Tracy Chevalier

Venice, 1486. Across the lagoon lies Murano. Time flows differently here – like the glass the island’s maestros spend their lives learning to control.

Women are not meant to work with glass, but Orsola Rosso flouts convention to save her family from ruin. She works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. But perfection may take a lifetime.

Skipping like a stone through the centuries, we follow Orsola as she hones her craft through war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.

Her creations will adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna – but will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?

Tracy Chevalier is a master of her own craft, and The Glassmaker is vivid, inventive, spellbinding: a virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as their glass.

The Glassmaker

you never recover from losing someone; you just learn to accommodate the hole it makes in you.

A fictional retelling about a glass-making family from Murano. It’s clear the author put real effort into every detail of glassblowing, especially the bead-making process. Historically, bead-making was one of the few areas women could participate in hence working, and our heroine, Orsola, is one of them. The story begins with Orsola as a young girl and continues through to the year 2020. Though the main focus is on Orsola, we also witness the changes in Murano, Venice, and even the world over time. My only criticism of the story is that each section only covers a brief period before jumping 16 years to the next, leaving the reader feeling confused and somewhat empty. For example, I would have loved to learn more about Maria Barovier, a real bead maker from a time when women weren’t allowed to work, or Domenego, a slave who rowed gondolas. They remain shallow characters in this setting, which felt disappointing.

Bilge Ince

you never recover from losing someone; you just learn to accommodate the hole it makes in you.

A fictional retelling about a glass-making family from Murano. It’s clear the author put real effort into every detail of glassblowing, especially the bead-making process. Historically, bead-making was one of the few areas women could participate in hence working, and our heroine, Orsola, is one of them. The story begins with Orsola as a young girl and continues through to the year 2020. Though the main focus is on Orsola, we also witness the changes in Murano, Venice, and even the world over time. My only criticism of the story is that each section only covers a brief period before jumping 16 years to the next, leaving the reader feeling confused and somewhat empty. For example, I would have loved to learn more about Maria Barovier, a real bead maker from a time when women weren’t allowed to work, or Domenego, a slave who rowed gondolas. They remain shallow characters in this setting, which felt disappointing.

The Glassmaker

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