Figures in Silk
By Vanora Bennett
(Harper Paperbacks, Paperback, 9780061689857, 496pp.)
Publication Date: March 2010
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook, Hardcover, Compact Disc, Paperback
Categories: General
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Selected by Indie Booksellers for the April 2009 Indie NotablesIn 1471, merchant John Lambert marries off his two beautiful daughters. The elder, Jane Shore, soon begins a notorious liaison with King Edward IV. The other sister, industrious and clever Isabel, is wed to the scion of a wealthy silk dynasty—and faces a monumental challenge when her husband is killed. Forced into apprenticeship to her mother-in-law, Alice Claver, Isabel learns to love the exotic fabrics from Italy, Persia, Spain, Tunisia, and beyond, discovering both loyal friends and dangerous enemies in this breathtaking new world. But Isabel's most powerful alliance will be with sister Jane's royal lover. And when the political landscape shifts perilously, one sister ?will fall while the other rises—as dire choices are made that will change their lives forever.
Vanora Bennett is the author of two acclaimed novels, Portrait of an Unknown Woman and Figures in Silk, and an award-winning journalist. She has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, the Times Literary Supplement, The Times (London), and the BBC. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.
“A substantial historical novel set in turbulent 15th century England. Ably explores themes of romance and politics.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“Describe(s) late medieval trade and artisanship in fascinating detail. Stands out for its engrossing storytelling, multidimensional characters, and intriguing interpretation of everyone’s favorite love-him-or-hate-him monarch, Richard III.”
-Booklist
“Vanora Bennett knows what drives her characters, both fictional and historical, and they seem as real and easy to relate to as your next-door neighbor. Bennett’s medieval England comes alive in ways a reader can immediately relate to, even while being transported away from the modern world.”
-Christian Science Monitor
“Readers of historical fiction will be pleased with Bennett’s sure-handed storytelling.”
-Publishers Weekly
“A splendid blend of romance and history.”
-BookPleasures.com
“A richly textured historical novel.”
-The Times (London)
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