Rating: 3.5 stars rounded down the 3 stars

Sonia Velton has written an interesting work of historical fiction set in London in the 1760’s. I knew very little about the silk weaving trade concentrated in the Spitalfields area of London at that time. Nor did I realize that there were actual riots then as the weavers rebelled against the lowering of their piece rate wages when the industry started losing business to the Indian cotton calico trade.

The story is told from the dual points of view of Sara and Esther. Sara Kemp arrived in London as a teenager fresh off the farm, and was swooped up by a seemingly kindly older lady who promptly put her to work in her brothel. Esther Thorel encountered Sara and the brothel owner as she was walking in the area where the brothel was located, distributing Bibles. Esther married into the Huguenot faith when she married Master Weaver, Elias. The Huguenot community at that time was focused on silk production, and religious piety. It was a closed community that did not welcome Esther warmly.

Esther eventually provides a refuge for Sara after Sara flees the brothel. Sara becomes Esther’s maid, and watches as Esther tries to get her emotionally distant husband to allow her to design silk patterns. She also sees other things going on below the surface of the household that Esther is ignorant of.

Over the ensuing months Sara and Esther both struggle to find niches for themselves inside and outside of the Thorel household. Esther encounters Bisby Lambert who is working on his ‘masterpiece’ of silk weaving on the unused loom in the Thorel’s attic. Elias Thorel is allowing Bisby to use his loom to work on the piece that could transform Bisby from a journeyman weaver to a Master Weaver. That is a very rare opportunity. Esther convinces Bisby to show her how the loom works, and to please just weave a few rows of the ‘Blackberry and Wild Rose’ pattern that she’s devised. A friendship grows from there as they continue to weave the pattern together.

Sara encounters folks outside of the household that first bring excitement and then more tribulations to her life. She is well positioned to witness the events leading up to the Spitalfield riots. She speaks her mind to the downstairs servants in the household, and wavers between frustration and insight as to the Esther’s experiences. She can see danger where Esther cannot. There is in fact danger on all sides that culminates in the riots and eventual trials. Elias Thorel is deeply involved in the prosecution of the accused protagonist of the riots, to the horror of his wife and Sara.

I won’t go into how the story ends. Suffice it to say that I’m really grateful that I was not born in this era, or this area. It was such a brutal time as illustrated by the capriciousness of the law, and the minimal rights of the poor. It makes me glad that I have the rights that I do, especially as a woman in our contemporary society. This was a fine book that taught me some history, and entertained me over the course of a few days.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Blackstone Publishing; and the author, Sonia Velton; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blackberry and Wild Rose has a very interesting premise, it's about French Huguenot silk weavers who settled in Spitalfields, London during eighteenth century. This is actually the third book about silk weavers that I've read but for me, Blackberry and Wild Rose didn't stand out. I wasn't engrossed in Sara and Esther's story and found the pacing of the book slow. There was some really good writing, especially toward the end of the book but overall it was inconsistent.

One of the things that I found lacking was the development of Esther and Bisby's relationship. Their relationship was the catalyst to some pretty major events but it didn't get a lot of attention on the pages of the book, it was almost an afterthought and it left me disappointed.

Even though I didn't love Blackberry and Wild Rose, it's not a bad book by any means. Many historical fiction fans will enjoy it.

This novel focuses on two women in 18th century Spitalfields, London. Esther Thorel is the wife of a master silk weaver. She rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel, believing it's God's will, and takes Sara on as her lady's maid. But Esther soon finds that Sara is not well-equipped for such a job. As their relationship becomes strained, Sara tries to discover what has occupied Esther's mind and secrets begin to spill.

I gave this book two chances (the first was during a brief slump, so I came back to it), but I was not terribly impressed. The beginning of the novel, seeing how Sara is tricked into joining a brothel, was interesting. I did enjoy her POV, seeing her abuse at the hands of brothel owner; many young girls were trapped into owing money back to the brothel they were forced to join, so it was good to delve into that.

I found the constant switches between Sara and Esther's POV to be jarring, and I just never felt completely engaged with the story. I love historical fiction, but this was evidently not for me.

Spitafields in London is the heart of the silk-weaving trade. It is a highly prized and guarded skill yielding large fortunes to the weavers, brokers and traders. The silk weaving trade is open only to the masters, who on occasion will take up an apprentice or allow another to create a design on his behalf.

Esther Thorel is the wife of one of these master silk weavers. The marriage is comfortable if judged by what is owned. But Esther has unattainable dreams that frustrate her. She sees patterns that are more beautiful and intricate than those produced by her husband. But Thorel will not allow a woman, much less his wife, to suggest a pattern. Nor will he allow her to learn to use the loom in the garret.

Sarah Kemp is a young, country girl who comes to the Spitafields area. Wide-eyed and innocent, she is quickly hustled off by a madam into a bawdy house. There she must earn her keep or be tossed out into the street or debtor’s prison.

The story becomes more interesting when Esther, the do-good woman, decides to take Sarah into her home. The aim is to make her into a more respectable maid/servant that affords her a second chance. But no good deed goes unpunished. Sarah has different thoughts. And Esther still aspires to weave her masterpiece of Blackberry and Roses with the help of her husband’s journeyman assistant, now working in their garret.

The author brings forth many issues to discuss: the silk-weaving trade, class distinctions, gender inequalities, the role of women, religion vs. righteousness, marriage, labor unions and the judicial system. All these points are woven into the fine narrative just waiting for book groups to ponder and discuss. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

When Esther Thorel, wife of a master silk weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel, she thinks she is doing God’s will. Sara quickly realizes that the Thorel household is built on hypocrisy and lies and the two women’s relationship becomes increasingly fractious.

Good story telling. An interesting look back into England's 18th century life and politics. The characters were well developed and the story is plausible.

4☆

Who has not loved the texture and beauty of silk? Whether you wear it, sleep on it, or have it incorporated into your furniture, silk is a part of your life. In the book Blackberry and Wild Roses, we learn of silks making in the eighteenth century and also of the beginnings of labor unions. I must also say that this exquisite cover so mimics the gorgeous patterns that silk has often incorporated.

Esther Thorel is a wife of a prosperous silk maker. She is drawn to a young girl, Sara Kemp, a woman of ill repute. Esther is a good Christian so it becomes her desire to save this girl. She takes Sara into her home, a place where unhappiness resides along with the looms for silk making. The women form a tenuous relationship not really seeing each other for what they are and what secrets they harbor.

Esther is also a painter. She so want her husband to incorporate her paining designs into his silk making. However, that is not to be, as her husband, as we come to learn, is a despicable character. Sara is able to eventually convince one of the weavers, a man who hopes one day to become a master silk maker, to weave her design while her husband remains unknowing in this plan Repercussions occur which Esther had never thought of.

Sara, herself sees and knows thing about the Thorel household. Coming to London, seemingly abandoned by her mother, Sara is ensnared by an unscrupulous woman who has Sara become a prostitute. Life is an ever ending series of men and when one man tries to almost kill her during rough sex, she is determined to get away. She now sees Esther as her only hope.</p>
Will these two woman have a future? Will the men in their lives allow them to have their own lives or will Esther and Sara continue to be under the yolk of men who only have their own interests in mind and heart?

Set against a time when women were definitely considered objects, this story brings us the workings of not only silk making but also a look at the way in which men so dominated all things. It was a sad tale, and the character of Esther is loosely based on Anna Maria Garthwaite, a famous silk maker of the mid eighteenth century. Interestingly the title takes its name from one of her designs.

This book in itself was very interesting, it was well researched and was based on factual lives of the eighteenth century silk weavers. We get to follow a story that surrounds the life of a you=ng girl who gets mixed up and is put to work for one of the local madams in London. We also get to see her saved from that life. All in all this book was interesting but not my cup of tea.

Overall, this was an interesting piece of historical fiction. I am not one for graphic descriptions, and Velton has a way with words to make a strong impression without being bloody or crass. She built a world, a small world but a very real world, in nineteenth century London that you can't help but be drawn into.

I think that the strongest aspect was the rotating perspective. Normally I don't enjoy it, but it worked so well to give you a full and complete picture of what was happening. You won't always love her characters, but you will need to know what will happen to them!

What an interesting concept for a book. The story follows the lives of Esther, the wife of a Huguenot silkweaver, and Sara, a young woman who comes to London looking for work. Sara falls upon hard times but is ultimately helped back up by Esther who offers her a job in her home and this is where the story begins to really unfold. The rich illustration of the time period in the 1700s was wonderfully woven by Velton. The story was at times thrilling and at times worrisome. Sara’s life was not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but the sisterhood that was built between the two women was very heartening to see.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the works of Philippa Gregory.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this lovely historical fiction book! You can find my thoughts in the following review video:
https://youtu.be/n9J4FFc54xg

This novel is about two involved in the silk industry. The writing is very strong. It is atmospheric and is very fast-paced. However, I could not get into the characters. Overall, I recommend this for fans of Enchantee!

Blackberry and Wild Rose is a fascinating look at the silk weavers of Spitalfields in the 18th century. All of the inhabitants of the area are here, from prostitutes and madames to silk masters and their families. Velton reminds us that the distance between the classes, while perceived as an enormous gulf, was very narrow at best, and frequently non-existent. She reminds us of the physical humanity of each of her characters, and draws us into their world.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think that I really enjoyed the plot of this book. And I was hoping that I really liked this. But unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea. As the book went on it just for boring to me and I struggled reading this. As for what happened to the protagonists in this, as soon as I set it down I really forgot what happened in the book. It just didn’t leave an impression.


I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Really enjoyed this title. Excellent prose, well crafted characters, page-turning plot. This was a new author to me, but I will be sure to follow this author from now on.

This Wass a fabulous book of many genres. History, romance, educational and many more. The characters were described so well you felt you knew them. I took my time reading it as I wanted to savor every part of the book. I highly recommend it. Book Clubs would enjoy it! I plan to purchase it for a gift for a friend when it comes out.

BlackBerry and Wild Rose is a story of rich and poor, hope and despair. The setting is the latter half of the 18th century in East End London. Sara works at a brothel. One day she is luckily taken in by Esther to be a ladies maid. Esther is the wealthy wife of a silk trader. The story is told from two points of view, Sara and Esther. This is a good way to show the differences between social classes. I learned about silk weaving which I knew nothing about prior. The story shows the lives of silk weavers. It's also a story of these workers clashing with their masters in the upper class. The characters are richly drawn and engaging. The story moves at a good pace and is well written and researched. It's a story about many things such as social classes, working conditions and secrets where things are not always what they seem to be. I found it educational and informative as well. Any fan of historical fiction will enjoy this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't even make it to my currently-reading shelf because I couldn't put it down! I basically read it right through with one sleep in the middle. I really wanted to give this five stars and 4.5 on the blog, but... the scene that starts the events of the story in motion was almost unbelievable; one of the main characters is sent to a city with the name of a family member and address to go to, and she loses the paper it is written on and cannot remember any of it. Not even the woman's name, or the street? Hmm... Then the ending was tied up in a bow, maybe not a neat little bow, but enough to make me wince that it took away from the "real feel" the story had. However, everything in between was delicious. I know some of you don't mind catalyst coincidences and poetic endings, so this book would suit you to a tee. I also loved that the love relationship elements were romance-lite.

The author did terrific research, especially with the method of weaving silk at that time. There are two POVs: one from a poor woman and one from a rich woman, which was wonderful because you get to see the particular motivations and thought processes associated with those social classes, and even better how each social class has it's own levels of class within itself. It also shows that honesty, charity, and empathy are not exclusive to higher social (economic) status and/or religious piety.

This is a strongly Feminist book. The women in the story looked past the patriarchal norms set for their lives and bravely pursued them. It also showed how there is usually a two tiered Feminist agenda in effect; similar to current times where the white suburban, pumpkin spice, activists seem to be concentrating their energies on the rights of their own socio-economic group and not spreading the love, as it were. This division in the movement is shown as the detriment it is, and how a united front needs to be built. The book was also filled to the brim with beautiful symbolism like the Blackberry and Wild Rose title. Both women thorny, one slow to ripen in her life, the other quick to bloom, and perceived less than the garden rose, but lovely in its own way and able to grow in hard stony soil.

Very well done historical fiction. The author did a great job setting the reader in the time period with details of daily life, food and fashion. The time period of 18th century England was interesting as were the facts surrounding the silk industry and trade. The author also does a great job of entrenching the reading into what life was like for women during that time period and interestingly shows three very different classes of women who all really have the same freedoms and choices - which are basically none. For me it was a bit of a slow burn the first half, but definitely picked up after that with great suspense leading to satisfying conclusions.

I had high hopes just reading the title and seeing the beautiful book cover. Unfortunately this one felt like a struggle from the beginning and unfortunately I did not have the desire to finish it.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 18th century London, the story is carried between Esther, the wife of a master silk weaver and Sara, a servant in the household. I was not familiar with Huegenot silk weavers, so the story appealed to me. The author's detail in this story is exquisite and makes the story come alive. I enjoy historical fiction and reading about this time period, and this author did not disappoint. It was well researched and beautifully written. I was surprised that this was a debut novel.