Daughters of the Silk Road by Debbie Rix

Daughters of the Silk Road by Debbie Rix

Published: 15th April 2016

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 298

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Blurb

‘She crossed over to the shelf where her father kept the dragon vase. He had placed it there when they first arrived in Venice. She took it down carefully, feeling it cool and comforting under her shaking fingers.’
Venice 1441: Maria and her brother Daniele arrive in the birthplace of their father, Niccolo dei Conti. An Italian merchant who has travelled far and wide, Niccolo has brought spices from India, lengths of silk and damask from the lands east of India and porcelain; a vase of pure white, its surface decorated with a cobalt blue dragon, the Chinese symbol of good fortune.
Maria settles in her new home, watching the magnificent and bustling city come to life each morning from her bedroom window. But while her father is away travelling, she soon finds herself and Daniele in terrible danger. She must protect her brother at whatever cost, and she must guard the delicate vase.
London 2015: Single mother Miranda is struggling to make ends meet and build a new life for her and daughter Georgie. When Miranda meets the charming but mysterious Charles, she is intrigued. Could he be her second chance at love? And why is he so fascinated by the old vase sitting on her hall table…

Review
Daughters of the Silk Road is the second novel by Debbie Rix and one I was very much looking forward to after reading her debut novel Secrets of the Tower last year. Initially I was struck by how utterly gorgeous the cover of this book is, it just screams opulence and exotic travels to me.

Like her previous novel this is written in a dual time-frame, one set in the present day with bookshop worker Miranda and her daughter Georgie. The second is set initially in 1441 and covers almost two hundred years up to the middle of the 17^th century. In Secrets of the Tower this dual aspect time frame worked extremely well as both the past and present wove together to create one story. In Daughters of the Silk Road I think Debbie has been slightly less successful in creating a cohesive story. I think the main reason for this is that the story set in the past is stretched too far. In the beginning we meet Maria and her brother Daniele and learn how the Ming Vase was brought to Europe but as the story progresses we hop forward in time and are told snippets of history from various members of their family. These were enjoyable on their own but I felt they were more like individual short stories rather than cohesive chapters in a novel.

I think story set in the present day was my favourite part and would have liked more from Miranda and Georgie. I really liked the fact that Georgie never seemed to give her mum much grief for not having much money and loads of new things, something which I know a lot of teenagers would moan about.  I loved  that sometimes it felt like Georgie was the mum and Miranda was the kid, especially after she falls for evil Charles and is mooning around waiting for him to call again and Georgie makes her get on with things. Speaking of Charles, he seemed like he was hiding something right from the start and I didn’t like him one bit. I thought he had the perfect ending to his story.

One thing which frustrated me and which I felt would have brought the story together was how Miranda ending up having the vase sat on her hall table in London when the last we knew of it in historical context was it was in Amsterdam. What happened in between?

I think Debbie Rix is a phenomenal researcher of history and this really shines through in her novels. Her descriptions of the places and times were amazing and so incredibly detailed that I felt completely immersed the scene, right down to how the streets smelt.

Although I enjoyed Daughters of the Silk Road, for me I felt it wasn’t quite as good as her first novel, so I’m rating this book 4 out of 5.

Thank you to the publishers for this copy to review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Top Ten Tuesday - New to Me Authors in 2015

Today I decided to join in with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, its being a long time since I complied a bookish Top Ten and felt this week's list was the perfect one to jump back in with: Top Ten New to Me Authors in 2015. Now at least half of what I've read this year has been new to me authors but I have found some real favourites who are now on my must-read list.
   

1. Angela Marsons: this woman's writing is superb and I've loved all three of her D.I. Stone novels that she has written this year and am looking forward to more in 2016



2. Jill Mansell: I'm very sad to admit that I've never picked up a Jill Mansell novel before despite being a huge chick-lit reader. Three Amazing Things About You changed that, it was just amazing in every way and has opened up a whole new love. Luckily for me Jill has written quite a few novels so I've plenty more gems to discover in her back catalogue.


3. Kirsty Greenwood: The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance was just brilliant and the main character Jess Beam just had me laughing all the way through. I have Yours Truly her first novel on my tbr pile so hopefully it won't be sat there too long.


4. Dinah Jefferies: The Tea Planter's Wife was such a beautifully written novel and I loved how the story unfolded. I'm so looking forward to her next read The Merchant's Daughter which is out in February.


5. Jessica Thompson: The Waiting Game was beautiful, such a heart-breaking novel. Will pick up another book by her when I want an emotional read.


6. Sarah Morgan: I've just finished reading Christmas Ever After and I adored it, love the characters, the setting, the plot, everything was perfect. I need to read more from this lady very soon.


7. Debbie Rix : The Secrets of the Tower was a ready good read with a dual narrative full of mystery and romance. I really hope this lady writes more in the future.

 
8. Christie Barlow: I read both of Christie's novels back to back in September and enjoyed the comedy in both of them. Looking forward to her new novel Kitty's Countryside Dream which is out in February


9. Claire Sandy: Loved What Would Mary Berry Do? and am hoping to read her other two novels before too long.


10. Chrissie Manby: I've just finished the first Proper Family book and am eager to start the next one as this family just captured my heart. Will enjoy going back and reading her previous novels next year.

So that's my list, are any of these favourites of yours? Pop over to The Broke and the Bookish and have a look at other people's lists.

Joanne x

Book Review - Secrets of the Tower by Debbie Rix

 

Secrets of the Tower by Debbie Rix

Published: 20th March 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 400

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

Blurb

Two women, centuries apart, bound together by the secrets of one of the most iconic buildings ever created.

Pisa, 1999
Sam Campbell sits by her husband’s hospital bed. Far from home and her children, she must care for Michael who is recovering from a stroke. A man she loves deeply. A man who has been unfaithful to her.

Alone and in need of distraction, Sam decides to pick up Michael’s research into the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Immersing herself in the ancient city, she begins to piece together the mystery behind the creation of the tower, and discovers the woman who history forgot…

Pisa, 1171
Berta di Bernardo, the wife of a rich merchant, sits in her chamber, dressing for a dinner party. A gathering that will change the course of her life and a young master mason, Gerardo, forever.

A strong, intelligent woman, Berta’s passion for architecture also draws her closer to Gerardo. As she embarks on a love affair, her maid Aurelia also becomes spellbound by the same man. Yet for Berta, her heart’s desire is to see the Tower built, and her determination knows no bounds…

Review

Secrets of the Tower by Debbie Rix is the story of how the Tower of Pisa came to be designed and the mystery surrounding who designed it. It is told from two viewpoints, one in 1999 and one when the tower was being designed around 1172. It is the perfect mix of old and new perspectives which although separate stories, together uncover some of the mystery of the tower and the passionate people behind it.

The story begins in 1999 with Sam, who has just learnt her husband has been unfaithful. She then gets a call to say he has had a stroke while in Italy researching the history of the tower. In turmoil she heads off to Italy to nurse her nurse her husband but soon finds herself caught in the mystery of the tower. When she meets Dario Visalberghi a man with local connections they begin to find some clues to the mysteries surrounding the tower.

The second viewpoint is mostly told from the perspective of Berta di Bernardo, the wife of wealthy merchant Lorenzo Calvo, who being the daughter of an architect has an interest in the buildings being designed in Pisa. She meets and falls in love with Gerado di Gerado a young carpenter and with her wealth and influence helps to further his career within Pisa. We also hear some of the story from Gerado and also Aurelia, Berta’s young maid.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the writing style made it easy to follow and it flowed well between the two viewpoints. I did prefer the historical aspect of the book more than the modern day setting. I think this was because there was more background story to the characters and their love triangle kept the story from purely being about the buildings.

The thing I loved most about this book was the love of Pisa that came through from all the characters, it seems to capture all their hearts, Berta’s most particularly. The passion for the city was in all the Pisans, wanting to it be seen as the most beautiful city in Italy was very inspiring and has made me want to visit this city even more.

Even though the backdrop to this book is the mystery of the tower this is essentially a tale of love in its many forms. Gerado is intoxicated by Berta and her beauty and wealth but also has a simpler, deeper long lasting love for Aurelia, but which woman will he choose to be with? Sam has to deal with infidelity in love and decide if she can forgive her husband or whether she should be swayed by the handsome Dario.

I’m surprised to learn that this is Debbie Rix’s first novel as I found it well written, very absorbing with realistic characters and the research which she must has done to have such detail in the book is outstanding. I cannot wait to see what she writes next as I’m sure it will be as brilliant as Secrets of the Tower. I give this book 5/5.

I would like to thank Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book.