Banners of Silk

by Rosalind Laker

Successful in life but not love...

Louise Vernet was raised in the slums of Paris, coming of age amid the splendor and corruption of the Second Empire. — She ruled the world of fashion, clothing the most fabled women of title and pleasure in a society where even sin had to have style. — Pierre de Gand, godson of the Emperor himself, taught Louise Vernet what it was to love and be loved.

But it was all destroyed in a shattering act of betrayal.

Robert Prestbury, an Englishman who claimed to be a gentleman, lured Louise into a Victorian marriage.

It was a union that trapped her like a vice as he used her for his profit and tormented her for his pleasure.

Will Russell nurtured Louise’s genius and offered her the financial backing that made her fortune.

It wasn’t long before her debt to him mounted beyond what she could pay without gambling her heart.

There were many men in Louise Vernet’s life who fed her ambition and passion -- but where was the one who could give her happiness...?

Will she ever get her happy ending?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, France, Historical Romance, Fashion

469 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

A pseudonym used by Barbara Øvstedal.

Barbara Øvstedal was an author previously writing under the pseudonym Barbara Paul and Barbara Douglas. She wrote a few books under this pseudonym but later changed to Rosalind Laker when Barbara Paul gained recognition. Her many books include The Sugar Pavilion and To Dance with Kings.

Reviews

[Artemiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore all the historical romance novels where the real history is incorporated with a fictional characters and story. And I especially love the stories where the heroines are strong, smart and willful. Rosalind Laker is one of the authors, who always finds some interesting historical characters to use for her story. This time the real person is Charles Frederic Worth – a man who was first to use a live model, to show the latest fashion to his customers and who changed a known drapery store into a clothing store, with seamstresses in the back to sew the dresses on demand and also for stock.

The fictional heroine is Louise, an seamstress, who starts the story as an urchin, who has just lost her mother and who is taken in by an seamstress, who just took bitty on the girl in a graveyard. Years go by, Louse helps Charlotte with her sewing, then Charles is renting the room in Charlottes abode, and so they meet and their friendship begins. With a little help from fortune, Louise also starts to work in the same sewing company as does Charlotte.

It would not be a romance novel, if there would not be a romance, and especially unhappy romance. Louise’s love interest is a young captain and emperor’s godson Pierre de Gandi, so there is no way they could marry without emperor’s permission. But the captain is sent to war, and he gets engaged to a more suitable young lady and Louise is left to raise their son alone.

But the story is not over jet! Louise does not give up, she continues to work in Charles workshop, and she gets married to a totally wrong person and moves to England, where she makes her good-for-nothing husband’s drapery store famous, and opens her own dress salon and makes a lot of money for herself and for her son. Even if she goes back to France on the most dangerous time, still she is a strong and industrious person and she finds a way to survive and be successful.

As I said, an interesting and inspiring historical novel that gives an interesting insight to a fashion in Paris and London at the end of nineteenth century.

[BBBTerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and I've read it at least 3 times! Set in post Napoleon era around 1850 in Paris, Laker gives a vivid view of Paris life, society, and Parisian couture. I would classify this book as a historical romance epic novel. The fictional character,Louise Vernet is an impoverished dress designer. The story captures your heart as she attempts to survive and find love. Charles Fredrick Worth and the House of Worth was real and his grandson helped the author get the facts straight in this book about the famous courturier.

[Susan Chapek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthralled by the rags-to-riches story, the historical details, and the fashion story--in fact, enthralled by perhaps the first two-thirds of the book, and have read some of those chapters more than once.

I found the later chapters and especially the working out of the romance elements tiresome.

But I would definitely recommend that anybody who likes a more literary historical (with strong romance elements) to sample this book. I'll bet you get swept into it. The fashion history alone makes it worth the read--detailed and delicious.

[Mbgale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! It's not a literary treasure, but it is compelling and I stayed up late 2 nights to find out what would happen next. I loved the strong female lead, who also was human and made some mistakes in her life. Loved, loved, loved the historic look at Charles Worth and his family and descriptions of the dresses and the whole fashion industry in France. Very entertaining although it does go long and we never find out in the end what happens to our protagonist. So not a perfect book but I enjoyed it tremendously!

[Phair · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love- historic costume, a young woman making her way in the world & succeeding. I think this was my first Laker book but I soon devoured the library's stock. None ever topped this one, probably because the occupations/themes in the other books were not as fascinating to me as the fashion/historic costume stuff. I have a copy of this in my personal collection...really must re-read.

[Dawn (& Ron)]

Here is the other Laker book I recently got from PBS swap, the other being Gilded Splendour. This cover looks no better in person, whoever thought putting black on a shiny gold background was a good idea, evidently didn't consider that people might want to actually see or read the cover.

[Bess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this 4 stars not because it is some great work of literature but it IS an entertaining, historical fiction novel that made for some GREAT summer reading!

[Robynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in my grandmother's library. I first read it in my early 30's and loved it. I pulled it out to see if it survived the test of time. What I enjoy most in the story is the clothing (weird how clothing fascinates me in reading or movies yet so little in real life). So much I didn't remember correctly. I still really like it, but this time around I had a harder time reading about Louise's harder times. Seems I'm getting soft-hearted in my old age. Did make me wonder how much is real and how much is fiction. The fashion, at least, seems to be real.

[Ursula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweeping tale of a child starting with nothing determinedly using her talents and energy to forge her own atistic and commercial success. This is a huge story set in European capitals during the greatest days of hand-stitched haute couture. It is packed with period detail of dress design, fashion, working practices and home life. Our heroine is unlucky in love and you will be waiting for her to be swept off her feet in the best tradition of independent romantic heroines. Hugely enjoyable.

[S franke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable

Real reader/just finished. This was so good. I loved the journey Louisa makes and how history changes her. A small little orphan grieving over her mother’s grave rising through her own hard work and talent to the premier of fashion! The only point in the book I criticize is when her child is seriously abused. Everyone I know would have left after that -made the character seem whimpy-yet she was not.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A historical fiction novel worth your time. A beautifully written story about a strong-willed woman in a world controlled by men (what else is new?) A time of elegance and charm with the wealthy, and the difficult work of the impoverished in the world of haute couture. Just as fascinating is the story of Charles Frederick Worth, the premier of fashion, and his rise in adorning the rich and famous of Paris.

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fascinating story of the beginning of the fashion industry in France and England. It was interesting to me from beginning to end. I love stories about strong women and this is one of those. It was a worthy read and I was so glad I read it. It was among the books my mom left me. So glad I read it.

[Maria DE · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good fictional story interwoven with a real one on Worth, the famous couturier, who did away with crinolines and other restricting fashion accessories. Took it up again and again to keep on reading when I was interrupted. One of the better stories and a writer that uses language to the full.

[Libros de warmi. F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho esta historia de la moda francesa y romance.
Hay muchos personales reales, castillos y geografías que se pueden googlear y conocer. (Luis Napoleón y su esposa Eugenia. Charles Worth, el pintor Winterhalter)
Tambien hay amor, diferencias de clases sociales, perseverancia, maternidad, violencia de género y buena narrativa.
Es una historia muy entretenida.

[Maddison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out slow but picks up pace throughout the book for an exhilarating yet satisfying end. This book is a journey from the slums of Paris to the opulence & decadence of haute couture society. The characters are all memorable in their own way but the FMC (Louise) is a fantastic, strong female character who I enjoyed immensely.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread for me that I didn't get to finish but it still brought back good memories of reading it when I was young. I never read a lot of historical romances but this one was about a seamstress in Paris who rises through the world of fashion in Paris.

[mari dewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story about the fashion world and the house of worth.

[Greta D'Antonio Bulic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Have read it 4 times and it never gets old. I love all the historical references and all the fashion details of the time. Definitely recommend it!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4 1/2 star read. If you like fashion and history, this is the book for you.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing

Absolutely wonderful
This is one of the most intriguing and romantically intense novels I have read. A truly fascinating account of Paris and haute couture

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought the incorporation of France’s political and fashion history was very well done.

[A. L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3. I didn’t find this book nearly as interesting as Ms. Laker’s other books. I like her formula of choosing a craft to focus on and basing the story around that craft. However, in this one, I found the story to be a bit dull, the characters boring. But maybe if I reread it another time, I’ll feel differently.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engrossing story.

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 2 out of 5]

May actually be better. Been awhile. No clear memory. But kept my copy.

[⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will start by saying that I stopped reading seriously around the 20% mark and that I skimmed the rest, so there are things I’m missing and it’s why my review is so short, but I’ll explain my reason for skimming so much of the book and why the rating ended up so low. I’ll admit that I might have more to say had I trudged on, but this nearly 500 page book made me feel so weary so early on that I couldn’t be bothered to drag my feet through more than 200 pages.

This is presented as a romance and, frankly, it never really is. I mean there’s some sex or flirting or yearning that might technically qualify as things that you typically find in a romance, but it was otherwise so lacking in feeling and connection that I never felt like this was about love. If anything, this book is a melodrama about unrequited love and hardships in the 19th century world with a heavy focus on the fashion industry. I never felt any real sense of romance or love; just angst and regret and stuff like that. There’s no true connections or satisfaction with the way the plot projects or how the relationships between the characters change with time. The characters were pretty well written and there’s no doubt that the author is well informed on the historical facts surrounding the Victorian and 19th century French worlds, but if I had wanted to read something purely in the historical fiction or even non-fiction historical genres, I wouldn’t have looked for a romance.

The author’s writing skills aren’t bad, in fact I think her handle on language is pretty good, but again, the big flaw is that this doesn’t fit into its supposed genre well. It’s not a satisfying read if you’re after a standalone romance; the focus is to be on love and growing that relationship, but this one wants to include so much about the fashion industry and all this drama surrounding the three men in Louise’s life that this would perform better as a glimpse into the reality that often 19th century women didn’t find true love or have the happiest of endings. I feel a bit cheated; had this been categorized differently, I would have raised my rating. If the author were to have made more of the focus be on Louise finding love with her friend Will, this could have been a very sweet journey about realizing what you truly want and need and healing from past heartbreaks and illusions (like Marianne Dashwood having her heart break over Willoughby by finding a superior love in Colonel Brandon), but instead it was just a long soap opera that made me feel weary and lost my interest very quickly.

The reason I skimmed was to catch an idea of what was to come (which usually revitalizes my desire to read if I hit a slow spot) but skimming in this book just really sank that ship because I kept finding things that just weren’t doing it for me. In another pair of hands, this book might perform better, but I have some pretty basic criteria for a romance that this book just never fails to meet and often just downright disregarded. So for me, I’d give the overall story a 1. But I bestow 2 stars because there were a lot of good things like the historical accuracy and writing.

I can’t go into specifics about the good/bad outside of this because, as I said, I skimmed most of this book, so take that into consideration when reading my review. I wasn’t impressed enough with 200 pages to continue and found nothing in the next ~300 to justify returning to where I’d left off and reading the rest of the book properly without skimming.

I received a copy for free, but it in no way affects my review*

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that the world of fashion is not a world I follow or have any interest in. However, I was enthralled with the world of fashion in this story. I did look up Charles Worth on Wikipedia and was happy to see that most of his struggles and innovations recorded there found their way into the story. So many firsts in the industry came from this man, whose vision changed the fashion of the day. That said, I am super glad that neither hoop skirts nor bustles have ever existed in my lifetime!
The role of the woman, her inability to own property, her classification as a chattel owned by her husband, her lack of human rights - parts of this story made me burn with indignation.
The characters in this story are compassionate, visionary, driven to succeed, with the occasional rogue tossed in for good measure. Rosalind Laker wrote characters I could connect with on an emotional level. I wanted the story to continue on as I was not yet ready to say goodbye to them.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banners of Silk by Roslind Laker
Very long audio book but worth it. What attracted me to this book is the silk. Figured it would be design work and I was right.
During Paris civil war and after a woman is befriended and gets a job at a couture house helping with the sewing. She meets many people
that come in and out of her and her families life over the years. Love hearing of all the work and how it was accomplished being that I am a knit and crochet designer, loved the background story and learned so much.
Lots of travel and move in this book.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[Amanda R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trashy good fun! And not even all that trashy, really. It's about a young seamstress and several other pioneers in Parisian fashion (including Charles Worth, who was a real guy) and all the attendant Parisian drama. Everyday fashion is not really one of my interests - as evidenced by the fact that I wear sweatpants whenever I can get away with it and sometimes when I can't - but haute couture is beautiful and I really enjoyed reading about the construction of the fancy dresses and how the fashions evolved. Very glad I tracked it down for a re-read!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a History of Fashion class during a time when I inhaled historical romances...needless to say this book wasn't a chore to read and I aced the course!
That said - and as others here have reviewed - what's not to like about a romance novel with an engaging and likable heroine trying to make it in the fashion world of Paris in the mid 19th century? The couturier Frederick Worth is her BBF for goodness sake! Not great literature but if you're a fashion history geek you'll love it.

[My_every_day_chilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fasion in the past cenrury and forbidden love. A wonderfull story that takes us to the past and shows us how hard it was to get your dream up there in the sky.