Textile Book Club

Next meeting scheduled for June 24, 2026 at 1:30 pm, at Joyce Illian’s home, 2802 Stoney Creek Lane, Montrose.  

The Textile Book Club has chosen it’s next read- The Silk Weaver by Liz Trenow, also called The Hidden Thread published in hardcover. The Silk Weaver is a 2017 historical fiction novel set in 18th-century London, during the booming, yet volatile, silk trade. The story focuses on Anna Butterfield, who falls in love with Henri, a French Huguenot silk weaver, amidst social upheaval, wage riots, and religious tension.
Key details about the novel:
• Plot: Anna moves from her quiet country home in Suffolk to live with her
uncle, a silk merchant, in London. She meets Henri, an apprentice working on a “masterpiece” to gain his freedom, and her artistic designs help him, leading to an illicit romance.
• Setting: The story captures the dangerous, industrious world of Spitalfields, which was rife with strikes, anti-immigrant sentiment, and rapid technological change.
• Inspiration: The character of Anna is inspired by a real historical figure,
18th-century silk designer Anna Maria Garthwaite.
• Themes: The book focuses on class struggle, forbidden love, and women’s roles in a time of revolution.
About the Author: Liz Trenow is a former journalist and author who has a
personal family connection to the silk industry.

Read the book and join the discussion.