Published By: Allison & Busby
Pages: 352
Released On: 21/11/2024
Justice in sixteenth-century Bologna is like the fine silk which the city produces: something only the rich and powerful can afford.
Elena Morandi is a supremely talented seamstress, at home among the bolts of fabric and cutting shears of her trade. However, she is determined that her ambition to be a tailor, a profession barred to her as a woman, will not slip through from her fingers like thread from the eye of a needle.
With luck and perseverance, Elena gains a fragile foothold in the workshop of a master tailor, but then a man from her past crosses her path. Antonio della Fontana has every corner of the city in his pocket and, as Elena knows all too well, abused his position of power at the Baraccano orphanage.
Driven to fight for justice against a man seemingly above the law, Elena hatches a plan to get retribution for herself, a lost friend and those still prey to Fontana’s abuses.
Thanks you to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for the advanced proof of this title in return for an honest review.
First things first, this is a beautiful cover!
I love historical fiction, especially set around the 1500s, and especially set in Italy. So this was a triple whammy. I also love books where a strong woman stands up to men during a time where women had to sit down and be quiet.
I also love that the author if over 50. I don’t wish to out her but it does say in her bio that she won the “Inaugural Debut Writers Over 50 Award” so I think I’m safe. We put so much pressure on people achieving everything in their 20s and 30s, but just because you get to a certain age doesn’t mean you can’t discover or develop a new talent.
I have been to a few places in Italy – Rome, Pompeii, Lake Garda etc – but never Bologna, and it looks and sounds gorgeous. And whilst I know Glennis has written about 1500s Bologna, she still seems to have captured the very heart of what I expect it to be like now. This passion, this creativity that runs through Italy. She’s made it sound so atmospheric that you can do nothing but imagine yourself in the streets. Which is impressive considering I’ve not been there. It’s easy to conjure up images of somewhere you’ve been, but to conjure up a blank canvas and see it’s very soul? That’s talent.
It’s fast paced but doesn’t feel rushed. You get to spend time with the characters and in the location without feeling bored or like it’s too slow. It’s mostly set in the characters’ present time, but there are some flashbacks that help explain Elena’s issues with Antonio della Fontana.
It reminded me of some books I have also recently read, including:
- The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable
- A Poisoner’s Tale by Cathryn Kemp
- The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola
It’s not a book for younger readers. There are some quite uncomfortable moments that would not be appropriate. But apart from them, I think it’s got something to appeal to everyone.
On the surface it’s about a woman who wants to be a tailor. It’s about ambition and gender inequality. But it’s also about friendships and family – blood and chosen – hardships, abuse, power imbalance, desire, love. It had the potential to be quite heavy and yes there are some bits that are heavier than others, buts you have to read a bit closer to fully appreciate the meaning, but overall it doesn’t feel like walking through mud. It’s fast paced and quick to read, with fantastically written (if not always nice) characters, interesting plot, great atmosphere, and just really enjoyable storytelling.
My one issue – it’s not big enough to say it’s a negative I don’t think, but I have to be honest. I’m not entirely sure why Elena was so hell-bent on becoming a tailor. I know there’s an historical link with her father, but she could have become a seamstress or dressmaker which was more accepting of her gender. So it’s not a negative in the sense that it spoiled the enjoyment of the book or anything. It was just this little niggle I had that kept poking me.
This is Glennis’ debut novel and I sure hope it’s not going to be her only book. I think she’s got real potential in the historical genre. It’s is a moving and very enjoyable story. I finished it in a little over a day as it was so inviting.
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