Blackberry and Wild Rose Audiobook

Quotes

• “With a richly detailed evocation of the era, including the shockingly grim life of the poor and the repression of women, this assured and multilayered historical novel weaves its own magical spell.”

  — Daily Mirror (London)

• “The story is well written, and I empathized easily with the women concerned. I knew nothing about this period in our history and found it to be a totally fascinating read.”

  — Historical Novels Review

• “A rich, rollicking read.”

  — Fabulous (UK)

• “Listeners feel the streets of eighteenth-century Spitalfields, London, come alive through the stunning performances of narrators Esther Wane and Shiromi Arserio…Wane and Arserio bring the two characters to life, providing depth to the emotional content and making the listener recognize how much both Sara and Esther have to lose as they face difficulties and betrayal.”

  — AudioFile

• “The fraught relationship between Sara and Esther is beautifully drawn, and fans of Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist will thoroughly enjoy this engrossing, atmospheric tale of two women struggling for control of their own lives.”

  — Booklist

• “Velton’s intriguing debut spotlights both the successes and hardships of Huguenot silk weavers in eighteenth-century England…Fans of Tracy Chevalier and Jennifer Chiaverini will be captivated by this story for its atmospheric, historically rich drama and forbidden romance.”

  — Library Journal

• “An utterly absorbing novel that draws you into a fascinating and often sinister world. I loved it.”

  — Elly Griffiths, author of the Dr. Ruth Galloway Mysteries

• “I absolutely loved it, and read it in one sitting, unable to put it down—the story was rich and compelling, the writing sensuous and sensitive. We were there with the silk weavers in Spitalfields, in the jacquard of their lives, their loves, their losses. A poignant and stunning debut.”

  — Mary Chamberlain, author of The Dressmaker of Dachau

• “Velton’s debut is a masterfully plotted tapestry; a tangle of lives carefully pitted against each other and forming an intricate and spell-binding glimpse into the rich and volatile world of eighteenth-century silk weavers. I was captive from the first page to the last.”

  — Natasha Boyd, USA Today bestselling author of The Indigo Girl

• “Richly immersive, with a plot as finely detailed as Spitalfields silk.”

  — Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars

• “Told in two distinct first-person voices, it is a glimpse into the world of the Spitalfields silk trade at a time when the working class was hard-pressed and a piece of silk was worth more than a man’s life. In Blackberry and Wild Rose, author Sonia Velton weaves a tale of secrets and yearning into a bittersweet but satisfying end.”

  — New York Journal of Books

• “The story brings to life issues of woman empowerment, mothering, trauma, abuse, sex crimes, prostitution, human trafficking, social standing, forbidden love, dreams, desires, power, betrayal, upper vs. working class, conflict and so much more … all while being served up to you, neatly wrapped in a revolting patriarchal silver platter, but it also provides a view of redemptive power, faith and love and ultimately, acceptance.

  — The Book Babe