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.

This book was an interesting read. It was well written, the prose was lovely, the concept and story lines were unique. It jumps between the current time period and the main character’s involvement with the proprietor of a factory and his daughter to the origination of the factory in the past from the POV of founders wife. A few trigger warnings of abuse, neglect, and child loss are worth noting. Over all I enjoyed this book.

The Silence Factory ix a gothic historical fiction book with elements of mystery and the Victorian era. This book follows two timelines. One follows Sophia Ashmore-Percy and her husband, James, who is searching for a rare spider on a Greek island in 1820.
The other storyline takes place decades later, and follows Henry Latimer who is sent to Sir Edward’s Ashmore-Percy’s house, to cure the man’s daughter, Philomel, of her deafness. Henry quickly becomes entranced by the silk of the spiders, and its fascinating ability to silence the outside world. As he gets pulled deeper into Sir Edward’s business, the more sinister aspects of the silk begin to slowlyreveal itself.
For me, the plot moved a little too slow for my liking, so I had a hard time getting into the story, However, as always, Bridget Collins absolutely delivers on the gothic, dark, and eerie atmosphere.
Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the e-arc!

When I saw the synopsis for the story, I was really intrigued. I’ll admit, I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, and in the beginning, I had to keep reminding myself that I was in fact reading historical fiction. I was taken aback by the period appropriate ableism and how Philomel was described, and Henry’s expectations of her. It definitely did not make me like him, at all.

Furthermore, he seemed enchanted by Sir Edward, whereas I just found him rude and haughty. When Henry defended his business after overhearing a conversation, instead of being thankful or appreciating the gesture, Sir Edward just scolded him. I just didn’t like or root for any of the central characters.

With that being said, I do think one of the strong points was the atmosphere. It was gothic and creepy and foreboding. I loved that and it was a highlight for me. I did also like the fantasy elements of this story, and for the most part, the plot kept me interested.

Overall, a very solid read. I think people who read historical fiction on a regular basis and enjoy it more will find enjoyment from this book. As someone who doesn’t, it was still a solid read and I don’t regret reading it. I just think it took me a bit of getting used to in order to immerse myself. Based on this book, I am interested in checking out the rest of the author’s work.

This was a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eARC.

THE SILENCE FACTORY is a very well-written historical novel with gothic undertones. The author expertly evokes the time period, and I enjoyed her use of language and evocative sensory details. I slightly preferred Sophia's POV chapters, but Henry's were good too. As the story progressed, I was a little overwhelmed with everything that's going on. It seemed at times like the author just threw everything in plot-wise versus having a more controlled or streamlined approach. I would have preferred a tighter narrative, and with some editing the length could easily have been pared down. However, I did ultimately enjoy the story. Others have commented on the frustrating characters, but that didn't necessarily bother me. The overall theme here is greed, and the author does a good job of weaving that into the complex story. I look forward to digging into this author's backlist and will definitely read her next book.

Thank. you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.