I was quite disappointed with this book - I have read later works by Dinah Jefferies and they have been excellent, but this felt overlong, quite slow and even the parts that were meant to be thrilling were not really.

I also couldn’t get on with the main characters and just didn’t feel invested in their good fortune or otherwise.

It was interesting to learn about the pre-US/Vietnam war though as there are a great many works about that war, but my understanding of what led to it has been sketchy at best!

It wasn't difficult to fall into a trance while reading Jefferies' The Silk Merchants Daughter. Poignant tale of loss and love Jefferies put the reader right into the middle of 1950's Vietnam. While tension rises between the Vietnamese and the French the story unfolds a story of two sisters who are French Vietnamese. One who looks French and the other looks Vietnamese and the struggles they face being raised by a single father. The story is beautifully written and helps me appreciate how lucky I am in my presumably safe life. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

For a historical fiction with romance theme, The Silk Merchant's Daughter did not disappoint. It brought to life the Vietnam of the colonial times. Even though the story progressed at a steady pace, the romance part of it didn't quiet make an impact. The sibling rivalry between Nicole and Sylvie is well sketched but as the book draws to an end, everything seems to be hurried up a bit to tie loose ends. If you are looking for a book during journeys or for the beach, this could qualify.

I loved this book and a great insight to some of the history of Vietnam and the events and struggles of the time.

well researched. very readable. draws you in to the characters and location

The silk merchants daughter by dinah jefferies.
1952, French Indochina. Since her mother's death, eighteen-year-old half-French, half-Vietnamese Nicole has been living in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Sylvie. When Sylvie is handed control of the family silk business, Nicole is given an abandoned silk shop in the Vietnamese quarter of Hanoi. But the area is teeming with militant rebels who want to end French rule, by any means possible. For the first time, Nicole is awakened to the corruption of colonial rule - and her own family's involvement shocks her to the core... Tran, a notorious Vietnamese insurgent, seems to offer the perfect escape from her troubles, while Mark, a charming American trader, is the man she's always dreamed of. But who can she trust in this world where no one is what they seem? 
A lovely and moving read. I loved the story and the characters. Couldn't put it down. 5*. Highly recommended. Netgalley and penguin books (uk).

A poignant story about Vietnam in the aftermath of WW2 and as the Vietminh start their war of attrition on the French.
I very much liked the style of writing and the information about the Vietnamese wars was very interesting – especially as I had not realised that the silk worm was actually eaten after the cocoon was boiled and thus provided nutrition for the workers. The sulk cycle makes more sense now.
But I was somehow disappointed at the end. I felt that some emotion was missing and that more could have been made about the situation. Thus I am giving this a 4 rather than 5 stars – which I felt it should have been.

I couldn't put this book down. I would thoroughly recommend this book for my book club. It opened my eyes up to what life must have been like in the war. I enjoyed the ending.