THE SILENCE FACTORY seamlessly merges historical fiction with fantasy centering around magical spiders creating silk with otherworldly attributes. Collins nails the gothic family drama with a taut tale filled with secrets and the desire to achieve greatness through wealth.

I will be honest. This was not the book I thought I was going to be reading. However, it turned out to be quite a fascinating read. The way the author brought the past and the present together allows the reader to learn the origin of silk and understand a complex family dynamic. These flashbacks bring to life Sophia as she explores a new world on a Greek island that will forever change her and future generations forever.

At its core, this story shows the hubris of man to think he can control something he shouldn’t have. It pushes the limits of how people can corrupt an item as beautiful as silk into a commodity that could harm those who are manufacturing it and those who are subject to its powers. This is where Collins truly showed a brilliant comprehension of all facets of the human condition.

With hidden secrets, magical silk, and, for Henry, a need to connect with someone again, THE SILENCE FACTORY explores desire and deception in a way that is both honest and compelling. Collins delivered a suspenseful tale laced with mysticism.

I recently finished The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins. It is a haunting and atmospheric blend of historical fiction, mystery, and magical realism. Henry meets a fascinating, mysterious gentleman, Sir Edward, who sells precious silk that can drown out the clamor of the world.
Summoned to Sir Edward’s secluded factory to try to cure his young daughter’s deafness, Henry is soon drawn deeper and deeper into the origins of this otherworldly gift: a gift that has traveled from ancient Mediterranean glades to English libraries.
Ignoring repeated warnings from the girl’s secretive governess, he allows himself to fall under the spell of Sir Edward and his silk… but when he learns its true cost, will it be too late to turn back?
Traditional gothic elements are more subdued in THE SILENCE FACTORY. Some of the more forward hallmarks of a gothic work (like a sense of horror or extreme weather events) seem to be saved up for the novel’s end, which can make this novel feel like a slow burn most of the way through. More overt is the emphasis on Henry’s deteriorating mental and emotional states. Henry comes across as naive and clueless, which can make for a draining read. This also makes Henry harder to connect to and root for as a main character. I think we are rewarded with a faster pace and an abundance of shocks and surprises in the last quarter of the novel; however, some may be left with a sense that all plot lines weren’t brought to a satisfactory conclusion. On the whole, THE SILENCE FACTORY does deliver a thought-provoking premise in a captivating atmosphere. If you are in the mood for a feminist historical fiction novel with a gothic and LGBT twist, Bridget Collins’ THE SILENCE FACTORY may just be the next read for you.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

An inventive premise, but largely a depressing read that serves little justice in the end and struggles to make its two timelines add up.

Conceptually this caught my attention, but I ended up having the same feeling about this that I did about Collins’ The Binding, which is that it feels bleak in a way that isn’t rewarding or even satisfyingly creepy, and mostly left me feeling depressed.

I think there’s a big difference between experiencing sadness as part of reading a book and feeling miserable while reading it, and this one largely feels more like the latter. There’s a lot of abject cruelty from the male characters that seems to exist just for cruelty’s sake, a lot of suffering with no payoff for the protagonists, and some body horror stuff that just doesn’t appeal at all.

I’m also not sure the deployment of magical realism worked here, and the way the timelines connect doesn’t feel satisfying.

I’ve read a few of Collins’ short stories and thought they were quite good and very different from her novels both in tone and theme. Might I suggest reading those instead?

Different type of story. I expected more at the ending. Sad lives working in a factory that workers were exposed to excessive noise, causing deafness and in some cases madness. Henry has s confusing reaction to the silk created in the factory by-the spiders. A diary of the wife that originally went with her husband to discover the legacy of these spiders and the continuing discovery of the magical qualities of the silk webs they spun. Mystery, greed, survival and obsession.

Well done novel that sets up an eerie mystery around a factory town in early Industrial England, a man who is incapable of noticing lots and lots of red flags, and a fairly interesting spider fueled silk technology that may or may not be being used for sinister ends. Get the sense that the author would want it called literary from the way she wrote it. Solid fall read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

Masterpiece. Literal masterpiece. Best cover. Best original story. 6 stars!

Sophia goes to a Greek island with her husband who is trying to find some spiders that spin a wonderful silk. His obsession with finding these spiders puts a strain on their marriage. Years later, Henry becomes involved with the owners of the Silk Factory that has become from their discovery.
This book kept me turning the pages. I am glad of the outcome, but would have liked if the story had continued for Henry. I would have liked to know what happened to him later.

It's not a great sign when I have to switch from a physical book to an audiobook halfway through because it's normally a sign I'm close to a DNF. Unfortunately, swapping over to audio only helped me get through the book percent-wise; I'm not sure I retained much or enjoyed myself while listening. This is a very slow-paced novel that has a concept I found to be so intriguing I overlooked its mediocre initial feedback. I really love a historical fiction and fantasy genre crossover.

I enjoyed the Gothic historical vibes and the undercurrent of a romance throughout the plot; these elements kept me moving past the child labor and sexism. I found the storyline with Henry and Sir Edward to be far more interesting than the one with Sophia and James; a book with two timelines in which one is far superior to the other is almost the kiss of death for me. Ultimately, I found I just didn't care much at all.

I can see why some people really love this book, it just didn't quite hit right for me.

**2.5 stars**

I read a lot of books and not every book is for every reader, this book was sadly not for me. I have 2 of Ms Collins other books on my TBR and I saw this on NetGalley and it sounded so intriguing with a beautiful cover but it was not marketed correctly in my opinion. It’s not Gothic, it’s not spooky or horror tinged, it’s a straight historical fiction story. It’s not terrible just not what I expected and it was a bit too long and boring.

Thanks for the e-arc from the publisher via NetGalley, opinions are my own.

I tried so hard to get into this busy just couldn’t. I don’t want to rate poorly because I feel like it was written well but just didn’t hold my interest.

thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for a review!

i think maybe this book suffered from the fact that i read it and babel at the same time, and enjoyed babel much more. i found henry unsympathetic and blinded by 'love' for a guy that he barely knew, despite literally everyone telling him 'hey the factory sucks, think of the women and children'. for a guy who spends so much of his time thinking about his dead wife and his kid you would think he'd care more about women and children.

sophys sections were better but i do feel they ultimately seemed like filler

Sadly this did not keep my attention. The cover is beautiful and the synopsis was intriguing but I just could not connect to the characters. The research was well done. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.
2.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited to read this after reading The Binding last fall and falling in love with it. While I wouldn't say that I loved this book as much as the last one, it's still a great book.

This would be a great novel to read in October or November on a dark rainy day. It's gothic and dark with Bridget Collins' signature flowery language. Not to mention the creepy spiders with their magical webs! There was enough suspense and mystery to keep me guessing at every chapter.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ACR Copy!

All you have to say to get my attention is gothic historical mystery, and then a cover like this, I was sold immediately. I have a love hate relationship with books that are in multiple timelines, but this one I think was done very well. I always enjoy when the flashes into the past are in a diary format and I think this one was well done.

"I was carried, like a good wife; on the tide of another's desire, even though it bore me away from everything I held dear..." especially Hira.

"I saw him as he was when we first came to that shore; full of energy and grace, a little ambitious...but a good man...that man was gone...". There were a few species of spiders...too localized to be ordered and collected elsewhere...the holy place on the Greek island [now] desecrated in the name of my husband's scientific studies.

1820. James and Sophia Ashmore Percy arrived on Kratos with plans to confer with a "so called" scientist who claimed that an unusual species of spider's silk might be woven to produce a dramatic, world changing product. Through Sophia's diaries, the history of the silver orb-weaving spider comes to light.

In Victorian England, James Percy's great nephew, Edward had taken up the mantle of silk weaving. Once James brought spiders back from the Greek island, Edward continued to breed them and draw out the silk to be woven in his factories in Telverton. One side of the woven silk created silence while the reverse side created "unpredictable vibration...turbulence...a Telverton Malaise."

In the first of two timelines, Sophia's diaries document her stay in Kratos. She meets Hira, a peasant woman who offers kindness, acceptance, compassion and grounding. This is a far cry from her husband's fits of rage including when he discards Sophia's wedding ring. Thank goodness for Hira.

The second timeline's main protagonist is Henry Latimer. His life in Victorian England was wrought with grief and despair following the death of his wife in childbirth. He wanted to flee the hustle and bustle of London. Silence would be perfect. Given the chance to treat Sir Edward's deaf daughter Philomel by fitting her with hearing aids, Henry had the opportunity to visit the Telverton factories, watch silk production and observe the appalling working conditions for women and children. Henry, however, was mesmerized by the spider silk. As Sir Edward drew Henry into the web of silk weaving, warnings were being issued by Philomel's governess. There seemed to be cases of maddening behavior and increasingly silent workers. Why was Sir Edward's wife Cecelia described in whispers by those who knew her?

The Silence Factory is a gruesome, historical, gothic mystery that is not for the faint-hearted. The well developed characters had this reader hoping that good would prevail and that uncaring characters would receive their comeuppance. Highly recommended.

Thank you William Morrow and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this, and the atmosphere of the story started out strong, but overall I felt it lacked a cohesive narrative and attachment to the characters. The historical detail was very well done, but I just left feeling bleh.

I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book. I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to cocoon yourself in silence temporarily when the world got to be too loud?

For me, this book was just ... meh. I thought the main focus was going to be on the silk and its effects on the people around it. It really wasn't. This book is mostly about Henry trying to get Sir Edward's attention.

The middle of the book could have been cut out completely, especially the "romance" that sprung up out of the middle of nowhere. You've had maybe 3 interactions with this person and now you tell them you love them? Barf. The big action scene at the end couldn't come fast enough and I honestly didn't care who lived or died at that point. The VERY end of the book, though, made me mad. THIS WHOLE TIME!? Oh heck no. To top it all off, the author obviously didn't want to stop writing this book because it went on and on and on and on....

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

This is a story about loss and grief, about taking things that don't belong to you and forcing the consequences upon another. Part description of Imperial greed, part gothic horror, this is a delightful bit of historical litfic. And spiders... can't forget the spiders.

The prose found within this novel is delicious!! Exquisitely descriptive and lush, you'll feel as if you've fallen through the pages and landed amongst the Ashmore-Percy silk empire. Do take care to recognize any strange sensations or lack of lucidity... it's probably nothing.

Following Henry Latimer, a poet forced into saleswork and mourning the loss of his wife and infant child, we witness a spiralling descent into glittering madness. The beauty of sounds layering and multiplying into a dizzying crescendo mask the rot of Telverton but only just. Scratching below the surface Henry begins to find all manner of horrors and must decide if a distraction from his grief is worth its cost.

Beginning each part of the book, we follow the journal of Sophia Ashmore-Percy. Witnessing her falling in love and subsequently removed from its source by her moody and controlling husband James. Without her and her willingness to interact with the Grecian people he stole from, the spiders he longed to find would never have been in his grasp, yet all he cares for is the slight upon his pride. A beacon of industry and Imperial theft, reading these sections and how Sophia views her husband offer a different glimpse at the family's legacy.

Our dual leads both experiencing the glamor and glitz of a beauty outside the environment in which they're accustomed and having a queer awakening was a delight to read. What is a choice and what is an obsession-inducing madness?

Fair warning this book is period accurate and thus incredibly unkind to those with hearing difficulties. Philomel is a perfectly capable child, yet those around her tend to treat her as if she's broken for failing to speak aloud. If, and understandably so, such descriptions are beyond what you can bear perhaps skip this story. As someone with several relatives with hearing difficulties, I know I struggled with these passages myself. Shout out to Miss Fielding for doing her damnedest to make the rest of the cast realize how wonderful Philomel is though!!

Additionally fair warning there is an on page miscarriage, for those sensitive to such things. The husband is exceptionally cruel during this event and invalidates his wife's pain. Considering the characters involved this wasn't a surprising chain of events, but I do know that this can be a really intense trigger for some people. Another woman dies in childbirth and haunts both her husband and the narrative with her passing.

The Silence Factory follows two characters from different timelines, Sophia who searches for a rare spider on an island that produces silk with odd qualities, and Henry, a business man living decades later who is set to help a a young girl with her deafness. He ends up getting wrapped up in her family's business of producing the silk.

The concept of the story immediately grabbed my attention and the author does a good job in creating an ominous and haunting atmosphere. The writing is very detailed, but for me it was too verbose. It took away from building any momentum in the story. The pacing of the book just felt off. I didn't form a connection with any of the characters nor did I really care for them. I was hoping for a spooky story to start the season, but unfortunately this wasn't it.



Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.