Sonia Velton's writing delves into the intricate connections between women and the convergence of their lives. Inspired by real events, her novels often explore the darker aspects of human psychology while simultaneously offering moments of uplift and inspiration. Velton masterfully crafts tension and atmosphere to portray compelling female characters and their unexpected life encounters. Her style is insightful, leaving a profound impact on the reader.
1760s, Spitalfields. Esther Thorel, wife of a master silk weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel thinking she is doing God's will, but her good deed is not returned. Sara, realizing the Thorel household is built on hypocrisy and lies, tires of the drudgery of life as Esther's maid. Esther yearned to be a silk designer, but her water colors are dismissed by her husband, Elias, as the daubs of a foolish girl. Bisby Lambert is brought in by Elias to weave his masterpiece on the Thorel's loom in the attic. The cadence of the loom calls to Esther. When she sees Bisby at his loom, the pursuit of the perfect silk design leads them all into ambition, love, and betrayal. -- adapted from jacket
'I was blown away by this dark, enchanting story of witchcraft, power and
injustice. ..nothing short of brilliant' Mary ChamberlainErzsebet Bathory,
whose infamous place in history characterises her as the 'Blood Countess', was
accused of the murder of over 600 peasant girls in Hungary, 1610. The
Nightingale's Castle tells the story of a woman fighting for her survival and
the complicated, often cruel, household over which she presides.Praise for The
Nightingale's Castle'Moving, fascinating and haunting.. A mesmerising
combination of gothic horror and elegant restraint' Francesca Haig, author of
The Fire Sermon series'Gripping... a fascinating exploration of women's
struggle to have their truth heard' Louise O'NeillIn 1573, Countess Erzsebet
Bathory gave birth to an illegitimate child. The infant, a girl, was swiftly
bundled up and handed to a local peasant family to be brought up in one of the
hamlets surrounding the Castle. Many years later, 15-year-old Boroka
reluctantly leaves the safety of the only home she has ever known in the
foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Trusted members of the countess's
household have been sent out to gather new serving girls, and the kindly old
man who has taken care of Boroka for almost all her life knows that it is too
dangerous to turn them away.Boroka struggles to find her place at Cachtice
Castle: she is frightened of the countess's reputation as an alleged murderer
of young girls, and the women who run the castle are terrifyingly cruel. When
plague comes into the heart of the castle, a tentative bond begins to form
between Boroka and the Countess Bathory. But powerful forces are moving
against a woman whose wealth poses such a threat to the king: can the countess
really trust the women who are so close to her? And when the show trial begins
against the infamous 'Blood Countess' where will Boroka's loyalties lie?
Erzsébet Báthory was accused of preposterous crimes when it suited the men who
ruled Hungary in the early 1600s - The Nightingale's Castle tells the story of
a woman who is fighting for her survival and the complicated, often cruel,
household over which she presides.
