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.

Orsala Russo is part of one of Murano’s glassmaking families. This unique novel follows her story and that of her family over hundreds of years time hopping through different periods of history. Difficult to explain but definitely one to savour!

I loved this book and the tale is told of Murano and Venice. The timeline was a little confusing at first but enjoyed having the same characters over such a long time span and how their lives had changed with how the world did. I've been aware of Murano glass but not really thought about the history of it and how it interacted with Venice.

A wonderful tale interlaced with history and beautifully told.

I was utterly absorbed by this beautiful historical novel, which follows the Rosso glassblowing family through several centuries - from the 15th, right through to the present 21st century. How can that be you might well ask, well you need to put reality aside and accept that like a magical ‘skipping stone’, Chevalier has used a time slip device so we can see the Rosso family, along with Murano and Venice change throughout the many ages. We witness changing affluences - the effects of plague, poverty, war, Napoleon’s invasion, Austrian take over, to post world wars independence. I loved the changes seen through the Gondola’s importance and in the architecture too - it’s as if the rotting and ruined palazzos have a life of their own, history drawn on those facades. It’s an odd concept, but one that surprisingly works. I particularly enjoyed clever parallel that a shifted from the medieval Plague, right through to comparable 21st century Covid and the challenges of global warming on the islands of Venice.

The history of glass making is central to the novel, and one which helps bind it throughout. (Perhaps my personal interest in art history made this particularly attractive to me.)Through learning about the importance of Glass making to the economy and lives of the Murano people, and here specifically the Rosso family, we see the importance of women in its history and the changing position they had in society. Orsolo, our wonderful main character, is a beautiful strong woman whom we can only admire. Her central role in saving the family several times over through glass bead making is one which I found fascinating.

The writing is so incredibly rich with atmosphere, scent and a rich tapestry of vivid colours which paint the picture of Orsola’s world and the life of the Muranese and Venetians. There’s also a very insular sense created through the shifting sense of space and time on their floating city, completely isolated from the terraferma, which is imagined as completely alien to Muranese life with their horses, then trains and stable ground.

I’ve focused a lot on the historical depth of the novel, but that’s not to say the characters aren’t also beautifully drawn. I could go on for some time as I really loved this novel and I’m more than happy to give it 5 stars - it’s enchanting and one which I highly recommend. Big thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

4/5 stars.
I enjoyed this story of Orsolo Rosso and her family set on Murano, near Venice.
I’d read The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chavalier many years ago and remember the great details she wove the that book of artist in Ghent.
The Glassmaker demonstrated similar very thorough research by the author and really set the scene of life in Murano and Venice and the work of the glass-maker families which I knew nothing about before reading this.
It focuses on Orsolo as the main character and her family and descendants as time moves from the 1440s and experience works events such as the plague, Industrial Revolution, world wars and to present time. A different type of book to the crime thrillers I normally read but enjoyable and certainly a memorable story.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have also published this review on Goodreads.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found the topic absolutely fascinating and the interesting take on narrative time, whilst at first a bit disorientating, was a great way to explore history of the Rosso family, glassmaking industry and of Venice and Murano. Having never visited Murano or Venice before, I was surprised by how vividly I was able to imagine the streets of Murano through time. Chevalier also has a real talent in crafting characters who are endearing but incredibly human - I will miss the cast of characters who have accompanied me through these pages. I will be recommending this to others and believe it is well worth a read.

First of all, can we take a moment to admire that stunning cover? Just as stunning is the story contained within its pages.

I was totally immersed in the story of Orsola Rosso and those dearest to her whilst I was reading. This is a story which spans more than 500 years and yet has the same characters as the focus of the story. Time moves differently in Venice and Murano, flows like molten glass, and you can say the same for time in this book. Tracy Chevalier has chosen a very clever way of keeping her characters at the centre of her book and while it’s perhaps not plausible in the real world, it works very effectively here.

I heard the author talk about The Glassmaker at the Edinburgh Book Festival recently and she spoke of how she was inspired to write about glassmaking when she learned of the few women glassmakers in an industry heavily dominated by men. Rather than be constrained by facts if she was writing about the women she researched, she chose instead to create the character of Orsola while including a real historical figure, Marietta Barovier the creator of the Rosetta Bead, as a mentor to her protagonist. This gave her freedom to use her imagination blending facts and fiction, and she has used her storytelling skills so creatively throughout the book.

The author clearly has a love of Venice and personal knowledge of ‘La Serenissima‘ and the nearby islands which she uses to great effect in the book. The way she has depicted Venice brings the sights, sounds and smells of the city vividly onto the page. Whatever the time period being written about, I felt I could imagine the heat of the workshops, the smell of the molten glass, the beauty of the city, the bustle of the markets and the songs and cries of the gondoliers. It was fascinating to read about the glassmaking industry and how crucial it was to Murano. I also learned a lot about Venetian history through the centuries which I didn’t know. The time period covered meant that Venice saw huge changes and yet some things remained the same: how much the people relied on trade (now tourism) for survival, the constant threat of rising waters, the way women have to prove themselves time and again.

The Glassmaker is a beautifully written book with memorable characters whether from Orsola’s extensive family or from those they meet including some rather famous names in history such as Casanova and Empress Josephine. It’s a story of enduring love in many forms. I so enjoyed reading about Orosola as she faced challenges and change and each time proved her resourcefulness. I loved this book just as much as I had anticipated. A wonderful read from one of my favourite historical fiction writers.

An exquisitely penned story set in stunning Murano Italy in the 1400s. The story follows Orsola, the daughter of a Murano glassmaker, as she attempts to undertake breadmaking in the world of glass dominated by men. The narrative follows ordinary time for much of Orsola's youth, taking her through the time of Plague, then we see her age only a few years, but time has jumped on by decades. chevalier plays with time using the analogy of a skimming stone jumping across the surface of water. It allows us the opportunity to watch the women of the family adapt to the changing outside world, with visits from the infamous Casanova, the introduction of the novel, world war, travel and the influx of tourism, the Covid pandemic, and much more all impacting the family. Written in such beautiful language, this book is a joy to read. #theglassmaker #tracychevalier #netgalley

Having loved The Girl with the Pearl Earring, I was thrilled to get a digital ARC of The Glassmaker. Chevalier has put a considerable effort into the glass making industry in Murano over the years with amazing attention to detail. Similarly the descriptions of Venice and Murano had me searching on the internet for images and maps (and searching for a possible visit!)
I struggled with the time shifts, it felt a little like it was trying too hard for me and I couldn’t quite buy into the fact that Orsola and her siblings only aged a few years over 5 decades. I did like Orsola’s character and her determination to master her craft and keep her family afloat.
I think I was hoping for a bit more action or for Orsola to experience a little more of life, but I guess being born at the time she was, her options were limited.
I did enjoy the ending of the book and thought it brouht things full circle.
Overall a pleasant read with some interesting history that I had not read about before.