THE SILKWORM KEEPER by Deborah Swift @swiftstory

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
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How I discovered this book: One of my favourite authors, and I loved its prequel, The Poison Keeper.

In a Nutshell: 'a novel of nuns and courtesans, artists and priests, in the shadow and splendour of the Eternal City.'

Isn't it great when you like a sequel more than the first book?  I thoroughly enjoyed The Poison Keeper, which led us through the life of Giulia Tofana, famous poisoner of Naples.  The Silkworm Keeper moves onto her life as a nun in a remote and meagre convent, then the constant side-stepping of danger in Rome.

This is a more involved story than the prequel, one heck of a page turner that gallops along, as Giulia and her companions find artful ways to live their own lives in a world ruled by men.  I enjoyed reading about the many ways women survived in those days, from scams to taking a holy vow to becoming a courtesan living in a luxurious semi-prison (even Giulia's attitude was 'not a bad life if you can get it').  Throughout, Giulia wrestles with what she knows to be wrong in the eyes of God, versus what she must do for the safety of herself and those she cares about.  

My favourite character was Fabio, a man from Giulia's past, now working in Rome and still hankering after the woman he knew; their fraught personal relationship threads in and out of the main story.  I'm usually deeply bored by the romance angle in books (yes yes yes, they're going to end up together, now can we get on with the story?) but not so, with this.  Maybe because I loved Fabio and wanted him to be happy!

Aside from being a wonderful story (suspenseful, dramatic, believable, perfectly paced), I was fascinated by the detail about sericulture (the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk), about leatherwork and sculpture and the way of life of the time; this detail elevated it from being jolly good and worthy of five stars, to something a bit special.

Highly recommend both books!