Book reviews

The Silk Vendetta
Victoria Holt Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Victoria Holt Books
New book search
Victoria Holt Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of The Silk Vendetta
"Lenore St. Allengere discovers as a young girl that she is no more than a higher servant in the Silk House where she lives with her grandmother, who works as a dressmaker for the Sallongers, the owners of the house. She grows up knowing only that she is an orphan. She attracts the attentions of the sons of the house as she grows up to be a beautiful young woman... and also those of a handsome young man who visits the house, evoking jealousy in the daughter of the house. She gets engaged on her seventeenth birthday to the younger son of the house, who has recently returned from a trip to visit the French branch of the family in Villers-Mure and study their patterns of silk- making. On their return, the older brother had revealed a new method of producing silk that provided the necessary boost to the family fortunes. However, when Lenore's new husband Philip mysteriously commits suicide soon after their marriage, she is determined to solve the mystery but she must first deal with more pressing problems- her position in the house, for instance, as well as a baby."
Rhea John, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Silk Vendetta
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - 18th century
Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Any non-mystery subplot? - grudge
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - trader
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - British
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - trader
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - France
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 2
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to The Silk Vendetta
Black Gold by Charles O'Brien
A Distinction of Blood by Hannah March
Interrupted Aria by Beverle Graves Myers
The Price of Murder by Bruce Alexander
Much Ado About Murder by Simon Hawke


Click here for more information about this book


Victoria Holt Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Rhea John  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Thriller/Action books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Big vehicle disaster?

Crime Thriller

Disaster, natural or nuclear

Exploring into the wild

Horror Story?

Legal Thriller

Medical Thriller

Religious overtones?

Spying/Terrorism Thriller

War Thriller

Water adventure

Western



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 2:32:02 AM
Anonymous 2:03:39 AM
Erin Hunters 9:00:01 PM
Betty Mahmoody 6:00:22 PM
Judith McNaught 11:55:44 AM
Iris Johansen 9:03:43 PM
Norah Lofts 1:11:37 PM
Jane Rubino 9:32:45 AM
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky 11:28:51 PM
Faye Kellerman 12:37:41 AM
LaVyrle Spencer 7:25:23 PM
Robert James Waller 8:30:15 PM
Suzanne Weyn 12:50:03 AM
Deric Longden 2:54:11 PM
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM

More message boards