Customer Reviews

Banners of Silk

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Set in elegant post-Napoleon Paris, Banners of Silk tells the story of young and impoverished dress designer Louise Vernet. The story opens as the newly orphaned Louise meets a grisette, Catherine Allard, who takes her in and fosters her. Louise works hard, learning every thing she can about the art of dress designing, eventually establishing herself at one of the premier maison de couture. The romance in this novel is raw and complex, and more real than most romance novels. Louise falls innocently in love with one man but soon out-grows her feelings for him. Next, Louise falls in love with a dashing military man whose inherent short-comings cause her anguish. Finally, Louise finds love with a friend. Although the ending was a bit of a disappointment for the romantic at heart, Laker's sharp characterizations and attention to historical details make Banners of Silk a thoroughly enjoyable read. Frankly, I did not see huge comparisions between To Dance With Kings and Banners of Silk (as the above review implies) but, as a writer, I understand that a good writer does have a unique and distinct style. Ms. Laker's is the finest I have ever read in the genre of historical romance. Buy this book, you would never be disappointed with her efforts. Leah Marie Brown, Author of Willing Captive

Banners of Silk is incredible. It paints a vivid picture of France, and you are immediately drawn into the lives or the characters. It portrays not only the court life that immediately comes to mind when you think of France in that era, but also delves into the lives and emotions of the working class. All around, a fabulous book by an immensely talented author!

Most people don't get this book. It is a very heart felt book. What most people don't realise about it is that Charles Fredrick Worth is an actual Person in our worlds history. When it talks about all of the clothing for different people, he actually did make those pieces. He was the man who was completely resposable for changing our ideals of fashion in todays society. If it weren't for him we may not have the fashions that we have today. In the edition that I have read there is a page that says that Charles Worth's grandson helped get the facts straight. I read this book at least 5 times a year. The way that Ms. Laker intertwined the other peoples lives together makes you feel like you are really there with them. Don't just read these reviews and make your decision based apon there words. Read the book for yourself and then decide. Just remember that some of these people really did exist and that they helped make our life what it is today.

Rosalind Laker is an author I have trouble getting a handle on. The first book of hers I read To Dance with Kings: A Novel I loved, even if it wasn't exactly super high quality literature. But the next, The Golden Tulip: A Novel was only ok and by the time I read The Venetian Mask: A Novel it was clear that Ms. Laker had a predictable pattern to her books. So in spite of the fact that I have a collection of all but a few of her novels, I resolved not to read her again.

But I was in a mood where no book looked good enough (you know how it is) when I picked up "Banners of Silk." I was pleasantly surprised by this novel of Lakers, which I think is one of her earlier ones.

Like her other books this novel focuses on a craft and the woman or generations of women who practice it. In this case, dressmaking in the time of the second empire when fashion rose to knew height and the name Worth became synonymous with quality cutting edge fashion.

Louise Vernet, our heroine (who unlike Laker's other heroines does not have red hair) was the orphaned daughter of a silk weaver when a kindly young Parisian grisettes (seamstress) named Catherine takes her in. As she grows Louise becomes determined that one day she will dress like a queen and have her own dress shop. This dream is enhanced when one Charles Worth briefly becomes a lodger of Louise and Catherine as he tries to make a start in Paris without knowing any French.

Louise's life is influenced by Catherine, fashion and three very different men who all change her world for better or worse. But she never gives up her dream or the hard work and drive to be a success.

For me reading this novel brought back the original feeling that "To Dance with Kings" gave me. The book if chopped full of historical info, romance and doesn't pull its punches on the brutality of the world or the politics of the age. I actually learned more about 19th century French history reading this in two days then I ever did in school. There's no stinting on the entertainment aspect either. I had a very hard time putting down this book and raced right through it.

The absolute only issues I had with this book was that anything Worth did was viewed as godly by Louise, who as a dressmaker in her own right didn't even try to compete with her own innovations-only interpretations of his designs. In that way she shows no real creativity. And Worth himself is portrayed as so cocky that I'm quite sure I wouldn't like him in person. But maybe that's the way he really was. And while Louise may not be your standard Laker heroine, the men in her life are. There's the tragic lover, the terrible man who gains control of her life and the Nobel man to the rescue who she still doesn't love the way she did the tragic lover. But, like I said, this author likes patterns and this book has enough originality; historical facts and details to make up for it.

Four solid stars.

For other historical novels that feature fashion as a major theme check out The Tailor's Daughter: A Novel (Reading Group Gold) (wondeful book), Slammerkin(a little about dress making) and The Lacemaker(all about lace and a great book to boot!)

Don't hesitate to read "Banners of Silk" because others have dubbed it a romance. The male/female interaction is secondary to this historical fiction in which we get a clear first-hand view of the beginnings of haute couture in Napoleonic France. It is more a study of the people and class system of the time and location than a romance. I do not generally read "romance novels" and I loved Banners of Silk.

Few books evoke human emotion with visual impact. Ms. Laker does just that in this beautifully crafted novel. She is an excellent story teller and has a wonderful way of getting inside the human heart and soul through her characters. I have also read "The Silver Touch", another excellent book of character and human emotion.

This is my favorite romance book by Rosalind Laker. I like it so much because it wasn't about just one person in particular, put surrounds a group of people, namely from France. Her Books are always intense and will keep you yearning for more.

Reader follows dressmaker Louise from lowly beginnings to the high-fashion world of Charles Worth, from love with a dashing soldier (who treats her dishonorably) to an abusive marriage of convenience and finally "love" with a friend (although this is reduced to the single paragraph on the last page, when she realizes her dear friend has always been waiting for her). Extremely disappointing to someone looking for romance, and that's how this novel was marketed. Gets two stars only for its interesting portrayal of the 19th century fashion industry. The story itself is only worth one

Banners of silk is a compassionate book about a woman who struggles in life to fulfill her ambitions. She comes across many men in her life, but none can give her what she wants

Few books evoke human emotion with visual impact. Ms. Laker does just that in this beautifully crafted novel. She is an excellent story teller and has a wonderful way of getting inside the human heart and soul through her characters. I have also read "The Silver Touch", another excellent book of character and human emotion.