Brilliant book, absolutely gripping. Told in the style of then and now you follow the stories of Rowan in the 1700's and Thea in the current period. Fashion, medicine, witches, teaching, a little bit chilling with plenty of twists and turns.

What an absolutely amazing book!

This is historical fiction at its best. Weaving together two time lines and three storylines and allowing the reader the space to use each thread to better understand its neighbours we're taken on a journey back and forth through time and place and end up thoroughly intertwined in tales and adventures that would each stand alone but together are just magical.

I found the characterisation to be excellent and quickly found myself visualising the action. The writing was easy yet not trite.

If I have one criticism it is that I would have omitted the final revelation (or, "oh, really" moment). For me, it jolted me back to the realisation that this was all fiction rather too abruptly. Left out the story would have been no poorer.

With huge thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I'll certainly be seeking out more from this author.

I loved this book. It's well written, engrossing and I loved the stories it tells and the vivid historical background.
Excellent storytelling and character development, well researched and fascinating.
It's the first I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an interesting book that tells the stories of three different women trying to make their way in life, a servant, a silk designer and a young Australian history teacher. I really liked the writing

The Silk House - Kayte Nunn

"Weaving. Healing. Haunting. The spellbinding story of a mysterious boarding school sheltering a centuries-old secret" This book gave me many eerie feelings throughout as we delved into the ghostly world of witchcraft and the unknown. We follow the two main characters of Rowen and Thea by jumping between the past (late 1700s) and present day to discover the truth about Silk House. If you like a good gothic mystery then this is definitely one for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for allowing me the chance to read and review this book

This is a wonderful, spellbinding story mostly set around a building in the town of Oxleigh,Wiltshire, which has a very colourful past. In 1768 the lovely house is virtually new and is home to a prominent silk merchant and his wife.. When the household becomes in need of additional help, a young girl named Rowan is taken on as a maid of all work. She is a quiet girl but hardworking, who has an affinity with plants.

In 2019 Thea has moved to to Oxleigh to take up a teaching position in the town. After more than two centuries of changing ownership and use, the house on the High Street is now a boarding house for girls, the first group of young ladies ever allowed to attend the prestigious College. Settling in to her new job isn't a breeze for Thea. The old boy's club at the college are largely again women being allowed to attend and they make their feelings quite plain to Thea. And to add to her headache the Silk House where she is boarding with the girls is a very strange place, but surely the stories about a curse, a maid who practised witchcraft and even the possibility of a ghost can't be true....

A beautiful, slow burning mystery with some absolutely luscious descriptions of silks and fabrics. An extremely engrossing read.

three timelines and three stories which merge to form a fascinating picture. A boarding school reveals its secrets and we meet Rowan and Mary from the past whose stories show just what this school used to be. Ruth in the present day is a teacher at this school and there are strange happenings that compels her to read more in to the school's past.

It really is a rich novel with lovely writing and a pace and structure that builds the intrigue well. Historical fiction fans who also how one thing, whether it be a building or item can retain the fingerprints of history will love this.

The Silk House is another fantastic novel by Kayte Nunn. Set in the present day and the 1700’s, it tells the story of Thea who has come from Australia to teach History in an English private school who have allowed girls to enrol for the first time. The girls and Thea board in The Silk House which previously belonged to a silk merchant of dubious character. Rowan was his maid in the 1700’s and the novel moves between these main characters.
I enjoyed the story and the spooky going’s on it described in the present day. I did find it overlong, causing the initial fast pace to slow and my interest to wain slightly. I’m also not convinced that both time eras merged as well as other duel time novels I’ve read, but I would recommend this as an interesting read.

It’s always good to read a book by an author you are unfamiliar with and find that you really enjoy it, giving the opportunity to then explore other books they have written. This was a great story with so many strands that interested me. The detail of the silk weaving, the herbalism, the time slip historical element I loved it all. A really great read that I flew through in a couple of days.

Thank you to Kayte Nunn, Orion Publishing and NetGalley UK for the chance to read the arc of this fabulous book!

I found the whole story stunning, and wonderfully written and I just wanted to read and read and read. The way the story weaved itself between past and present was so easily connected and not confusing at all like some books/authors have done.

This was my first Kayte Nunn book but let me tell you it won’t be my last, highly recommend this!

I'm not sure what else I can say about this book other than it was absolutely stunning. So beautifully written. The way in which we were taken between the two different times was so smooth and easy to keep track of where you are and who you are reading about. I've read other books before where this isn't the case, when there are different times involved, so this was a big thing for me to get right. Just beautiful.. I didn't want it to end at all but am very happy with how it did end. It wasn't rushed and it was just all put together so well. I now have all of Kayte Nunns other books on my list to be read. Just superb!

I really enjoyed this book. I like reading about wise women and herbs and healers. The Silk House was set over two timelines, telling the story of Rowan, the maid, to the Silk Merchant and his wife. I especially liked the history of the Silk House, it was fascinating and obviously well researched.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

*Many thanks to Kayte Nunn, Orion Publishing Group, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A interesting historical fiction in which the tales centre around the Silk House, an old building which was built over 200 years ago and has served different purposes and witnesses several tragic events. The dual timeline is interesting, but, not being a great fan of such, I found the 1760s part much more interesting, with strong female characters of different walks of life, with different aspirations and remarkable gifts.
The novel that should appeal to young adults as it offers solid insight into the 18th century in England, especially with regard to healers and fabric merchandise.

This is a novel that tells the stories of three different women trying to make their way in life, a servant, a silk designer and a young Australian history teacher. All of whom are having to make their way in life without much in the way of family support.

The author, Kayte Nunn has pulled together their disparate lives and cleverly melded them together. There is a good sense of an uneasy house with many secrets and some delicious gothic set pieces.

The way the writer moves from character to character sets up some good cliff hanger moments!

A hugely enjoyable winter read.

The Silk House, The thrilling new historical novel from the bestselling author of The Botanist's Daughter, Kayte Nunn

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Women's Fiction.

Gah, no, there are so many more genres this book fits and its gets dumped with that outdated, no-place-for-in-,,2020 women's fiction. That category should not exist, why would some men not enjoy this? I can think of some that would – as I can equally think among my female friends of some who'd hate this.

Anyway – me? I loved it. My first read by Kayte Nunn, and I'm looking for more.
Its a fascinating story, I'm not a huge fan of past present format but some stories can't be told any other way. I'm impatient and I hate stopping at a crucial moments so as usual did a bit of flipping forward, then back. I just had to know what would happen.

It took quite a while for the three threads to begin to connect, but when they did it was fabulous. I loved the historical descriptions of silk weaving and weavers, and that led me on to a wiki 15 mins reading about the famous lady silk weaver in London, from whom this character was formed. Fascinating to think how hard back then to be a success as a woman in a mans world and a mans tradition. Kayte describes very well the barriers facing women, practical ones, not just financial. Men who held the finances just wouldn't believe women could do certain things.

I liked all three women, though I didn't like the way Mary was with Rowan when she first met her. That class divide even got through to the lower end of the spectrum. Even now that still holds sadly. I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life, the issues each faced and how they overcame them.
I was worried at one point that this would turn into the kind of ghost story I avoid, I'm easily scared, get nightmares over nothing. I put it aside that night to finish in daylight ;-) but it was nothing, there is a slightly spooky element of the supernatural, but its not a scary spooky, more emotional spooky. It was actually incredibly interesting how the Church treats certain supernatural elements, described here in the story, and true in real life. I'm open to the idea of thoughts of strong emotions remaining behind after we're gone etc.
There were moments when I was so sad for some of the characters, life tosses us around and sometimes there seems no way of leaving where it puts us. There were twists I didn't expect, especially in the last quarter, and a huge one at the very end I really didn't see coming. It led me to think back to see if I could have picked up on it but I couldn't. I didn't really see what the last sentence was about, keep casting my mind back to work out who. I think I've an idea but I'm terrible at remembering descriptions, have my own visuals of characters and they tend to overtake what the author writes !

One last thing. Termites....The book is set in UK, we don't have termites. We're lucky, a lot of the world does, but being an island has saved us so far I guess. I did check to see if I was mistaken, I'm not.

Stars: Five. Fab read, thoroughly recommend. Kept me engrossed with the detail and the events, just the right level of supernatural for me.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

This was the first book i've read by this author and it certainly won't be the last after reading this .
It has dual timelines interweaving the past and present day stories of three women together.
It's 1768 and Rowan Caswell leaves the village she grew up in to work as a house maid of a wealthy silk merchant in the town of Oxleigh ,Wiltshire.
In the present Thea Rust has taken a teaching job at the prestigious Oxleigh College . It has the first intake of girls at the usually all male establishment and Thea will be lodging with them at the old 'Silk House' .
On arrival. at the house Thea feels a prickle of unease and thinks she hears voices singing , but the house is in darkness. she hears a voice and finds an older woman standing in the shadows, she introduces herself as Mary hicks , dame of silk house.
Thea is an historian and seeks to uncover the past history of the silk house. On a visit to the library she finds a rare book on the history of the house and inside a beautiful woven piece of silk, with an unusual.flower design.
Rowan is settling into her role as house maid, Her mother was a herbalist and taught her the remedies to ease peoples ailments and she has used this knowledge to help heal several people in the neighbourhood , including Prudence the housekeeper/cook . She has gained a reputation for being a healer . Her mistress, Caroline asks for her help conceiving , as she fears she is baron after 5 years of marriage and no children.
In 1768 London, Mary Stephenson longs to become a silk designer , in an industry dominated by men , she wants to produce weavings that will set her apart from her contemporaries. She comes to the notice of Patrick Hollander, a silk merchant from Oxleigh. He undertakes her services to make designs for his silk.
The storylines are cleverly interwoven and the plot twists and turns throughout . Things are never quite what they seem and every time you think you know what's going to happen , it isn't quite what you thought .
Kayte Nunn has crafted a masterpiece full of mystery and atmosperic tension in the gothic style.
All the loose threads are tied up by the end of the book with some surprising results.
I thoroughly recommend this book . It gets 5 massive stars from me.

The Silk House by Kayte Nunn is a great historical fiction novel that weaves several characters and timelines into a wonderful story that has elements if gothic mystery, history, suspense, and kept my interest throughout.

I loved the complexity of the characters, the historic detail of the inclusion of the botanical elements and explanations, and the descriptions of the silk industry in England.

I also enjoyed the eerie feel of the novel, it added an extra layer of shadowing and mist-like overlay to the story that gave it a wonderful, chilling effect.

5/5 stars


Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.