The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier is a beautifully crafted novel about glassmaking, the Island of Murano and Venice.
At the heart of the story is the large Rosso family who we follow for centuries.

Chevalier clearly did her research when it comes to glass and bead-making, and it was interesting how the work evolved over time and following the daily lives of the makers.

There are a lot of names, several generations + extra characters here - take some time to organise them in your mind.

The structure and the timeline of this novel is very original. It’s a risky move and either the skipping forward in time whilst following the same protagonist (who doesn’t naturally age ) will work for you, or it won’t.
Personally, I would have been very happy with this read as a plain historical fiction novel diving even deeper into the characters. A lot of the writing is dedicated to the skills and process of glassmaking over hundreds of years. I felt the balance here could have been better, I wanted to be more invested in Orsola and her personal journey - the book compromises here allowing for characters to ‘live forever’ for the sake of showing the history of glassmaking over time.

The time-jumping is ok but as a reader you have to adapt to mobile phones and zoom calls towards the end of the story (and Covid!) when the novel originally started in the 1400’s and Venice / Murano was ravaged by the plague. I guess it shows the way life is cyclical and it is clever if you allow for the magical realism.

Finally; Venice is on my list of places to visit and I love the way Chevalier described the city and its surroundings.
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Rating 3/5 with extra points for research and the beautiful descriptions of Venice with a dash of Italian language.

Free copy from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful book recommendation: ‘The Glass Maker’ by @tracychevalierwriter.

Set in the glassmaking enclave of Murano, in the Venetian lagoon, across several centuries, this is a thing of beauty that ripples with gorgeous descriptions, characters to care about, and a thought provoking perspective on history, time, and place.

It follows the life and fortunes of Orsola, daughter of a longstanding if unexceptional glass family, the Rossi, taking in others who the tide of time washes into their lives, including German merchants, a gorgeous Venetian fisherman, and an enslaved African gondolier.

It’s not a high stakes, tense, plot-driven read; it ripples and flows like glass, or the Venetian lagoon (no coincidence, I suspect).

Within the novel, time flows much more slowly in Murano and Venice than on the mainland, or ‘terra firma’. It’s an unusual premise and I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but Chevalier makes it work brilliantly. Her characters are so well crafted that it somehow feels natural to see them deal with plague, trade, colonialism, war, technology, tourism, climate change, and Covid without things feeling strained (this can’t have been easy - I’m in awe).

There’s also some mighty skilful weaving of glassmaking information and historical detail into a narrative that glows with family tensions and tenderness. And I ended up caring deeply about the Rosso family and loved learning about Murano glass, even if I did struggle a bit to take in the technical details at the start. It was more than worth persevering for what bloomed into a wonderful book.

Absolutely beautiful book. What a gift to have read it early. I simply adore the setting and the historical references to the magical glass industry and its evolution. The main character is a wonderful woman, what bliss to live with her for so very long. Thanks so much.

We meet our protagonist, Orsola Rosso, as a young girl in 15th Century Murano, where she lives with her family of glassmakers. Since women are not supposed to work with glass, she is not apprenticed into glassblowing as her brothers are, but meeting a woman from another glassblowing family gives her the opportunity to make glass beads.

We then follow the fortunes of Orsola and her family as they encounter many changes and outside forces, such as the plague, Venice’s economic decline, and Coronavirus. Yep. This is also a time travel book. Well, kind of. Time on the island of Murano apparently passes slower for Orsola and her family and friends, so they only age a few years when decades pass elsewhere.

I loved the story of Orsola and her family, and found the lives of glassmakers on the outskirts of Venice absolutely riveting. I personally didn’t need the leaping about through time, and found it took me out of the story, rather than it drawing me into the various new situations they found themselves in. They also weren’t given any opportunity to develop as characters based on the norms and conventions of the new time they found themselves in, so I did feel it was a rather jarring convention.

Other than this element, though, this was a wonderful insight into a fascinating period of time, and I would recommend it to any fans of historical fiction.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

I want to talk first about the element of fantasy that runs through the book since that will be a stumbling block for some people. (As some people are thrown out of a book by an incorrect fact or location in an area they know well.) The concept is that time runs differently in Venice; it is slower than the terraferma beyond the lagoon. So when we follow the story of Orsola Rosso through the centuries it is her story and those close to her. If you can accept this idea then I believe it will enhance the story for you as it did for me. Instead of the flow of the narrative being interrupted by having to get to know new characters through different generations we get to know Orsola in all the minutiae of her life.
The story starts in 1486 with 9-year old Orsola when a woman glassmaker is rare but not completely unknown. She meets one of those rare glassmakers, Maria Barovier, who is just about to pioneer the creation of rosetta beads. But, although her father is a master of a glass workshop, Orsola's life is running errands and gardening, cleaning and laundry … so much laundry. One small theme running through the book is the never-ending labour of laundry and the mention of a washing machine near the end of the book is as much a triumph as any glass creation.
Her father dies in a freak accident and while her inexperienced brothers try to manage the workshop and business, Orsola learns the technique of making beads to bring in some extra money. She becomes a skilled bead maker, respected for her craft, but never finds the renown of her male contemporaries. Her life is not all glass, she finds and loses loves and family, suffers through the restrictions of two plagues, has a fleeting meeting with Casanova, and reaches the 21st century to discover the legacy her greatest love has left her.
I became engrossed in all the detail of this book with its focus on glassmaking but also day-to-day life on Murano. For me this is one of the author's most successful books.

The Glassmaker opens in 1486 in Murano, across the lagoon from Venice. It tells the story of glassmaker Orsola Rosso, up to the present day.

What I liked: Chevalier is a wonderful writer, no doubt about it. She creates a beautiful, vivid picture of Venice and Murano.

What I disliked: Yes, it follows Orsola from 1486 to the present day; one family, one main character. And therein lies the fatal flaw in this potentially beautiful, but disappointing, work. It’s concept is that the timeline skips through the centuries, but the main characters are the same. We become engrossed in the life of Orsola Rosso as she becomes a glassmaker in the 15th century. She struggles to hone her craft in a patriarchal society where only men can be respected artisans. Then the novel skips roughly a century and again we are following Orsola, and the same cast of characters, in a new timeline. Then again, same cast, new era… and so on up to 2020. And no, she’s not a vampire or other immortal, just a ‘character’ transported into different times.

Why oh why did Chevalier — an author whose books I have hitherto loved — persist with this irritating time-jumping concept? It doesn’t work! It feels like she wrote part of an excellent historical novel and then got bored or ran out of ideas and just started retelling the same tale in another time. It completely wiped out my suspension of disbelief. It drags you into silly celebrity-focused tangents (creating a necklace for Napoleon’s Josephine…). It makes you start actively seeking anachronisms. And once my disbelief was pierced, I could no longer accept the premise that Orsola was an incredibly gifted glassmaker. Which was presumably supposed to be the whole point of the story.

OK, I’m not thick. I accept that the point was to create a picture of Murano glassmaking through the ages, and the characters were just a vehicle for this so they could be reused in different times without needing to create new characters. Well, if I had wanted to read a nonfiction book about Murano glassmakers I would have read one. In novels, it’s ALL about the characters. They are not merely vessels. I need to believe in them as real, live, mortal people (even the ones that are unreal, dead, immortal….).

With each new timeline, Orsola became less vivid, more transparent, until she shattered in my hands.

I kept reading because, well, Chevalier is indeed a wonderful writer and her prose are a pleasure to read. And Orsola is an appealing character. And — and this is the main reason — I kept hoping there was a point to all this, and that I would eventually get it. I didn’t.

My advice? If you haven’t already done so, read Chevalier’s Girl With a Pearl Earring instead. Now that’s a timeless classic to lose yourself in.

My thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

Loved this one from start to finish. Characters well drawn and interesting storyline - intrigued to learn about glassmaking in Venice & Murano and found Orsolo such an engaging character, though how the same characters went on through time barely aging in spite of years passing was a hard concept for me initially though so engaged it really didn't detract.

The Glassmaker is one of my top reads of 2024. Set on Murano, this is the story of female glassmakers through time, told with a thread of magical artistic license - described in the blurb as 'time flows differently here ... skipping like a stone through the centuries...' The book follows a female glassblower from the Rosso family, Orsola, whose character binds the book together over 500 or so years. I loved the sense of passage of time, the changes in glassmaking practice and the beadmaking traditions. An atmospheric and at times poignant read but such a great story.

With many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A recent addition to my list of favourite authors Tracy Chevalier is one who always teaches the reader. She must enjoy the research and it shows, she packs a book with didactic information which is usually woven around the story innately and you absorb the two together. But, this book is a disappointment after her previous novels. It felt very formulaic, witha tortured love story, a womans battle to be in the family business etc. It just felt unserious, not literary enough for me. There is also a strange conceit with the timeline which adds little except questions. Sorry. Not for me. Do not start with this of you want to try TC. A Single Thread is a hundred times more accomplished.

I have read several of her other books and enjoyed them. I love glass and was interested to learn more about Murano. It is fair to say I had high hopes for this book.

Alas it wasn’t to be. I did learn quite a bit about glass making but think I would have preferred to read a non fiction book as opposed to the way it was woven into historical fiction with some random time traveling.

Not for me but that to NetGalley for the ARC.

Interesting concept of glass-making (particularly Murano glass) through the centuries.
I've read a few of Tracy Chevalier's books & find them easy to read.

Orsola Rosso is the daughter of a glassmaker but in 15th century Venice she is not allowed to work in the family business. Learning how to make beads, Orsola perfects her craft and builds her own small business, even though her one true love is taken from her. Over the centuries time outside Murano changes but Orsola and her family have to deal with each challenge as it comes.
A quite high-brow concept where Orsola and her family barely age as history evolved around them but it works very well in the hands of such a terrific writer. This is historical fiction with intelligence and it a wonderful read!

‘The Glassmaker’ follows one character over hundreds of years, and those closest to her. Whilst this premise sounds impossible, it is written by with great skill. Meticulously researched, it is set amongst the famous glass-making families of Murano and is deftly woven around real-life events such as the plagues of medieval Venice, two world wars and the coronavirus pandemic. The main character, Orsola, is the daughter of the Rosso family. Businesses are passed from father to son - when her father is coiled in an accident her brother, Marco, Takes over. But Marco is not ready for the responsibility and soon the workshop and the family are in financial trouble. To help, Orsola learns how to make beads but this is not regarded by her family.

The plague arrives in Murano and the families’ situation worsens, and Orsola is separated from her lover when he is forced to leave by Marco. Will she ever see him again? I enjoyed this book, the cast of characters changes as the family grows as time passes, Time passed differently in Murano to the rest of the world, and in the hands of a master story teller this idea worked well. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC, this has not affected my review.

I absolutely loved this Book, with it's fascinating Characters across the Centuries, the wonderful even sometime rough descriptions of the Architecture, People & work in and around the Island of Murano & of Venice itself.
It was wonderful to learn about how the women made the Beads by Lampwork ( I have actually seen a modern day Lamp & Lampwork Beads in a Museum in Kyoto, Japan ) so that made reading this even more special & I also have a piece of Murano Glass my husband bought from a workshop on the Island when he was serving in the Royal Navy & he took a trip to the Island. Glass is a magical substance & I fell even deeper in love with it through reading this beautiful Book. #NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Instagram, Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/8a5b541512e66ae64954bdaab137035a5b2a89d2" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

I'm a big fan of Tracy Chevalier so I knew I'd enjoy this. It conjured up Murano and Venice beautifully and I felt fully immersed in the fascinating world of glass-blowing. I think I'd have preferred it if the novel had kept to one time period - I found the conceit of time moving differently on the Venetian islands a little jarring, especially when it reached the modern day and COVID.

A perfect holiday read-I had the time to become completely engrossed in this wonderful story of Orsola Russo,a glass bead maker in Murano,Venice.The story spans the period from the end of the 15th century to the present day,thanks to a bit of magical realism which allows the same characters to be in the story,because time in Venice passes at a different rate to anywhere else.Somehow ,it works and it’s a lovely way to tell of the development of Venice and its glassmaking industry throughout history. There is lots of detail about the process of glassmaking,and the part played by women .Highly recommended-I’ve told all my book -loving friends about it!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

An interesting historical novel about a period in history that I didn't know anything about. I felt that I was being educated at the same time and enjoying the novel. Highly recommend

This story starts off following a girl on the island of Murano, Orsola Rosso, part of a family of glassmakers in the 15th century. As Orsola is a girl she has not been apprenticed into the glass blowing tradition, however glass is all around her, in her blood, the breadwinner for her entire family. An encounter with a woman from another glassblowing family gives Orsola the opportunity to learn how to fashion glass beads - smaller glasswork that can be done over a lamp, work for women, overlooked by the men. There starts Orsola’s story with glassmaking.

This was already a really interesting time and place, and I wish it had stopped there. Instead the author introduced an odd hopping through time thing, where the characters stayed the same but the century did not. It becomes hard to concentrate on the logic of the story of the characters when the world around them doesn’t really make sense - there is so much glossed over in order to make the fanciful time travel idea work - but the characters ageing slowly while the world goes on around them is deeply distracting and annoying - I really wish the author had just written a normal historical fiction set on Murano because as interesting as Orsola’s life is, the time hopping takes away from it and makes it lose sense. It just felt unnecessary- I think the author did it to fit in as many interesting facts about Venice as possible, from the plague to Casanova and Josephine Buonaparte, right up to the modern pandemic. In my opinion this didn’t work. The characters have to change in fundamental ways as they are thrust from century to century, and we are somehow meant to still find them believable.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, The Borough Press (Harper Collins), for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The idea behind this book is interesting, telling the history of Venetian glassmaking beautifully with interesting and well developed characters. The time travelling aspect was a little strange but a novel way to approach the idea for continuity. I didn't however feel that taking it all the way to present day with the pandemic worked, it made it feel a little gimmicky and like an add on to the book which wasn't needed. I also didn't feel that there was enough story to the character's lives other than the change in time and living experience. Unfortunately not as good as I had hoped although very beautiful and an interesting insight into the world of glassmaking.

I was excited to read a new book by Tracy Chevalier, and this has really delivered against that anticipation.

Orsola Rosso lives in Murano, over the lagoon from Venice, in the late 15th century. Orsola is daughter to a glassmaker father who is the current maestro of the Rosso house, with her brothers being trained to take over one day Glass making is not an activity for women, but Orsola pushes against this trend, secretly learning to make glass beads, which although small soon take on their worth in the family business.

I loved all the descriptions of the crafting of glass-making, clearly a lot of research has enabled Tracy Chevalier to portray the sights, sounds and feeling of the environment, and the rivalry between the various Muranese glass making families.

The characters are well written and vivid, all different, some to like, some to dislike, all with a variety of relationships going on.

The really brilliant and clever thing about this book is the use of time - Murano is trapped in its own little world, and hence the time of the narrative stays continual throughout Murano while the rest of the world moves on, so we move through the centuries and historical changes, all while Orsola carries on through her life. This is so well written, particularly with regard to her relationship with Antonio, her lover who moves to the mainland and how he continues to communicate with her across both land and time. So cleverly crafted, and brings a sweet conclusion to the story.