The Glassmaker
- Author Tracy Chevalier
- Narrator Juliet Aubrey
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date 12 September 2024
- Run Time 14 hours and 22 minutes
- Format x-book®
- Genre Family life fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Historical fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: health and illness, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Sense of place.
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What to expect
'Spellbinding' ELIF SHAFAK
'Ingenious' THE TIMES, Book of the Year
'Sparkling'OBSERVER
'A triumph' PHILIP PULLMAN
'As finely wrought as a dazzling Murano bead' INDEPENDENT
'Meticulously researched and evoking the beauty of the Venice lagoon’ PHILIPPA GREGORY
‘A spectacular feat, crafted by a maestra at the top of her game’ SPECTATOR
FROM THE GLOBALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
Venice, 1486.
Across the lagoon lies Murano. Time flows differently here – like the glass the island’s maestros spend their lives perfecting.
In secret, Orsola Rosso learns to craft glass. As a woman, she must flout convention to save her family from ruin. We follow her through hundreds of years of war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.
Skipping like a stone across the centuries, The Glassmaker is a virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as glass.
Critics Review
'A triumphu2026 a brilliant idea carried out with confidence and brio and a deep love of an extraordinary city. The ingenuity of the time-skipping is beyond admiration' PHILIP PULLMAN
'Spellbindingu2026. Chevalier at her fabulous best. A rich, vivid and gently enchanting novel' ELIF SHAFAK
'Ingeniousu2026 an absorbing story' THE TIMES, Book of the Year
u2018Sparklingu2026 a triumph of craftu2019 OBSERVER
u2018A spectacular feat, crafted by a maestra at the top of her gameu2019 SPECTATOR
'As finely wrought as a dazzling Murano beadu2026 reaffirm[s Chevalier's] status as one of the reigning queens of historical fiction' INDEPENDENT
'A time-skipping Venetian tour de force' GUARDIAN
'Meticulously researched and evoking the beauty of the Venice lagoon, the story challenges and transports the reader through time and place' PHILIPPA GREGORY
'One of our great period novelists'iNews
'Combining her storytelling gifts with her love of Venice, Chevaier has produced a memorable addition to her oeuvreu2019 SUNDAY TIMES, Nick Rennison
'Chevalier weaves a magical thread through this extraordinary cityu2019s history. A masterpiece' WOMAN & HOME
'Truly remarkable and richly enjoyableu2026 very clever' SCOTSMAN
u2018Reaffirms Chevalieru2019s skill in crafting engaging, evocative historical talesu2019 GLAMOUR
u2018Evocativeu2019 GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
u2018Mythicalu2019 CANDIS
u2018Beautifulu2019 PRIMA
u2018This inventive portrait of a woman and her city is mesmerisingu2019 PLATINUM
'This charming fable is at once a love story that skips through six centuries, and also a love song to the timeless craft of glassmaking. Chevalier probes the fierce rivalries and enduring loyalties of Murano's glass dynasties, capturing the roar of the furnace, the sweat on the skin, and the glittering beauty of Venetian glass' GERALDINE BROOKS
'Chevalier, one of our great storytellers, brings us unexpected worlds' AMY BLOOM
'Tracy Chevalier pens a novel as ambitious, audacious, and artistic as a Venetian glass gobletu2026 The Glassmaker is a thing of beauty' KATE QUINN
User Reviews
I must also praise the reader, Juliet Aubrey. Her delivery was smooth and measured with seamless transitions between English and Italian. An utter delight to listen to.
Fascinating setting of glassmaking in Murano told through one family but spanning 500 years in the outside world.
It felt like a multi-generational saga without the work of following the multiple generations.
Having recently listened to The Instrumentalist (another great book), I'm tempted to visit Venice, but I'm cutting back on air travel, which is consistent with the environmental sub-theme of this book.
Very enjoyable listen
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