The Corset Factory, Book 1

Threads of Destiny

Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
338 Pages
Reviewed on 12/12/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Essien Asian for Readers' Favorite

Lottie Crawford would much rather sequester herself in her employer's library to read the books, but that is a nearly unattainable goal. Her mother's health issues and her wayward brother make life difficult for the family, who barely manage to make ends meet, much less pay the rent. Lottie loses her job and the primary source of income for her family when she is faced with a compromising situation within the Gilbert household. As she struggles to keep her family off the streets of London by trying all sorts of odd jobs, a fortuitous meeting with an ambitious reporter becomes the turning point for her in Valerie Anne Hudson’s Threads of Destiny: The Corset Factory, Book 1.

Valerie Anne Hudson's Threads of Destiny is inspired by the harsh realities of the restrictions women faced in Victorian London. Two very different women use the resources available to them to strive for a better life. The novel's characters are masterfully written, and their backstories authentically capture the socioeconomic conditions of the era in which the story is set. The characters' exchanges of dialogue are equally easy to follow and written in period language that historical fiction lovers will appreciate. Elizabeth's cunning but brutal scheme to con her way to getting her father's wealth is an engaging subplot that will undoubtedly draw the reader into Hudson's book. However, Lottie’s struggle to support her mother despite having a sibling who is better off makes for some interesting reading. Threads of Destiny: The Corset Factory, Book 1 is a skillfully written novel reminiscent of works by Charlotte Bronte, thanks to Hudson's unique storytelling style.