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thebristolreader's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
holdenwunders_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Historical fiction can always be a hit or miss and there was not a single miss in The Silence Factory.
I absolutely love this genre and it tends to get a lot of slack for being a slow burn and I typically don’t mind that at all but have to choose wisely when reading historical fiction. Typically that’s being in the right mindset and mood, but there was no need to fret here as this book didn’t fall into the typical entrappings of reading a historical fiction book.
The plot was so freaking fun and fantastical and could’ve gone fantasy or science fiction and lended a lot to making this a quick read. It doesn’t go that way but I loved how Collins incorporated facets of other genres seamlessly while retaining the genre she is in and not butchering what makes scifi/fantasy enjoyable.
There was so much nuance in this book from the grieving widow, to gay love, colonization and commentary on social classes. It wasn’t preachy, it was real and beautiful and I couldn’t get enough.
The cover alone had me desperate for this book and I was counting the days to release and still am even after reading. I cannot wait to pick this one up and add it to my collection the second it’s released. Bridget Collins can do not wrong!
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC I’m floored.
I absolutely love this genre and it tends to get a lot of slack for being a slow burn and I typically don’t mind that at all but have to choose wisely when reading historical fiction. Typically that’s being in the right mindset and mood, but there was no need to fret here as this book didn’t fall into the typical entrappings of reading a historical fiction book.
The plot was so freaking fun and fantastical and could’ve gone fantasy or science fiction and lended a lot to making this a quick read. It doesn’t go that way but I loved how Collins incorporated facets of other genres seamlessly while retaining the genre she is in and not butchering what makes scifi/fantasy enjoyable.
There was so much nuance in this book from the grieving widow, to gay love, colonization and commentary on social classes. It wasn’t preachy, it was real and beautiful and I couldn’t get enough.
The cover alone had me desperate for this book and I was counting the days to release and still am even after reading. I cannot wait to pick this one up and add it to my collection the second it’s released. Bridget Collins can do not wrong!
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC I’m floored.
westcountryreader's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
readwithnicki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was my first Bridget Collins book and I was very impressed by her descriptive and vivid writing style.
The first half of this book was quite slow and I had trouble getting into it, which is the reason this was not a 4 stars for me. The dual POV did add to the difficulty getting into this book however it was absolutely instrumental in explaining why and what was occurring. Once I passed the halfway mark of the book it really picked up — the ending felt super fast paced and really caught my attention!
Overall I did enjoy this book — if you like a slow build, gothic historical novel, this is definitely for you!
Thank you to Harper Collins and Bridget Collins for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.
The first half of this book was quite slow and I had trouble getting into it, which is the reason this was not a 4 stars for me. The dual POV did add to the difficulty getting into this book however it was absolutely instrumental in explaining why and what was occurring. Once I passed the halfway mark of the book it really picked up — the ending felt super fast paced and really caught my attention!
Overall I did enjoy this book — if you like a slow build, gothic historical novel, this is definitely for you!
Thank you to Harper Collins and Bridget Collins for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.
kat_bookworm's review
3.75
An interesting tale about Sir Edward, who has a factory producing an exclusive silk weaved from webs of a rare species of spider- and Henry, a audiologist who is tasked with assisting Sir Edward’s deaf daughter. Henry uncovers secrets about the factory and the workers and takes matters into his own hands.
.
This was my first time reading a book from Bridget Collins. If you enjoyed The Binding, then I’m sure you will enjoy this. I would say it is magical realism / fantasy / historical, and it is very heavy on the details of world setting. If you’re a fan of those genres and enjoy worlds coming to life, then you might love this!
.
TW- spiders!
bookeygirl's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
trinny's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm so disappointed in myself for not enjoying this story as much as I wanted too. The writing is very poetic and magical. The storyline is also very intriguing. There were some likeable and unlikeable characters. Sadly though I found it slow and long winded for my liking. I found myself debating whether to continue reading. I did finish the book and found the ending acceptable and fitting
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
5.0
‘Silence is not only silence, sir, it is attention—it is sanity.’
When I was young, I was often told that ‘Silence is golden’. And so it can be, sometimes. The choice of silence may be desired, the imposition of it is not.
Silence is at the heart of this novel. It is set across two timelines: one in Victorian England, the other two generations earlier on the fictional Greek island of Kratos. In England, the main character is Henry Latimer, an audiologist and a widower, whose chance meeting with Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy leads him to Sir Edward’s home near Telverton in the hope that he can help Philomel, Sir Edward’s daughter, who is profoundly deaf. On Kratos, the story unfolds through the diary entries of Edward’s great-aunt Sophia, who travels to Greece with her husband James in search of a spider whose silk possesses a mythical unknown power.
These spiders, we learn, have been taken from Kratos to England and are now housed in Sir Edward’s factory where their silk is harvested and made into fabric that blocks out noise. But the process of manufacturing these fabrics is not straightforward. The factory is a form of hell for those who work in it. Henry, moved by possibility, especially after his inability to help Philomel, conceives an ambitious marketing strategy.
Amidst all the noise and intrigue, across both storylines, there are many examples of silencing. In Greece, the spiders have a cultural significance and were protected. Sophia herself is silenced by her husband, Greek tradition is ignored, the spiders are stolen. In England, Philomel’s isolation through deafness is compounded by the fact that Sir Edward has forbidden her to use sign language. In the factory, some workers are deafened, others driven insane. And the spiders?
‘So the sounds were only heartbeats and air, transformed.’
Such a gothic novel, in both setting and message. I can envisage the factory, with its infernal conditions, I can imagine the distress of both the Greek women when the spiders are stolen, and Sophia as her husband disregards her. The male characters in this novel use their voices as power, the women must use other ways to get their messages out. The spiders weave a thread which can be used to create silence, but exposure to the thread can cause deafness.
This was an enthralling and unsettling read. Henry, blinded by seeking favour with Sir Edward, takes unacceptable risks. We are reminded that attempts to harness nature can be accompanied by great risk. And, all the warnings were there, in Sophia’s diary!
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
ultravioletrose's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Mental illness