After the death of her mother, Anna is sent to her aunt in London to make a match and secure the future of her father and sister. Her heart, however, leads her in a direction much different from the one her aunt encourages.

The plot of this novel moves along at a good pace. Anna is a lovely character, and I liked watching her grow and adjust throughout the story. Henri, also, was enjoyable, and I really felt his struggles between being a friend and not allowing his friend lead him into trouble. The details into the silk trade of that time was intriguing.

If there was anything that didn't sit well with me, it was the narrative. There seemed to many instances where the main character began at one time period and began thinking back to what happened during the day or the day before. It was difficult to keep track of.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Set in 1760's London. When country girl Anna's mother died, her father sends her to the city to live with her well-to-do aunt and uncle to be introduced to a prospective husband. Although she receives an engagement offer from an up and coming lawyer, her heart has fallen in love with a poor silk weaver.

The Silk Weaver and/or The Hidden Thread deeply delves into the trade of 1760's silk weaving including the politics around it. Many historical locations and people are involved in the story, I could imagine the sights and smells as Anna was experiencing them.

Good story and I would recommend this book.

4☆

I enjoy reading historical fiction books and this is one of the best I have had the pleasure of reading. The story is rich with decription and the characters are flawless. After Anna's mother has dies she must relocate and live with an uncle where she will hopefully find a suitable mate and be able to support her father and sister. Anna's uncle is a silk merchant and times have been good, but the smuggling business is growing and the prices are cheaper for smuggled silk.
The book is engaging and it is obvious there was much research done before the writing. This is one of my favorite great escape books. It allowed me to be tranported to another place and time.

I couldn't get into this. The writing simply didn't hold my attention.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the ARC of "The Hidden Thread" by Liz Trenow for my honest review. The genre for this novel is historical fiction. Liz Trenow sets the timeline in the 1700s in England describing silk weaving , and the English and French weavers. In addition we see how silk is imported and the tariffs and taxes imposed, as well as rioting from the weavers for a fair wage. The author writes about a challenging industry and times, and describes the conflicts.
One of the main characters, Anna Butterfield leaves the countryside after her mother's death, and comes to the city where her wealthy Uncle sell silk fabrics. It is the hope that Anna will meet a wealthy husband that can also provide for her father and sister. Anna misses the fresh air of the country and her love of drawing and painting realistic pictures of nature. Anna meets Henri, a French immigrant who is an apprentice to be a weaver, and his goal is to become a Master weaver.
Anna and Henri have a complicated relationship. Anna's Aunt and Uncle remind Anna that she is of a certain social class, and has to have relationships within that class.
Annas' drawings and paintings inspire Henri to weave them into his artistic silk tapestry.
The author writes about silk, weaving, betrayal, honor, social class, hope, family, love and vision. I would recommend this novel if you like the genre of historical fiction.

In the historical fiction novel The Hidden Thread by Liz Trenow, set in 1760, Anna Butterfield's world is turned upside down when her mother passes after a long illness and she must relocate from Suffolk to London to live with her uncle Joseph Sadler, an eminent mercer, in order to be presented to society in the hopes of finding find a suitable marriage partner so she can continue providing for her father and younger sister. Her cousin Lizzie becomes her greatest friend and confidant helping Anne to navigate in this unknown and new world.

During this time, Anne meets Henry, a French immigrant and lower class apprentice working toward his mastership whom she has an instant connection with, but is quickly discouraged from pursuing.The times are unstable as the silk wars continue to cause smugglers to become more dangerous and unpredictable. Henry becomes involved in the riots in order to protest for fair wages.

This novel was beautifully written as the author uses rich descriptive language, has developed deep characters that readers can become invested in, and a plot that will keep you interested for the most part (tedious at times) with alternating perspectives between Anna and Henry. I especially liked the tidbit of advice offered at the beginning of every chapter. If you like historical fiction, you'll appreciate the research put into the novel about the silk trade. I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: January 31, 2017. Novel Publish Date: May 1, 2017.

Link to purchase: Goodreads

I received this book in exchange for a review.

I gave this 3.5 stars, rounded down rather than up. I really enjoyed the book. It is great tale, with mostly fun, well fleshed out characters and different threads that come together at the end. It's also nice to have a book about a period which isn't that frequently written about - thank God it's not another book about Anne Boleyn. I really enjoyed the weaving part of the story. The detail and the quest for the master piece were really absorbing.

My qualms were really in the writing and the plot set up. It was occasionally clunky. A good portion of the first quarter is spent with the main character telling us how home sick she is. And then how home sick she is. And then again how homesick she is. Perfectly valid emotions, only it grates somewhat with the fact that this trip to London is entirely of her own doing. She is free to go home. Her aunt and uncle, if occasionally edging on rude, are being amazingly generous with her. This is further emphasised by the ending, which has a feeling of things not so much being resolved, as not really having been problems in the first place.

Although there are weaknesses in the book it is still very enjoyable and a fun read.

Excuse my candor, but I’d love to know what the designer was thinking when they created the jacket for Liz Trenow’s The Hidden Thread. Were they not informed that novel takes place in the 1760s or does Sourcebooks Landmark honestly think American readers are too dense to notice the anachronistic imagery? My money is on the latter as twentieth century literature is trending in the American market, but either way I am intensely disappointed with the misrepresentation of content seen on this cover which is why I think it appropriate to begin my review by setting the record straight.

For those who decided to skip the blurb, The Hidden Thread takes place in the 18th century. If you require a historical a point of reference, George III is on the throne and America is about fifteen years away Lexington and Concord. Stiff-bodied gowns are all the rage as are frock coats and knee length breeches. The story, despite its fictional protagonist, is inspired by the life of Anna Maria Garthwaite who was an English textile designer renowned for the intricate floral designs she created from hand-woven silk fabrics. Her caricature's connection to artist William Hogarth is also fictional though it should be noted that the nature of Hogarth’s association with the weavers of Spitalfields is rooted in speculation of historic fact.

I’ve been a Trenow fan since her debut release and couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Hidden Thread, but the reality of the novel caught me off-guard. I liked the characters and their individual arcs, but the historic context didn’t engage my imagination the way The Forgotten Seamstress, The Last Telegram, or The Poppy Factory had. I’ve nothing against authors venturing into new territory and knew from the description that the novel represented a new direction for Trenow, but at the end of the day, I didn’t feel The Hidden Thread as authentically atmospheric as its predecessors.

That said, I was fascinated by the degree of relevancy incorporated into this lesser known chapter of English history. Tensions between English weavers and their immigrant counterparts ran so high in the 1760s that they actually erupted into a series of disturbances known as the Spitalfield riots. Class inequality, fair wages, and fair trade policies all played a role in the conflicts, but the prejudice Henri suffers as a French immigrant had a familiar ring to it. I can’t speak for the author or other readers, but I personally couldn’t help appreciating the pertinence of the ideas his storyline inspired and the parallels it drew to the referendum known as Brexit.

I read this book in one day! I simply couldn't put it down. A beautiful, sensitive story told with eloquence and grace. Highly recommended

This was a lovely easy read by Liz Trenow ful of likable characters abd interesting storyline.

This is a fun and light read. It's very well written. The characters are likable and well developed. I will definitely check out more from this author.

This is not my usual era of fiction but after a slow start (for me) I really got into the characters and found myself picturing the settings in a more vivid way than I normally do. I enjoyed finding out more about a time and type of living which I previously knew little about. The author has a way of drawing you in and has encouraged me to read more about this period in history and to be encouraged to dwell in the descriptive form of writing.

In “the Hidden Thread” by Liz Trenow, Anna Butterfield is traveling from Suffolk to her aunt and uncle’s home in London. Her mother is dead following a long illness, and Anna has cared for her and for her father and sister, Jane during this time. In order to be able to provide for her family it is necessary for her to marry well. To this end, she is sent to her aunt and uncle’s home in London. Her uncle is a very successful silk merchant and it is hoped that Anna will be presented to society and thus find a desirable husband.

These are turbulent times in London in 1760. Silk is being smuggled into England at a reduced price and the weavers and cloth makers are losing their jobs because the price of goods has dwindled to the point that people are starving. Smuggled goods bring in no taxes, so the merchants are getting richer while the poor workers are destitute.

On her way to her new home, Anna is aided by two young Frenchmen, whom she later finds to be weavers of fine cloth. This class of society is beneath her, or so her aunt warns. She is forbidden to have any contact with them. Instead, she is paraded in front of a friends’ son, a pompous dandy. The novel continues as we discover how Anna uses her talents to design cloth and is in partnership, secretly, with one of the French weavers to produce silk cloth. After the silk riots threaten her family’s security, she must decide if she wants to be a proper lady in society or pursue her dreams.

You can always count on Ms. Trenow to write an engaging story. Her family had been silk weavers in Suffolk for three hundred years, which inspired this story set during the 18th century.

I was sent a complimentary Kindle copy by NetGalley.com.