If you loved The Girl With The Pearl Earring you will love The Glassmaker. Tracey Chevalier's historical novels are always different as she homes in on her characters' personal stories and The Glassmaker is no exception. Here she tells the tale of a glassmaking family on the island of Murano near Venice from the 15th century up to the present day. The main character is a woman, Orsola Rosso, who determines to make glass even though it is the prerogative of the male members of her family to do so. She lives through the history of Venice and these events are thoroughly researched but never overwhelm Orsola's personal story. Highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/The Borough Press for the opportunity to read and review

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/10/03/review-the-glassmaker-by-tracy-chevalier/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: A Beautiful History of Murano/Venice

If you enjoy reading historical fiction with a slight twist then The Glassmaker might be just what you’re looking for, plus, I love Venice so couldn’t resist this. Tracy Chevalier has a lovely way with words and I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read by her previously. She clearly does her homework and the stories always stand out, full of remarkable imagery that bring the period to life. The Glassmaker is no exception. A very enjoyable story that follows one family from as far back as 1486 right up to the present day.

Now, this story could have easily become cumbersome. This is a long time period to follow but what the author has actually managed to do with this story is keep it simple. How did she manage this, she uses the same family members, we see them at different periods of time when events are taking place that lead to success or downfall, some of them die along the way, a few new members are added through marriage and childbirth, but, for the most part, the key names remain. It’s difficult to really explain how Chevalier has achieved this other than to use her own description. These characters are not immortals and this story doesn’t contain the supernatural. We witness the family, usually as they are at a key moment in time, we then skip forward, a little like skimming a rock across a pond, and pick up from a different point in history. I guess it’s as though this family has a time machine of their very own, or perhaps it’s easier to think of it as the time simply being compressed together allowing our main character to bring us simply to the present day.

Anyway, we follow Orsola Rosso, the eldest daughter in a family of glassmakers on the island of Murano. As we start the Rosso’s story the year is 1486 and Orsola is deep in the throes of family life. A young girl still, she steps inside the workshop of one of the family’s main competitors, here she meets a woman who changes her life in the future.

In the time the story begins it was forbidden for women to become glassmakers, it was also forbidden for glass to be made anywhere else in Venice other than Murano, predominantly due to the fire hazard from the roaring furnaces. There is one family where a woman practices glassmaking – very successfully – and she encourages Orsola who eventually resorts to bead making – at first to make a little extra money to help the family, but then becoming a gifted maker with a keen eye for detail. Orsola’s glass making takes her through times of trouble and family highs. She falls in love, is eventually married and has a daughter of her own and experiences many events that have helped to shape the Venice we know today.

What I really enjoyed about this.

FIrstly, the writing. I do like this author very much. She’s a talented storyteller and although I might not have thought I was interested in glassmaking she certainly pulled me into this story. Of course this is about so much more than the glass. Venice has a fantastic history and many of the events that came to pass are highlighted here, mainly to show the effect this had on families and businesses alike.

The first incident was the plague. This was such an interesting storyline to read. The Rosso family were one of the first to succumb and those infected were taken to a different island, the remaining family members being boarded up into their home and made to quarantine for forty days. We also see changes in power, invasions and of course some famous characters, including Josephine Bonaparte and Casanova.

So we have all these intriguing events that I loved and they’re all compressed into the lifetime of this one family. Of course, the author could have gone down the more traditional route of the family growing, dieing, changing, etc, but there’s a simplicity here that I thought worked really well. You’re not struggling to remember copious names or moving forward from characters that you’ve already become attached to. We stay with Orsola and she’s a character that is easy to like. She works hard and has her ups and downs with her family members, particularly her eldest brother who is very arrogant and becomes the head of the family following the death of their father. We also have a love interest where Orsola’s heart is captured which takes a different route than I anticipated.

The historical details are really captivating but also what I loved was the differences and significance given to the Venetians because of the fact that they live on the water. I really liked the way this was given focus. Particularly in the earlier parts of the story when travel was not so easy. Of course, gondolas still populate the canals of Venice but these are aimed more at tourists these days than necessity.

I don’t want to say too much more about the story. I found myself becoming fully immersed in Orsola’s story, sometimes feeling frustrated on her behalf but also enjoying her highlights. If you enjoy historical fiction then I definitely recommend this.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

A ode to Venice, craftsmanship and female perseverance. Starting in Venice, 1486, we follow Orsola Rosso and her family as she tries to save their glassmaking business. The narrative skips through time like stones skip on water, while the family’s trials stay the same. Chevalier captures the magic of Venice. I loved this book and was very touched by the ending. You’ll feel transported and travel through time, you may become sentimental about dolphins and you’ll miss this world once you’ve finished. With thanks to @netgalleyuk and @harpercollinsuk.

I have always loved stories of families and their histories, especially when the characters are wonderfully constructed, and The Glassmaker brings a truly original storytelling technique with its time skips, which may be quirky, but work well to carry the plot and to add variety into the story.
This plot device worked well to underline that life is nothing but a series of events or choices that determine its direction. And if you were born a woman, particularly centuries ago, many such choices are taken away from you.
Here, the majority of the significant events in Orsola's life are the result of either unavoidable incidents, or of choices made by the men and others in her life whose voice matter more than hers.
There is one choice that Orsola makes, which haunts her for the rest of her life, even though she ends up living contented one, with a good man who loves and cares for her deeply, undemanding of passion or love that she can never give him. This bittersweet theme, no matter how realistic and poetic, somewhat spoiled my enjoyment of the story against another slightly bigger issue: the one I have with Antonio. To the pragmatist in me, he chose to pursue his own path in life and then held Orsola as an emotional hostage for decades, never letting her be free to enjoy her life. Had he really loved her, surely he would have wanted her to be happy and after all, first loves are usually just that. Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I've had this issue with other books too- from my perspective, when relationships end, whether by choice or not, it's only fair to move on and make the most of life and I've always considered one party's unwillingness to allow the other to do so somewhat callous.
Aside from this, having visited Venice a few times I adored being able to visualise the backdrops of this story and to let my imagination fill the gaps around the centuries that separated me from Orsola and her family during the course of the story. There are many cultural references in this book that I found to be really accurate, so again, kudos to Tracy Chevalier's research skills- although I must admit that on a purely selfish level, I would have loved more references to Italian history rather than the wider context of events around the world that everyone is all too familiar with. Still, there are some very nice touches such as the plague, with its echoes of Alessandro Manzoni's 'I Promessi Sposi', Napoleon's influence on Venice and the advent of WWI and what this meant to Italian families which resonated with me.
The Glassmaker is an incredibly well written and original book, set around a unique place, with vivid characters who inject as much life into the story as they do into Venice itself.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

As I turned the final page of “The Glassmaker” by Tracy Chevalier, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction. The novel, set against the backdrop of the vibrant glassmaking industry, drew me in with its rich historical detail and compelling characters. Chevalier’s ability to weave intricate narratives around historical events is truly remarkable.

Orsola's journey from a novice to a master glassmaker was both inspiring and heart-wrenching, more so as she was a female in a predominately male business. I found myself rooting for her, feeling her triumphs and setbacks as if they were my own. The descriptions of the glassmaking process were so vivid that I could almost feel the heat of the furnace and see the molten glass taking shape.

However, I found the time-travelling aspect a little confusing and did not really see what it added to the story, focussing on future dependents of Orsola would have worked just as well rather than moving her and her family forwards in time.

Overall, “The Glassmaker” is a beautifully crafted novel that offers a fascinating glimpse into a unique craft. It’s a story of perseverance, artistry, and the human spirit, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Tracy Chavelier being Tracy Chevalier at her absolute best. It takes huge skill to pull off the central device (one character's lifetime spans centuries) and in lesser hands it might be (oh god) whimsical but with writing this good and characters this real and a setting as irresistible as Venice you can't go wrong. A perfect book to lose yourself in.

An interesting book! I really enjoy historical novels and, as I have visited Venice and Murano, the setting was particularly appealing. The author's attention to detail and meticulous research is commendable and I was drawn in to the story of Orsola and her family. However, this is also a time slip novel with the storyline skipping forward several years or, in some instances, centuries. Orsola is 9 years old when we meet her and the timslips mean that she not only ages through the story but is also deposited into the future along with her family, from 1486 to the present day. This part of it didn't really work for me. The story of the family carries on as you would expect but I'm not sure what the timeslips add to the story other than giving an interesting glimpse into the ups and downs of the history of Venice, Murano and the glassmaking industry. This is interesting, however, it's almost like the family live in a bubble in amongst it (the film Brigadoon kept coming into my head for some reason). It's the little things that didn't quite come together, although phones, flights, new bridges etc are mentioned, there isn't an impression of the family actually living modern lives. I'm probably not explaining myself very well but I felt that I'd have enjoyed it more as a multi generational novel. It's a clever idea and I did enjoy the history but it fell a bit short for me and I have to agree with some other reviewers that the ending felt a little rushed.

Murano in 1496 is the setting of this breathtaking novel by Tracy Chevalier. Our protagonist, Orsola Rosso, comes from a long line of glassmakers and aspires to follow in her family's footsteps. Orsola finds her calling with unwavering determination as she crafts multi-colored glass beads. She matures into an expert in the field in a world where glass is mostly a man work where skills are very protected for their incredible commercial value for the Venetians.
Yet there is a fascinating turn to the story: it shifts from the great plague to the Covid era, all the while keeping Orsola at its core, by utilising the metaphor of a stone skimming the water. At first, I found it maybe a bit disorientating, but after some thought, I realised that this story concept was fantastic. It recreates the ebb and flow of Murano and Venice through the ages, illuminating the triumphs and tragedies that have shaped this region.
The compelling historical backdrop that Tracy Chevalier always uses in her writings is what made this one so interesting.
Orsola is supported by an impressive cast, including her husband Stefano, her loving fisherman Antonio, the trader Klingenberg, the gondolier Domenego, her fascinating family and many real historical characters like Maria Barovier, Casanova, Napoleon and Josephine. Throughout 500 years of history, they depict the evolution of Venice and Murano and its inhabitants' social lives, economic fortunes, and natural surroundings.
The concept of time travel was brilliant, and I loved the novel for it. Once again, it was a pleasure to follow this incredibly gifted author through yet another great book.

A story that is a little different. I really enjoyed this book which involves a family of glassmakers based on the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon. The story spans a significant time frame from the early use of glass to present times. Or sold Rosso is the main character who guides the Rosso family through the plague,, great floods, and general hardship. The time travel relates to a stone skimming across the lagoon. A very enjoyable book recommended.

I’ve read several of Tracy Chevalier’s previous books including her most well-known novel, The Girl with the Pearl Earring. What those books demonstrate is her ability to create stories that draw you in and to capture the essence of a period, whether that’s 17th century Delft, 1930s Winchester or 19th Century Ohio.

In The Glassmaker she attempts to do more than that with a story that encompasses centuries but focuses on a set of characters (chiefly the Rosso family but also a few others in their ‘bubble’) who age at a slower rate than the world around them. The author likens this to skipping a stone over water meaning that we see the history of Murano glassmaking and of Venice evolve through the centuries whilst remaining with the same small cast of characters. The book thus takes the reader from the 15th century to almost the present day. I confess I struggled with the concept as we got further away from the fifteenth century and modern technology became more of a feature. The last section set in a flooded Venice in 2019 felt like a bit of an add-on in order to introduce the impact of climate change.

The book’s main character, Orsola Rosso, daughter of a family who have been involved in glassmaking for centuries, faces the obstacle experienced by pretty much all women at the time: her gender prevents her pursuing her ambitions and restricts her independence. It even removes her freedom to choose with whom she should spend her life, the interests of the family coming before her own desires. The prospect of a life filled with household chores fills her with dismay.

However, encouraged by a woman who has defied convention, Orsola begins to learn the craft of glass beadmaking, work that doesn’t require a furnace like the other objects produced in the family’s factory. Her brother Marco considers beads an inferior product although as time goes on Orsola’s work proves its value to the family when tastes change and Murano no longer has a monopoly on glassmaking.

The 16th century sees the arrival of the plague in Venice and this, for me, was the most gripping section of the book. The inhabitants of Murano pray that the stretch of water that divides them from the city will protect them, but it is not to be. The Rosso family experience loss, separation and the rigors of quarantine on an island that is not self-sufficient. Some members of the family are never quite the same afterwards, physically or psychologically.

I loved learning about the process of glassmaking which the author has clearly researched in exhaustive detail. Although Murano is easily accessible today, for its inhabitants in earlier times it was very separate from Venice, not just geographically but culturally. When Orsola makes her first visit to Venice she feels very much an outsider, confused by the layout of the city and its busy streets and waterways. And the notion of visiting the mainland – terrafirma – fills her with terror despite her curiosity.

Even if the structure didn’t completely work for me, The Glassmaker is an intriguing story of a family, of a city and a craft over the centuries and entwined within it is a bittersweet romance.

I dont usually like historical fiction but this was very engaging and I loved it. The time twist worked in the end but I found it very jarring to begin with. I like the characters very much and felt they were quite vivid and the position of women in tines through the ages made a good point.

A wonderful, evocative story, set in Murano and Venice, it was a delight to read. Historical, fascinating, family and glass. It brought back memories of visiting Venice and showed behind the scenes of glass making.
Highly recommend, thank you

An enchanting and beautiful wander through Venice, its well known lagoon and the stunning glassmaking island of Murano.

Venice in 1486, a time when the glassmaking industry was dominated by men and very few women were known for their glassmaking skill or art.

This wonderful piece of historical fiction weaves you through the cobbled streets of Venice and the glassmaking workshops of Murano where we follow Orsola Rosso and generations of her family as they endure war, disease, overcome loss, build wonderful friendships and create family bonds like no other.

Orsola, inspired by Maria, a rare female glassmaker, learns her craft in secret and defies all traditions in the glassmaking world.

I fell in love with Orsola, a woman with a fierce determination, selfless, protective and a love for her family and her home, Murano.

An absolute delightful triumph.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this ARC.

A beautifully written and well researched account of the history of glass making in Murano through the lives of a typical, but fictional, family of glass makers on the island. Travelling through about 500 years of history, the novel presents the personal impact of social and political events on the family and their struggles throughout this time period until the present day. I now also want a small murano dolphin

If you have ever visited Murano or Venice and been fascinated by either then consider reading this book. If you like Tracy Chevalier's books then again this read this book. Like her previous books I found the descriptions of life in earlier times fascinating and I felt fully immersed in the lives of the Rosso glassmaking family with her well-drawn characterisations. Orsola, the central character in this story is a sympathetic character, someone who I wanted to succeed and thrive even when it sometimes felt against the odds (think plague, floods, the pandemic - in this book she experiences the all). The only thing that is making me mark this down from a 5 to a 4 (probably a 4 1/2) is the unusual approach Tracy Chevalier took in this book - to set the passing of Orsola's 60 years over a 500 year period. In this way Chevalier is able to pass comment on many key issues in Venetian history including upon the impact of the plague, upon Austrian rule and upon the pandemic. I love books set in two or three historical periods, where in the future we look back into the past. This book adopts a different approach requiring us to have the imagination to consider Orsola and her family live in special 'Venetian time'. And so Orsola, born 500 years ago has a granddaughter in 2020 who is glued to her phone like other teenagers ... just not believable to me that (a) this would happen (and I appreciate that we are expected to suspend belief) but also (b) that Orsola would take the technological changes in her stride in the way this book suggests. Despite these criticisms I did still very much enjoy the book and I am grateful to Netgalley for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Glass Maker is an enchanting work of historical fiction that explores the life of Orsola, a passionate glassmaker on Murano Island. Set against a backdrop where glassmaking is often undervalued, the novel follows Orsola’s journey through triumphs and losses, showcasing her love and drive for her craft.

Chevalier’s extensive research and personal visits to glassmakers enrich the narrative, allowing readers to delve deep into the complexities of Orsola's world. The story transcends time, chronicling the family's endurance through decades of change and challenges, offering an authentic glimpse into their lives.

The vivid descriptions and well-crafted plot draw the reader in, making the intricate details of glassmaking surprisingly compelling. Chevalier’s skilful writing makes this beautifully structured novel a gripping read that celebrates both family dynamics and artistic passion.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

This was a beautifully crafted novel that played with time and structure to chart the lives of a glassmaking family. Beginning in the 1400s, it charts the lives of the glassmaking Rosso family, as they learn to adapt and preserve glassmaking as time goes on.

This felt a very intimate read, that conjured up stunning descriptions of Murano and Venice. Chevalier focuses on the Rosso family and carefully depicts the painstaking, intricate and time-consuming process of glass-blowing and making and its part in Venetian and Murano identity and heritage. The author has tried out glassmaking herself, and it really feels like she writes from experience and research, creating very realistic and readable insight into this fascinating craft.

There’s moments of hope and success, such as Orsola’s independence in being able to make and sell her own glass, and moments of heartbreak and terror, such as death and the devastating plague.

In her acknowledgements, Chevalier acknowledges the challenges when “ you mess around with time”. At times it felt a little odd how the world changed centuries and yet the characters only aged by a decade or so. I understand the aim of the author, and her choice to use this narrative as an original literary technique that separates the world of the glassmakers. It worked in showing the challenges faced by glassmakers across the centuries and how modernization presents both challenge and opportunities, going right up to the 2022 pandemic. But it did feel a little disjointed at times and took me some time to grasp.

That said, I think this was a wonderful homage to a fascinating craft for skilled artists that has endured for centuries. And Chevalier’s story transports us into that world and makes for a gorgeous read.

What struck me the most about The Glassmaker was the very ingenious way of storytelling! I was drawn into the story of the Rosso family spanning generations and giving the readers the experience how it is to be a glassmaker in Murano through the different centuries that had passed. The book is exquisitely well-researched and the details meticulously described, that it felt like I was living Orsola Rosso's life. I really loved this book a lot and I hope it gets to be made into a tv-series one day!

This is a beautifully written, fascinating, inventive, book. It tells the story of Orsola Rosso, a woman from a Murano glassmaking family. The book starts in 1486, in a time when women weren’t supposed to make glass. Due to some challenges, Orsola learns the art of bead making, to try to support her family financially.
Time flows differently in Murano, so while Orsola ages conventionally, the timeline around her keeps skipping forward, taking us through Venetian history to the present day. Historical facts are blended with fictional characters in a fascinating way. Initially I thought this was quite a weird plot device, but once I’d settled into it, I loved how the family remained constant, while the world raged around them - exploring how some things never change, even when the world does.
Chevalier’s writing is beautiful. I’ve also learnt a lot of Venetian swear words and an awful lot about glass. I imagine the timeline choices will put some people off, but I loved this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The story starts in Venice in 1486, trade in glass is booming and Orsola, the eldest daughter of a glass-making family wishes to follow in their footsteps.
With encouragement from her mentor, Maria Barovier she secretly does lamp work and self teaches herself to make beads to help support her family.
With a fluid, time skipping pattern to the novel we follow the Orsola family highs and lows as they jump from misfortune to better times, from tragedy, loss and heartbreak to family joys.
Through plague, world wars, COVID, the plotline weaves its meandering way through history right up to the present day.
I absolutely adored this, this lady doesn't write a bad novel.
Her books are always so finely detailed and the narrative so dense with historical background.
I don't think I've ever read an author who so skillfully weaves fiction with fact to simultaneously make the story flow like a tale, yet also makes it seem you are reading a non fic history book at the same time.
I always end her novels feeling like I've read a cracking good story but am full to the brim of fascinating historical facts too.
Wonderful.