THE SILK MAKER
by
Michael Legat


When Richard Goodwin runs away from his home in the little Essesx Village of Brentfield - at the age of nine - he has two thoughts in his head: to find work at Prideau's silk mill in order to help support his widowed mother, and to one day wreak vengeance on the family of Harcourt for the wrongs they have done to his family.

The little boy is willingly taken on at Prideau's, for this is 1852 and child labour is still accepted as part of life. As the years go by, Richard learns the skilled art of silk weaving, and of crape manufacture in particular, while at homehis sister Mary falls under the spell of the dissolute George Harcourt and forms a liaison which proves fatal.

Not until 1866 does Richard have a chance to seek his revenge. Returning home after being unfairly dismissed from Prideau's he finds Harcourt silk mill facing bankruptcy, the head of the family dead by his own hand, and the son, Tom Harcourt, only too ready to buy Richard's knowledge of the secret art of Crape making. But instead of paying the family back for the hurts it has caused, Richard finds himself growing to love the mill that owes him so much and fighting, too, a growing fondness for Tom's high spirited wife, Sarah. The fortunes of the two families are to become even more closely intertwined, with both joy and heartache, before Richard at last comes to realise where his future lies.

Vividly evoking the atmosphere of nineteenth century East Anglia and the fascinating and intricate processes of silk manufacture, this absorbing family saga reveals Michael Legat at the height of his narrative powers. As with all his novels, his unique ability to to weave a compelling story into an unusual and exciting theme, makes this a book that is as informative as it is entertaining.


The Silk Maker was first published by Souvenir Press in 1985
and republished in 2001 by House of Stratus.



The Silk Maker is now out of print.