An historical novel where the story takes place in the Spitalfields district of London in the second half of the 1700s. At that time, Spitalfields was known for its silk weaving and the population was made up mostly of journeymen weavers and silk merchants. In the years leading up to this time the silk they produced was considered to be some of the best in the world and commanded a very high price, but suddenly cheaper fabrics such as calico became available and many of the silk weavers were struggling to find work.
The story follows a young woman called Sara who has been sent to London by her mother in the hopes that she will meet up with a cousin and make a good life for herself. As Sara steps down from the cart that bought her in from the country, she is clearly alone and lost in the unfamiliar streets, and it isn't long before she is lured away by an older woman who claims she will look after her.
Sonia Velton has done a good job of conjuring up the mix of eighteenth century life in London and each chapter is written from either the point of view of Sara or Esther, the wife of a wealthy merchant. Both have very different experiences but the weaving trade eventually links them together and it is interesting to read about the two very different sides of society.
There are plenty of strands to the story and I found it more compelling as the book went on. Sometimes historical novels can seem a bit one dimensional and rather too modern in outlook, but Sonia Velton has clearly done a great deal of research into historical events relating to the weaving trade and it was easy to imagine the people and the settings.
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