a widowed seamstress who runs a successful business. Elena works as an assistant to Signora Ruffo alongside a girl named Sophia, a former slave. It is a happy life for Elena, until one day, Signora Ruffo arranges a marriage for Elena with Signor Martelli. Elena is not a fan of this idea so she does what stereotypical teenagers do, she runs away from home again.

Elena runs to the workshop of the tailor Maestro Francesco Rondinelli, but he is reluctant to take Elena on as women are not accepted as tailors in the guild, but he allows her to help out in other ways around the workshop. One day, a Signor Antonio della Fontana comes into the workshop and asks for a summer wardrobe. Fontana is not some stranger to Elena as she knows him from her life in the orphanage, but he is not the benevolent merchant that everyone believes him to be. Elena fights not only for the right to become a female tailor but for her friend Laura and the other girls who were traumatized by Fontana. Virgo has created a colorful cast of characters filled with the traumas that they have to deal with in such a short book. My only critique is that as someone who is not as familiar with Italian terms or the locations in 16th-century Bologna, I wish there was a map and a glossary to help the readers picture the world a bit better.

Overall, I found this a rather enjoyable debut full of heart and a cast who care for each other as well as their respective crafts. It shows a different side of Renaissance Italy and once I started reading, I did not want to stop. I am looking forward to seeing what type of story Virgo will tell next. If you want a novel that focuses on a different aspect of the Italian Renaissance, I would recommend you read, “City of Silk” by Glennis Virgo.

City of Silk by Glennis Virgo is set in sixteenth century Bologna, and we follow the story of Elena, a talented seamstress who has figuratively and literally escaped from the Baraccano orphanage. She dreams of being a tailor, but in 1575, women are not allowed to hold such roles.

But her biggest concern is the powerful Fontana, the wealthy man who bestrides the city, sharing his wealth, but also taking advantage of the girls who are brought up in the orphanage under his patronage. It’s all hidden in plain sight, but his wealth means that even tailors like Maestro Rondinelli feel they must take his money or suffer the consequences.

This novel does cover a lot. It deals with sexuality, abuse, slavery, and most of all, just how tough life was in sixteenth century Europe, especially if you were a woman. A common theme is Elena worrying about how she can safely get home after dark without suffering verbal or physical assaults.

The book is a pacy read, and our protagonist is headstrong, sometimes to her own detriment.

The detail of life in Bologna feels very rich and Virgo has obviously carried out a great deal of research to present such an authentic view of the clothes-makers of Bologna at the time. A useful afterword helps explain the context a little more, and I confess that I did not know any of the city’s history.

An excellent piece of historical fiction.

I love reading about Renaissance Italy, but most novels focus on Rome, Florence or Venice, so this one, set in Bologna – famous for its silk industry in the 16th century – was something slightly different.

It’s 1575 and our narrator, Elena Morandi, is working as a seamstress in Signora Ruffo’s workshop. Although she was raised in an orphanage from the age of ten after the death of both parents, Elena remembers the skills she was taught by her father, a tailor, and has proved to have a real talent for needlework. However, she’s bored with sewing women’s gowns and capes and longs to work on men’s clothing and gain the title of tailor rather than seamstress. Sadly, this is not an option for a woman and Elena seems destined to stay with Signora Ruffo – until she flees to escape an arranged marriage.

In need of a new job, Elena decides to pursue her dreams and manages to obtain a lowly position in a tailor’s workshop, sweeping the floor and fetching fabrics and threads for the Maestro, Francesco Rondinelli, and his three tailors. Then, just as she’s settling into her new life, a figure from her past walks into Rondinelli’s workshop to ask for a fitting. This is Antonio della Fontana, benefactor of the orphanage Elena attended and one of the most powerful men in Bologna. He had abused his position of power at the orphanage and it seems that nothing has changed; when even Rondinelli and his friends begin to suffer at the hands of Fontana, Elena decides it’s time to take revenge.

City of Silk is one of several historical novels I’ve read recently that deal with women trying to forge a career for themselves in fields traditionally dominated by men. Tracy Chevalier’s The Glassmaker, Joanne Burn’s The Bone Hunters and Ambrose Parry’s The Spendthrift and the Swallow are three I’ve read just this year (featuring, respectively, a female glassmaker, a female would-be geologist and a woman desperate to become a doctor). This is obviously another and while I admired Elena’s determination and ambition, I would have liked more detail on why she felt it was so important to become a tailor instead of aspiring to be like Signora Ruffo, who was running her own successful business and was financially independent. I’m not sure I really understood why Elena seemed to look down on seamstresses so much or why she considered it so much more rewarding to make clothes for men rather than women.

As mentioned above, I did love the setting. I’ve never been to Bologna, but Virgo’s descriptions brought it to life for me. I also found it interesting to learn about the city’s role as a leading European centre of silk production and what it was like to work in a tailor’s or seamstress’s workshop during that period. Most of the characters are fictional, but Virgo explains in her author’s note at the end that a few of them really existed and another is inspired by a portrait in the National Gallery!

The scheme Elena and her friends come up with to take their revenge on Fontana seemed very unlikely to me – I couldn’t imagine anybody actually doing what they did, particularly not in the 16th century – but otherwise the plot was quite entertaining. This is Glennis Virgo’s first novel (for which she has won the Debut Writers Over 50 Award) and although I’m not sure if I’ll read her next one, I could be tempted depending on the subject.

Step into Renaissance Italy with City of Silk, a story that weaves together passion, revenge, and the vibrant, silk-filled streets of Bologna.

Elena Morandi is no ordinary seamstress. In a world where women are kept in the background, she's fighting to carve a place for herself in the male-dominated world of tailoring. But when Antonio della Fontana, a corrupt and powerful merchant from her past, comes crashing back into her life, Elena's fragile success is threatened.

What I loved about City of Silk:

The Strong Heroine: Elena is fierce, determined, and ready to take on a powerful adversary to right the wrongs of her past. She's the kind of character you can't help but root for!

Rich Historical Details: The sights, sounds, and feel of 1575 Bologna come alive on every page. You can practically smell the silk and hear the hustle of the market.

A Battle of Wills: This isn't just a story about fabric; it's about justice, power, and the lengths one woman will go to reclaim her voice.

With a mix of historical detail and thrilling tension, City of Silk is an immersive and bold debut that had me hooked. It’s got everything: a strong heroine, a villain you love to hate, and a plot full of twists and turns. If you love stories with fierce women, rich settings, and plenty of heart, this one’s for you!

'Justice in sixteenth-century Bologna is like the fine silk which the city produces: something only the rich and powerful can afford.'

This is a book that takes you to the core of wealth, corruption and revenge. And revenge and retribution is exactly what Elena Morandi plans to get we her path crosses a man from her past. This book is one of those books that will draw you in and keep you rivetted and glued to the page from start to finish. I love Elena's story, love her strength and stubbornness and I love the way the story has you on the edge of your seat with its suspense, tension and emotion.

This is a well written story with many aspects of how life was (especially for women) in Bologna in 1575. Great setting and a wonderful story. I loved every minute of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Allison & Busby for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.