The Silk House cover art

The Silk House

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Silk House

By: Kayte Nunn
Narrated by: Amanda McKay
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

About this listen

 Weaving. Healing. Haunting. The spellbinding story of a mysterious boarding school sheltering a centuries-old secret...

Australian history teacher Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside only to find that she is to look after the first intake of girls in its 150-year history. She is to stay with them in Silk House, a building with a long and troubled past.

In the late 1700s, Rowan Caswell leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant. She is thrust into a new and dangerous world where her talent for herbs and healing soon attracts attention.

In London, Mary-Louise Stephenson lives amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer, a job that is the domain of men. A length of fabric she weaves with a pattern of deadly flowers will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.

Intoxicating, haunting and inspired by the author's background, THE SILK HOUSE is an exceptional gothic mystery.

'The ghostly stories of three women who had all spent time at a mysterious boarding school are beautifully woven together in this spellbinding tale. An exceptional gothic mystery' Woman's Day

'This spellbinding story intertwines three strong, fearless women in the pursuit of fulfilling their dreams' Family Circle

'The stories of three fascinating women weave seamlessly together in this atmospheric book set against the sumptuous backdrop of the eighteenth-century silk trade... a mystery that is so compelling I found myself racing towards the final pages. Utterly spellbinding' NATASHA LESTER©2020 Kayte Nunn (P)2020 Hachette Australia Audio Gothic Historical Fiction Horror Scary Fiction Mystery
All stars
Most relevant
A quaint story linking the past and the present. Quite enjoyed the narration although her words are very clipped. Interesting information regarding medicinal herbs.

Interesting story line

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This has/had potential to be an engrossing story across different time periods but sadly it all feels forced and pedestrian. Completely lacking in art or subtlety. I really enjoyed The Botanist's Daughter, so this was a huge disappointment- completely lacking in complexity, nuance & depth. I did manage to finish it, but I won't be rushing back to this author again sadly.

Mediocre

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I hate, hate, hate horror and even suspense, but this had that nice, subtle creeping feeling of ye olde Gothic horror and I really enjoyed it.

I preferred the parts of the novel set in the past, although that could just be my preference for historical fiction, I think it's because the present day chapters didn't have the realism or believability of things that could actually come to pass in a school. And I'm not talking about the fantasy elements of the book, I'm talking about the characterisation of staff and teachers.

Parts of the book could have gone further; To avoid spoilers I'll just say there was a stressful / suspenseful part of the story and instead of resolving it, the author just skips ahead in time and the situation has somehow miraculously been resolved and you didn't get to be a part of it. The ending is a little flat and let down the story a little bit imo but on the whole, it's a good read.

Cracker of a story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was completely delighted and surprised by this little gem of a book. It took me to a place where herbs, weaving, fabrics had stories of women came alive. I was completely enthralled and kept guessing what would happen. The narrator was spot on, and really brought the story to life.

Enchanting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story was good but the ending was silly and a bit of a let down.

Good but disappointing ending

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book starts off promising and I thought it was going to be a combination of The Corset and The Binding, but I was left confused and disappointed. None of the elements introduced in the story seemed to resolve. It feels unfinished or abridged. What was the role of the fabric designer? What was the silk merchant up to, why did the weaver want to get him back? The list goes on....
Odd to have a non-Australian read the part of an Australian too.

Lots of promising themes that never materialise

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
lovely read that weaves nicely from the 1760s to now easily. a simple easy listening story.

Entertaining read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fabulous story line and for once a narrator who wasn't annoying to listen to.

fabulous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Intelligent and captivating. Long enough to be worth it, yet not so long or complex that it distracted me from other things. I really enjoyed the interesting threads of the story coming together at the end for a satisfying finish. Kayte Nunn's writing kept my interest from start to finish and I really enjoyed the narration too, Definitely worth the time.

Well paced, satisfying ending. I highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read all the comments / reviews before picking “The Silk House” as my next “read”. It was exactly what I hoped for.
A bit of historic mystery & intrigue but with the suspense treated gently - not a nail bitter. The story was thoroughly engaging & carried me along to a satisfying ending. Were there loose ends & possible storylines which were not followed through? Yes. Not every question was answered. Did it matter? Not at all. Life is like that.
I was looking for a gripping read - entertaining but not too challenging & that’s what I got.
I loved it. And I loved the narration, which I though was exactly right!

Engrossing listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.