Review of The Red Silk Cord

[Yoli García]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Red Silk Cord" by Liz Berger.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Margherita, the daughter of Alonzo de Launar, the chairman of the Silk Traders Guild, is not the typical 15th-century young lady. Margherita has traveled extensively throughout Europe, is a skilled horse rider, and has received science, languages, silk trade, and management education. At one of the Silk Traders Guild's dinners, she catches the eye of Count Giovanni de Lorenzo Medici, the fourth son of the powerful Medici family. Giovanni has a horrible plan to make Margherita his wife against her wishes.

On February 5, 1445, Piero Carpaccio, a prominent silk factory owner, finds Margherita bleeding profusely on a pile of rags in the street. An umbilical cord hangs between her legs. Piero jumps to her aid after being captivated by her pale blue eyes and pure voice. What follows is a story of survival, adventure, and self-discovery.

Written by Liz Berger, The Red Silk Cord is the first book of a trilogy. The second book is titled The Return of the Red Silk Cord, and The Revenge of the Red Silk Cord is the third book. Set in 15th-century Florence, the story contains violence, rape, greed, power, sex, and love.

The main characters are the book's substance. Margherita is a clever and daring young woman who endures one of the most terrible things that can happen to a woman. Her resiliency in the face of tragedy is admirable. Even so, one of her romantic choices was quite disturbing. Piero, my favorite character, will sweep many readers of their feet with all he does to protect Margherita. He is the kind of man to root for in a love triangle. Giovanni, my least favorite character, is a privileged man who makes extreme decisions. Su Lin pops out of the page with her martial arts and caring personality.

The book, however, has several issues. A professional editor needs to thoroughly revise it, as I found numerous grammatical errors and typos. The story jumps from storyline to storyline without proper divisions within the chapters. An example is that a paragraph portrays Margherita determined to survive whatever will happen to her. Although not separated as a new section, the following paragraph jumps to show Margherita's father suffering in prison. This structural problem was confusing while reading. Also, I would have expected the book to be more historically accurate since it belongs to the historical fiction genre. An example of historical inaccuracy is that the book depicts Lorenzo Medici, Giovanni's father, as already dead by 1445, which is not accurate. Lorenzo was born in 1449.

After considering all the points mentioned above, I rate The Red Silk Cord by Liz Berger 2 out of 4 stars. I got immersed in the 15th-century Italian setting, and I liked following the characters' complex trajectories. I deducted two stars because of the book's lackluster structure and editing. Also, one of Margherita's choices in her love life was too disturbing for my taste. I would recommend it to fans of historical fiction and romance novels who might disregard the book's issues.

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The Red Silk Cord
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[EternalD]

Wow, 15th-century Florence is a fantastic landscape for a historical fiction book. I don't think I've ever read anything like this one. Nice review.