Firstly I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my free ARC.

This story is told in time alla Veneziana. Pay attention to this as it’s how the story of this glassmaking family is told, skipping a stone across the water of time so that we see them as they would be in different eras because time in Venice and its islands is somehow much slower, the inhabitants ageing more slowly than the rest of the world or terraferma. I enjoyed this unique way of storytelling.

Orsola Rosso is a young girl in a glassmaking family in Venice in 1486. She seems both to society and her family, an insignificant girl. When her father dies suddenly and the incapable Marco takes over the family business, her mother sends her to the only female glassmaker that she knows, Maria Barovia. Under this formidable woman’s mentoring and her cousin Elena’s tutelage, Orsola becomes the woman no one could have suspected, that will save the family. When her true love Antonio is overlooked for servente in the glassmaker hierarchy he decides to leave for terraferma, but it is a crime against Murano to take its glass making secrets to another land. The only way she knows he is still alive, is by the irregular yet reassuring delivery of tiny perfectly formed glass dolphins across time. This love story is present by its absence as the stone skips across the water of time, as we see the family survive plague, scandal, trade restrictions, occupation and more.

This is an enchanting book, compelling and inspiring. The protagonist Orsola is an extremely likeable character, a powerful woman trapped in a time when women were suppressed, but nevertheless enduring and resilient. It is Orsola’s journey that transports the reader to Venice and the island of Murano. This is a magnificent story, right to the final few words, absolutely magical and mesmerising.

I highly recommend The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier.

A brilliant book about a place I love and which I learned much more about over several centuries.
I worried at first that the compressing of time in Murano woul dbe a problem, but it's well done and in fact a very clever device that lets the thread of bead making continue without the need to introduce new characters for each generation. Thorougly recommended.

‘The Glassmaker’ is a beautifully written narrative that focuses on Orsola Rosso and her family of glassmakers residing in Murano (an island neighbouring the far more famous Venice - a place that the Muranese seem to both deplore and need in order to survive). It initially starts in 1486 and Chevalier introduces the stunning metaphor that runs through the whole book: of a stone skimming across the water, only in this instance it skims time. Indeed, it quickly becomes apparent that time works differently on Murano and Orsola picks up the glass trade and learns how to make beads for some of the most illustrious visitors to Venice, including Giacomo Casanova and Josephine Bonaparte.

Spanning centuries, this book deals with the gripping themes of family, identity, love and battling for survival. It also strongly evokes the history of this part of Italy, as well as the craft of glassmaking in a fascinating and often beguiling way. Fans of Tracy Chevalier (like me!) will not be disappointed as her rich prose and wonderfully flawed characters feature strongly in this gripping read. I couldn’t put it down!

A captivating masterpiece of historical fiction, that transported me to the island of Murano in Venice. Beautifully written and imaginative with well developed characters, ambitious plot lines but also with accurate references to history. A lot is packed in and the ending felt a little rushed.

Tracy Chevalier is not an author I have read before, though like many others I was aware of her work through the excellent "Girl With A Pearl Earring" cinema adaptation from 2003 - released four years after the publication of what was her second novel.

"The Glass Maker", her latest offering, is a love story to glass, Venice and it's artisan work place of Murano, covering 500 years, seen through the perspective of a single family, the Rosso's.

Unlike those who have gone before telling tales detailing the history of regions and cities like James Michener or Edward Rutherford where we see the evolution through generations of the same or associated families Ms Chevalier allows the ever changing Rosso household to maintain the same characters throughout the years, whilst around them the rest of the world changes impacted by events such as the Black Death, Napoleon's annexation, the Great War and on to the more recent restrictions and tragedies wrought by Covid.

It's an interesting plot device that I at first struggled with as I'd not seen it coming , but once I'd taken the first skip of the stone (no spoilers but if you do pick up this novel you'll see where I'm coming from), it became an acceptable form of Deux Machina to tell the story that maybe one day will make for another great Movie or Limited Series to stream and enjoy at our leisure.

A lot happens in the telling of the tale, without anything much happening at all, though on the closing page there's a scene that might bring a lump to the odd throat, or a tear to a dust free eye...though if you were to ask me what was the point of it all I'd scratch my head and refer you back to my second paragraph above...but I'd not stop you from grabbing a copy to learn and, as I did, enjoy the read.

A well written novel about glassmaking and one of the many glassmaking families. Step into a world of joy, sorrow and craftsmanship. If you can look past the time warp it truly will keep you hooked, hoping and celebrating with the glassmaker family and their many acquaintances.

I found that I had to ignore the aspect of the book which has people from Murano and Venice living in a time warp. Having put that aside though, "The Glassmaker" is at it's heart a potted history of the islands of the Venice lagoon. The family connections of the Rossos are what pull everything together as we travel through 5 centuries. Orsola Rosso is the main character; she is a girl from a glass-making family on Murano who would like to be a glassmaker herself. We learn how the glass trade changed through time, and the trials and tribulations of those involved.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Such a beautifully written, atmospheric read. I loved the detail, the emotion and the intricacies of each character. I didn’t see the ending coming.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this, in exchange for an honest review.

In this new story from historical fiction author Tracy Chevalier, we follow the Rossos, a family of Murano glassmakers, from the height of Renaissance-era Italy to present day.

Adding a touch of magic to the book, Chevalier has time slow down on the island, so that 500 years on the mainland correspond to about 50 years for our main protagonist, Orsola Rossi. We therefore get to see the history of Murano and Venice through the experience of a single character.

This book was clearly well researched and, having visited Venice and Murano recently, it was a pleasure to read about all the things I had seen. I enjoyed learning more about the glass trade and following the tribulations of the Rossi family. I did however feel as though the pacing was slightly off, with more interesting time periods such as The Plague or Covid given less time.

A recommended read for fans of Tracy Chevalier, Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist, and historical fiction with strong female characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed some of Tracy Chevalier's novels in the past but really struggled with this novel, which follows the fortunes of a female glassmaker from the Rosso family on Murano.
Her ability to transport you into certain eras and to describe complicated processes are expertly done but, for me, the narrative plodded, with more telling than showing.
The device of showing the same characters through the centuries, hardly ageing, didn't work for me, as there was no reference to this in their everyday lives, apart from a omnipresent narrator at the beginning of each section. It seemed forced, artificial, and I think it would have been much more interesting, readable and brave if she had followed the dynasty generation by generation or gone the whole hog and done a Matt Haig-type How To Stop Time treatment.

I was totally gripped by "The Glassmaker" by Tracy Chevalier. I feel as if this will be a big hit when it comes out and it has all the qualities that would make a great film too. Ok, there are some marmite elements in the book - the book spans 500 years yet we stick with the same characters throughout. I loved this element but can easily understand that it might be off-putting to others. The author invites the reader to imagine a stone skimmed across the lagoon and each time it touches the water, we drop in on Orsola and her family and friends and see how life as glassmakers has changed. However, it is a love letter to Murano and glassmaking techniques over the centuries. I was totally immersed and have a new-found respect for artisanal families.

This is a fascinating account of glass making on the island of Murano, just outside of Venice, set initially in the 15th Century when the book begins. Orsola Rosso and her family are glasss makers, and thanks to the author's research, we learn much about the industry and its repercussions on the lives of the Muranese.
At the start of each chapter, we are invited to imagine a stone being skimmed across the water to Venice; and each skim has the background moving forward into new centuries, a clever literary device. The Rosso family do not progress in the same way as Venetian time, and only age a few years at each progression. So there is the impact of each successive time element upon the family and their lives, and in particular that of Orsolo, a female glass bead maker, at times when women were not supposed to be involved in the industry.
I enjoy historical fiction and I was fascinated by the descriptions of Murano and the history of glass making; and could visual some of it, having visited Venice and Murano. And terrafirma too, as the mainland is called. I also enjoyed translating the Italian phrases with the help of the glossary at the end.
I'm not sure the time changes worked for me. Although I enjoyed the story, the plots, the characters, I I did find the different times slightly frustrating especially as the central family didn't move forward. Time alla Venezia was supposedly very different to time on Murano and on terrafirma! But it wasn't bad enough to detract from the overall enjoyment of the book and I was sad to finish it.
Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC of this book; all views are my own.

Really disappointing read. A very interesting topic and I did learn some things about glassmaking in murano and I’m definitely more aware of glass!
Unfortunately the characters were stereotypes and I couldn’t get involved in their lives. A struggle to finish

Tracy Chevalier needs no introduction, such is her acknowledged ability to convey a convincing narrative in her highly successful historical fiction novels. In The Glassmaker Ms Chevalier deploys an unusual plot device that enables a span of centuries to be encompassed within the evolving story, but focusing on characters who age only slowly over the period, rather than the more conventional story told through successive generations. In this reviewer’s opinion this is more effective in the earlier centuries and, perhaps less so as the novel approaches the present day. However, such is the skill and fluency of the author’s writing that the overall effect is successful and clever without feeling as contrived as would be the case from a less successful author.
Recommended.

If you are prepared to take this novel as it comes, it is a real treat. Tracy Chevalier does historical fiction really well and you can find out a lot about Venice, Murano and glassmaking through the ages through the story of Orsola who ages much more slowly than the world. Not really believable but the author gets away with it because she writes so well. One strength of this book is the Chevalier's solid knowledge of history. Others are the beautiful descriptions and the relatable characters. It provides you with a couple of hours of pleasant reading and you even might find your perspective of Venice slightly changed.

This book follows one family over 500 years. A lovely historical novel set in Murano and Venice it is beautifully written and obviously researched so well. A great read
Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy

This author always delivers original and gripping stories and this is no exception. I love reading about Venice, and here we have a potted history of sorts, intertwined with the story of Murano glassmakers, some of the characters based on real life. We are told to expect an elastic time scale, and we are not to be surprised by the magic of the city of water.
We follow one family through many turbulent times, our heroine falls in love, and must make difficult choices, she takes on glassmaking, a trade reserved for men at the time. Real people from history make an appearance, and through all the times of pestilence and high water, Venice shines, reflected in its waters, resilient and splendid despite the decay and neglect.
It makes me want to go back to other books about La Serenissima, and dip into the magic again.

I was totally immersed in Murano, Venice and the history of glassmaking for four day.s. I loved every second - this is one of those books where you want to savour every sentence. No skim reading needed here. Ms Chevalier always does such thorough research - even learning the art of glassmaking herself and boy does it show. I escaped from the daily stresses life throws at you and was transported to Italy - the islands and terraferma throughout several centuries. This is a totally different approach - no time slip here and no spoilers are going to be given by me. But the author employs a very clever device to depict the changes in glassmaking caused by significant events in history. I found the whole thing fascinating and did not want it to end.. again I am eagerly anticipating this author’s next novel and wonder where I am to be taken to next time. An easy 5 stars from me!

The Glassmaker - Tracy Chevalier for publication 12 Sept 2024

Following one family of glassblowers from the 15th century to the present day this is a fabulous read. But this is not an ordinary family saga as such, this takes the same characters ageing them slowly through the centuries playing with time. They live through the plague, various invasions, financial ruin, floods, better times, war and betrayals. The story is about the whole Rosso family but in particular the women. especially Orsola and her strive to belong to an industry that is predominantly run by men, It is how her determination in the making of glass beads to help her family survive the centuries through good times and bad that takes centre stage.

I found the concept of seeing the same characters through such a long length of time difficult to get my head round. But seeing Venice through the defining years of Venetian and world history made it a fascinating, creative and unputdownable read.

As always with Tracy the extensive research paid off with a beautifully written tale investing you in the characters and making you know and understand Venice as though you truly lived there.

Thank you to Netgalley for a preview copy.

Tracy Chevalier is a brilliant storyteller.
This story tells the history of an extended Murano glassmaking family.
This is the story of glassmaking in Murano and the rest of the world.
This is the story of the history of Venice and its place in the world.
This is the story of various celebrities who visited Venice.
This is the story of the world in the last 500 years or so.
Somehow the author managed all of the above in a highly readable, totally enjoyable way.
I loved everything about the novel, apart from the 'trick' that was used to keep the main protagonist alive for the length of the story.
Lovers of fantasy will love this mechanism too.
Forgiving the author this 'trick' I must say that it worked if the reader can overlook it.
A brilliant story encompassing all of the things listed above.
I could not bring myself to giving this five stars because of my disquiet about the 'trick' but it was really close.
Many thanks to the author for many hours of enjoyment.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.