The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

What a wonderful story! I have spent some time in the Pacific Northwest and this story brings the place into vivid focus. When I visit new places, I always wonder about the people who live there and the people who came before. This story masterfully "paints" a picture of their lives. Thank you!

I am very interested in Chinese culture and history, and this book caught my attention because of those aspects. At the end of the book, the author mentions that this story is based on true events that happened in the United States in the late 1800's. I was unaware of the great hostility and racial prejudice against Chinese people that pervaded the U.S. at that time. The book kept my attention as a well-written tale of mystery, history, and relationships (family and romance). The primary characters were well-developed, especially Mei Lien whose pain and personal turmoil came alive to the reader. In terms of plot, I certainly didn't see the twists and turns coming. The only reason I rated this 4/5 stars is that I thought the ending was a little too tidy. Everything wrapped up quickly and neatly, and though I enjoy a satisfying ending like most people, I felt this one was a bit contrived. Still, the story was a great work of historical fiction (with a bit of romance and drama mixed in), and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

Excellent read. I couldn’t put it down! Based on true events.

There is a lot to love about this modern day/historical romance story, written from the late 1880, to present day. I never would have heard of this book, except that it was recommended to me, which are the books I always end up loving, and The Girl Who Wrote In Silk is no exception. The story starts in the past with Mei Lein, a young Chinese girl living in Seattle at the time of the anti-Chinese movement that had Mei Lein, who was born in Seattle, put on a steamer ship, supposedly bound for China. Mei Lein's grandmother, and father never make it to China, but end up being tossed overboard by Duncan Campbell, who turns out to the Inarna Ericsson's great, great, great, grandfather. While it may seem to be the height of improbably coincidence, the two main characters, separated by a hundred years, end up being connected by fate, a hotel, and an embroidered sleeve of silk. As with the best of historical romance, the author gives us not only a love story, but lots of history, this time the history of Seattle, and Orcas Island, part of the San Juan chain of islands at the tip of Washington state. Being familiar with Orcas Island, and the Rosario Hotel(which I'm sure Rothesay is based on), I really enjoyed learning some of the history of its past. While the author took poetic license with the owner of the hotel, there was enough that lined up to make it a fascinating read. (The Rosario Hotel as a music room with a giant pipe organ built it which isn't in this story, but is my favorite part of the hotel.) Inara gives up the safe job she had after graduating from college, after she inherits the family estate from her aunt, on Orcas Island. Her Aunt Dahlia's request was to have the house turned into a Bed & Breakfast, but Inara decides on a boutique hotel instead. After finding the embroidered sleeve under on of the stairs, Inara looks for answers and finds her ancestor's dark past which could affect her own future if it becomes known. Interspersed in Inara's modern day story, is the story of a young Chinese girl who loses her family and must learn to trust the 'white devil' who rescues her from the cold waters of the East Sound near Orcas island. Both women are brave and resourceful and had me hoping they'd succeed. This book is not your typical romance novel, or your typical 'chic-lit', but a cut above making it a very enjoyable read.

I am ambivalent about this book. The parts about Mei Lien and her family 100 years ago are gripping and very well written. The modern-day events often made me think I was reading something slightly above a harlequin novel. The characters felt flat and the modern-day plot would have been at home in a romance novel (minus the bodice-ripping.) Inara's agonizing that she cannot tell Daniel and his family about her ancestor's actions seemed especially contrived. This could have been a great novel if Estes had just stuck with the long-ago story. Such great characters to build on! How about telling us the life story of the child instead of the Inara story - that could have been riveting! A great editor could have coaxed a great novel out of this, because the raw material and skill is clearly there. Instead, we got great history and - forgive me - sappy presence. I really would like to give 3.5 stars, but that is not possible, so I'm going with three - because in my book, it does not rise to the level of 4 stars because of the modern-day part. I appreciate Estes shining a bright light on the way the Chinese were treated in the late 19th century.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though the events were not real, they were inspired by real events that happened during that period. I had no idea how badly the Chinese people were treated by the West/Northwest in America after they were no longer needed for building the railroads in the late 1880s. The novel is of 2 stories that are intertwined. The first is present day - a young woman inherits her aunt's house on Orcas Island and finds an old embroidered sleeve from a Chinese robe under the stairs. The story embroidered on the sleeve causes her to do research and uncover awful things about her ancestors. The other story is that of Mei Lein, a young Chinese girl in the late 1880s. Her family is run out of Seattle with all Chinese people - she is the author of the story on the sleeve. The book was well written and the story keeps you reading. I highly recommend. I thought the characters were well developed, especially in the 1880s story.

Good book

I can only say that if this is Kellie’s first published work that she’s at the start of a brilliant career. She opens with a horrible story that while made up is based on historical reality and really made me look both at the historical reality of the US but at what we are doing present day because prejudice is certainly up front and in our faces on a regular basis in current conditions. I loved the interweaving of an historical interracial love story with a contemporary one through the medium of a story told in silk. And I appreciated the technical details about both the embroidery itself and the methods used to track down the story behind it. I wept over the story of Mei Lien and Joseph, so filled with love. And wept tears for Inara as she worked to make her dream a reality even as she is sabotaged by the father who says he loves and supports her but shows he doesn’t believe in her. And my heart was lifted as all was made right in the end. I highly recommend reading this book and I look forward to Kellie’s next offering.

Very well written! I was drawn in right at the first chapter. Amazing read!

I really enjoyed this book, great story, sad but nice ending

Wonderful story of love and family secrets, which kept me hooked through out the whole story. Characters very relatable and fun to get to know

Enjoyed the historical content but coincidences too far fetched which actually spoilt the story

The prologue Sunday February 7th 1886 introduces us to Mei Liein on a steamship at sunset just past Puget Sound Washington territory and is a great opening to her story and life. Her story is interspersed with that of modern day Inara Erickson and Daniel Chin a handsome young professor at the university of Washington -Seattle who Inara turns to when she finds an embroidered Chinese silk sleeve in a property she is renovating and becomes curious about its history. But the book is so much more than those bare bones. I found it moving, gripping, and hard to put down. I also learned a lot along the way about racial prejudice at that time against the Chinese which as a Brit I had zero knowledge about and found appalling and interesting. A little known pocket of history. The chapters switch from Inara's point of view to Mei Lin's throughout and I found Mei Lin's chapters far more moving and gripping than the modern parts of the book although I enjoyed the unfolding detective story as Mei Lin's tragic story unfolded. Well written and very enjoyable. It ended with all the ends neatly sewn up like Mei Lin's embroidered sleeve and the twin tales a neat device for the more meaningful story of Mei Lin and the hard time had by the Chinese of Seattle and surrounding islands at the time of the book. Sad but satisfying too at the conclusion. I visited Seattle once some years ago and wish I had known then some of this history of which I had no idea until I read this lovely, sentimental, well written book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.