Black Silk by Judith Ivory: Book Review

I first heard of Black Silk (and Judith Ivory) through Alix E. Harrow’s newsletter. It was a lovely essay on purple prose, with Black Silk being used as one of the examples. At the time of receiving it, though, I didn’t think much of it beyond “my favorite writer reads historical romance, cool”. 

But since then, as you can likely see on this blog, I have become quite a historical romance fiend myself. Thankfully, I have a pretty good memory for random tidbits, and Black Silk lingered in my mind, so I went back to the newsletter, and it pointed me to this amazing essay by Felicia Davin (who is a great writer as well). 

And so, convinced by these two brilliant women, I immediately got the book. How I love serendipitous moments like these, when things align just right. Black Silk, even before I was fully finished reading it, became one of three books I would beg everyone to read. 

Verdict: Black Silk is an exquisite book. The romance keeps you on your toes and develops so deliciously slowly that you’ll be on the edge of your seat until the very end. The characters, down to the last one, have rich inner lives and they feel like protagonists of their own stories. And the prose! I have never read anything so beautiful.

What is this book about?

Submit Channing-Downes is a young marchioness whose elderly husband has recently died. In his will, he left her the entire estate, which his illegitimate son is now contesting, and this means Submit has to leave her beloved home.

Graham Wessit is an Earl whose good fortune and good mood has taken a turn for the worse when a young scullery maid accuses him of fathering her twins. He’s certain he’s not the father, but due to his rakish ways, no one believes him.

These two meet when Submit delivers her late husband’s only inheritance for Graham (his ward) — a box full of erotic drawings. Graham wants nothing to do with it but Submit is determined he takes it, and she wants to know more about her husband, especially why he would have such pictures.

Spoiler-Free Review

If you know me, then you know I’m a big fan of slow burn romance, romance that takes its time and gives me a chance to understand how and why people work together. This book gave me that and more. So, if you decide to read it, settle in — it won’t be quick. 

Black Silk is so beautifully written, with such exquisite prose that you’ll want to linger on scenes and sentences. It felt like watching a movie while reading, and a movie much like Pride and Prejudice (2005) at that. The way this author describes these settings, the light, the way she lingers on details of what places look like and how they feel, it’s incredible. 

But then there’s also the fact that the romance is just perfect. You see how Graham slowly falls for Submit. Initially, he’s not impressed by her, but he slowly grows to notice little details about her and he does it in such a sensual way that some of the scenes leave you breathless. 

Submit dislikes Graham on sight and finds him frivolous, but the more she starts to see through his facade, the more she grows to like him. She’s simultaneously attracted to him and his joy de vivre, but also certain that life isn’t for her. She believes she belongs with the books and academia, and that she can never be the vivacious person Graham seems to want. 

And you might take Graham’s initial rakish persona badly, but he reveals himself to the reader slowly, showing how much more he actually is and what it took to be how he is. 

Each character in this book is lovingly crafted and there are no villains, no saints. Each one of them makes mistakes and does some good things, and I believe this is the most realistic portrayal of people in a romance book I’ve ever seen. 

Also, for a book that was written so long ago, this has a surprising lack of judgement or the typical elements you’d find in an older historical romance. All characters are treated with respect, despite their station in life or what they did on page. There’s no woman on woman hate at all here, no alpha-male theatrics, even the patriarchal things you’d expect are muted, examined, turned inside out and exposed by the narrative. 

It’s just a perfect book in my opinion, and everyone should read it. The characters are, as I said, its main focus and none of them are as you’d expect. They’re complicated and flawed, and they say and do bad things, but they’re also lovable and just so wonderful. 

Spoilery Thoughts

To continue on my ode to how good the romance in this is, I absolutely love how indescribably erotic some very not-erotic scenes feel. The first that comes to mind is the morning when Graham takes Submit on that group boat ride. The dawn is rising, mist lingering about the lake, and after a charged conversation, Graham undresses and jumps into the lake to swim to the shore. Submit is left on the boat, and she watches him rise half-naked out the water, outlined by the sun and mist, and she touches his clothes, still warm with her feet. That scene will leave you breathless and they’re not even within each other’s reach. 

And I love how well they get to know each other before any of the romance happens. Graham visits Submit at her remote inn, he can’t keep away because he feels she’s the only person who’ll listen to him without imagining him to be one way or another. He finds solace in her company, and she does too. In Graham, she finds someone who’s not afraid of her darker side, of her passions and flaws. Her husband used to put her on a pedestal of innocence and wisdom, but she’s just a woman, and she gets to be that with Graham. 

Then there’s the fact that there’s absolutely no hate between Submit and Graham’s lover. They even become friends and neither woman (well, except maybe once, in a desperate display of jealousy by the mistress) ever says a bad thing about the other. They even admire each other. 

Even the man who’s keeping everything from Submit is not universally bad. You get to understand his side of the story, his version of events. And you also get to understand why Graham is a bit more on his side, without pandering to the audience by having Graham defend Submit without a thought. 

Similarly, both main characters do bad things. Submit writes the column about Graham which she knows hurts him, but she does it for the money she so desperately needs, and also because it lets her live out her more embarrassing fantasies. When Graham finds this out, he’s embarrassed and yes, a bit angry, but he doesn’t hold it entirely against her, the same way she doesn’t hold any of his mistakes against him. 

Of course, nothing happens between them until about 80% of the book (no, literally, this is the first time he says her first name out loud). But it’s so charged the whole time, so when it finally comes to this point, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. 

And I liked that the ending is just them getting together. There’s no big long epilogue and the promises of happily ever after (though, obviously, it is a HEA). They both know that the relationship will take work, and that they’re different, but that they’re willing to choose each other every day. 

Bottom Line

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Black Silk is a perfect example of what a romance book can and should be. There is no pandering to the reader, no hand-holding. You get to see these people as they are, and see them do and say things people still say and do.

I absolutely recommend this book and if I lost my memory for some inexplicable reason, just shove this book in my hands and let me read it again for the first time, I will be eternally grateful.

Also, I’m begging whoever has reprint rights to put this book in circulation again, maybe with a new shiny cover, pretty please with the cherry on top!

If you liked Black Silk try…

Black Silk is truly incomparable, but I think if you like it, you will like: 

• The Luckiest Lady In London by Sherry Thomas (similarly imperfect characters, not judged for who they are, a romance that makes sense, but less of a slow burn)
• What I Did For a Duke by Julie Ann Long (the heroine is very much like Submit in my opinion, and the romance and the hero are just lovely here)
• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (more historical fiction, but there’s an amazing main character and there’s also romance)
• The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley (if you’re looking for a more romantasy version of this, imperfect characters, very slow burn)
• You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle (a more contemporary take on similarly flawed characters, slow burn romance, and very good writing; also, it’s my favorite contemporary romance).