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The Glassmaker

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The Glassmaker

By: Tracy Chevalier
Narrated by: Juliet Aubrey
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About this listen

'Ingenious' THE TIMES, Book of the Year

'Sparkling'OBSERVER

'A triumph… beyond admiration' PHILIP PULLMAN

'Spellbinding…. Chevalier at her fabulous best' ELIF SHAFAK

'As finely wrought as a dazzling Murano bead… one of the reigning queens of historical fiction' INDEPENDENT

‘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 learning to handle.

Women are not meant to work with glass, but Orsola Rosso flouts convention to save her family from ruin. She works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. But perfection may take a lifetime.

Skipping like a stone through the centuries, we follow Orsola as she hones her craft through war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.

The beads she creates will adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna – but will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?

Tracy Chevalier is a master of her own craft, and The Glassmaker is vivid, inventive, spellbinding: a virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as their glass.

©2024 Tracy Chevalier (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
Historical Fiction Feel-Good Funny Heartfelt Witty Thought-Provoking War City
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What listeners say about The Glassmaker

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Tracy Chevalier is the master! What a story and a bonus history of Venice at the same time. So clever.

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Great historical novel

I loved the attention to detail of the Murano glassmakers, the clever use of the passages of time over centuries but maintaining the same family characters. The depth of knowledge of glassmaking is incredible. A most enjoyable read, I have learned so much and have Venice and Murano on my bucket list now!

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Engaging

An enjoyable listen with excellent narration. However I didn't get the time slip thing at all & found it unfathomable & confusing.

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Clever use of time travel

Great story once you allow yourself to time travel and accept the possibility of that. The use of that device is interesting if a little disconcerting at first but with acceptance works well

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A fascinating book to listen to

Once you have grasped how the time jumps forward and our heroine only ages just a few years, you are drawn in to the history of Venice and Morano. Glassmaking progresses, the characters adapt to the age and from Plague to Covid you can’t stop being enchanted by the whole!

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Historical detail

Lots of details about glass work and the environment. Great characters and progression of their lives. Liked the way history was involved in the main characters.

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The glass bead game

I loved the narration from
the best Dorothea Brooke ever. I liked the premise and appreciated the amount of research TC did but perhaps too much detail. However, I do enjoy historical fiction from a female POV and the time travel theme from the plague to Covid.

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Beautiful Narration

This book is a journey through time, woven with believable characters and rich in detail.
The narration is just beautiful, making a really good book - an exquisite listen.

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Captivating story, beautifully read

This book was a true joy, I loved listening to it. Chevalier writes a very clever novel, taking the reader through 500 years of Venetian history whilst weaving the story of one woman and her glass making family through them all. She manages to travel centuries whilst linking the different parts of the story together, keeping the reader constantly wanting more.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable listen - beautifully read with a story that’s not pithy and superficial but not too dense and heavy either. I will definitely be choosing more of Tracey Chevalier’s books to listen to and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one.

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Glorious and Gleaming!

What a beautiful book. Having been a bead seller and collector, and after just returning from my first trip to Venice, this was the perfect listen; bringing to vibrant life the rich, and sometimes moving, history of Murano and Venice.

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