The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

By: Kelli Estes

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

The smallest items can hold centuries of secrets.

Inara Erickson is exploring her deceased aunt's island estate when she finds an elaborately stitched piece of fabric hidden in the house. As she peels back layer upon layer of the secrets it holds, Inara's life becomes interwoven with that of Mei Lein, a young Chinese girl mysteriously driven from her home a century before. Through the stories Mei Lein tells in silk, Inara uncovers a tragic truth that will shake her family to its core - and force her to make an impossible choice.

Inspired by true events, Kelli Estes' brilliant and atmospheric debut serves as a poignant tale of two women determined to do the right thing and the power of our own stories.

©2015 Kelli Estes (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Emily Woo Zeller delivers a riveting performance of Estes's ambitious debut novel." ( AudioFile)

Amazing I Loved this book

I learned a lot. It was a great book and I will be looking out for more by this author

Missed opportunity

This book had so much potential: historical perspective based in fact and creative tale of two centuries. I think that's what disappointed me most. It was like it was written by a very talented student in a creative writing class who did not have the benefit of an editor. There was too much repetition, less than creative dialog and overly dramatic descriptions. A good editor could have whipped it into a five star story. Oh yes, a less dramatic narrator would help too.

Awesome! Fabulous! On a scale of 1 - 5 it’s a 10

I had NO idea how we treated the Chinese after the railroads were built. As the numbers of Chinese laborers increased, so did the strength of anti-Chinese sentiment among other workers in the American economy. This finally resulted in legislation (the Chinese Exclusion Act) that aimed to limit future immigration of Chinese workers to the United States, and threatened to sour diplomatic relations between the United States and China.

In this historical novel it follows Inara Erickson who has just inherited an estate on Orca Island called Rothesay (near Seattle, Washington) from her Aunt Dahlia, and Mei Lien, who lived in the late 1800's over a 100 years ago. Their lives are unknowingly connected until Inara finds a family story on a hidden embroidered sleeve in the house that she just inherited. Here is where the connection, historical mystery, and the secrets begin.

When Inara takes the sleeve to a Chinese professor at the local university, the sleeve and Inara immediately catch the professor's attention.

This book will touch your heart! Just read it.

girl who wrote in silk

I got this book as one of audible daily specials I was not expecting this to be a best seller book or a great book but I was happily surprised. Ended up that I really enjoyed this book. Very appropriate with the conversation our country is now having about muslims and immigrants. History does repeat.

Wonderful, but sad and powerful story

I've been an audible.com reader for 10 years, and this is probably the best of the best.

This powerful moving story switches back and forth between the late 1890s and the present day, and although at first the storylines seem separate, they weave together beautifully.

Interesting story

I appreciated the historical reference in time upon which this story was based. I am disheartened that the events of the Chinese Exclusion Act were not taught when I was in school and as an older adult, this is the first I heard of it. This book caused me to read other, factual accounts of what happened so I'm glad for the history lesson. The story itself seemed a little incredulous in some respects. While I believe in synchronicity, there were almost too many such events in order to connect the dots not only within same time events but between events of past and present. This is not such a terrible thing, after all, it is a writing of fiction. When I first started listening I thought Ms. Seller's voice was emotionally too flat but either I got used to it or she improved as the story progressed. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the book.

Loved it

This was a well written and spell binding book. It was a joy to listen to the story play out.

Sad and happy all at once

I couldn't put this away, it was truly captivating. Great voice for the reading. Glad to have the author's note at the end to review the historical significance.

Whoa

What a tear jerker! Had me bawling crying. Great job of basing a beautiful novel off of true facts. I was deeply invested in the characters. The story line was great. Two women far far apart. By the end of the novel, reveals that these two women who had never met, who were from two separate lifetimes were actually very much connected. 💗🙏🏽 I enjoyed the narrator's voice as well.

Great history lesson.

Once again...missing history. I just wish the love story part of the story wasn't soooooo predictable!
However, the book has me going to search engines right now to read more about American discrimination laws against Chinese in America.