The Glassmaker
‘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.
'A triumph… 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 -
'Spellbinding…. Chevalier at her fabulous best. A rich, vivid and gently enchanting novel' ELIF SHAFAK -
'Ingenious… an absorbing story' THE TIMES, Book of the Year -
”'Sparkling… a triumph of craft” - OBSERVER
”'A spectacular feat, crafted by a maestra at the top of her game” - SPECTATOR
'As finely wrought as a dazzling Murano bead… reaffirm[s Chevalier's] status as one of the reigning queens of historical fiction' INDEPENDENT -
'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 oeuvre” - SUNDAY TIMES, Nick Rennison
'Chevalier weaves a magical thread through this extraordinary city’s history. A masterpiece' WOMAN & HOME -
'Truly remarkable and richly enjoyable… very clever' SCOTSMAN -
”'Reaffirms Chevalier’s skill in crafting engaging, evocative historical tales” - GLAMOUR
”'Evocative” - GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
”'Mythical” - CANDIS
”'Beautiful” - PRIMA
”'This inventive portrait of a woman and her city is mesmerising” - 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 goblet… The Glassmaker is a thing of beauty' KATE QUINN -