Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite

Chloe Turner’s Blue Hawk is a captivating and immersive story set in 17th-century Gloucestershire and inspired by its textile industry. The story begins in 1663 in the mill town of Bisley. Joan Browning is 15 years old. She, her sister, 17-year-old Alice, and their father, John, are weavers. Their mother, Hannah, died two years ago, and John is inept at turning their weaving into a profitable business. In a chance encounter, Joan meets a widow, Mrs. Freme, who maintains a dye garden, growing plants that produce a variety of colors to sell to weavers, mills, and clothiers. Joan’s love for the plant colors blossoms into a growing interest in the art of dyeing. She steps in to help her father with their weaving business, and her skill in handling the details of the weaving and clothing business gradually pull the family out of poverty. The title, Blue Hawk, is Joan’s nickname, one that she earns for her sharp eye when buying fleece from a wool merchant. Joan faces uphill battles and tensions caused by her love for the business vis-a-vis societal expectations of her primary role as wife and mother.   

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chloe Turner’s Blue Hawk for its storyline, remarkable characters, and the setting of a 17th-century mill town. I particularly liked how Joan Browning’s character development is woven into the story. I loved the vivid descriptions of the meadows and the dye garden, which expressed beautifully Joan’s intuitive feel and talent for the magic and mystery of plant colors and the alchemy of extracting dyes from plants. The situations and dialogues reveal the tense relationship and also the love between Joan and her father when she takes on the challenge of turning their weaving into a successful venture. Joan’s resilience and her ability to look for alternate solutions show in her business dealings and personal relationships. The story gained depth from the powerful drama of the relationship between Joan and Alice, who could turn from being kind to mean and jealous in an instant. I also liked the lifetime friendship that developed between Joan and Mrs. Freme, who introduced Joan to the world of dye gardens. Blue Hawk is a profoundly moving and poignant story of a woman who never gives up her love for weaving and the art of dyeing. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction, women’s fiction, and interpersonal and family dramas.