The Silk Weaver

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The Silk Weaver

By: Liz Trenow

Narrated by: Katie Scarfe

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*Published in the US as The Hidden Thread*

Inspired by real historical events and characters, Liz Trenow's The Silk Weaver is a captivating, unforgettable story of illicit romance in a time of enlightenment and social upheaval.

1760, Spitalfields. Anna Butterfield’s life is about to change forever, as she moves from her idyllic Suffolk home to be introduced into London society. A chance encounter with a French silk weaver, Henri, draws her in to the volatile world of the city’s burgeoning silk trade. Henri is working on his ‘master piece’, to become a master weaver and freeman; Anna longs to become an artist while struggling against pressure from her uncle’s family to marry a wealthy young lawyer.

As their lives become ever more intertwined, Henri realizes that Anna’s designs could give them both an opportunity for freedom. But his world becomes more dangerous by the day, as riots threaten to tear them apart forever . . .

Liz TrenowKatie ScarfeMacmillan Digital Audio

Fiction

Historical

Historical Fiction

Romance

England

Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Romance England

Critic reviews

What a delicious read The Silk Weaver is. I was enchanted by this novel set in eighteenth-century Spitalfields; meticulously researched, richly detailed, the brilliantly structured story shimmered as the threads of silk wound through its pages. I devoured it in two days and was gripped from start to finish. The characters shine too and Anna is an absolute triumph. A fabulous book (Dinah Jefferies)

I absolutely love the details about silk weaving . . . Liz Trenow conjures up atmosphere concisely and brilliantly, with not a spare word to be found. I felt enriched when I reached the end of this gem of a novel, and can’t wait to read her next one (Gill Paul)

Push back the gorgeous brocade curtains of The Silk Weaver's period detail and romance and you find a window on eighteenth century London that, with its prejudice and divisions, is surprisingly pertinent today (Kate Riordan)

I absolutely loved The Silk Weaver. Liz writes beautifully, and I adored the characters of Anna and Henri - their love was so delicately and believably evoked. The background motifs of the silks and the floral designs, and the political/social context which made their relationship so difficult is also brilliantly done. I really couldn't wait to get back to it each evening (Tracy Rees)

A wonderful read . . . full of such extraordinary, fascinating detail (Kate Thompson)

Liz Trenow sews together the strands of past and present as delicately as the exquisite stitching on the quilt which forms the centrepiece of the story (Lucinda Riley on The Forgotten Seamstress)

An assured debut with a page-turning conclusion (Daily Express on The Forgotten Seamstress)

Extraordinary, fascinating . . . deeply rooted in history

This absorbing novel delves into the secrets of wartime silk production and makes them totally fascinating . . . tremendously atmospheric and convincing in its details, with characters that touch the heart. A book to savour

Most relevant

lovely book, loved the narrator and the detail in the book. I was sad when it came to an end but so pleased I read it. It was chosen as one of the books in a book club organised by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness. We are due to review it soon.