Member Reviews
I really wanted to live this book because I heard great things about it! I love how it focused on the making of glass. However, there were a few scenes that made me really uncomfortable regarding the subject material. Thus, it would have been better had it not been in the book because I felt it to be unnecessary. Nevertheless, I recommend it for fans of M. J. Rose’s Tiffany Blues!
A well-written and fascinating glimpse into the world of the Tiffany girls, who designed and created some of Tiffany’s most memorable stained glass artwork in the late 1800s. This is an excellent blend of history and fiction, with an interesting story and characters that shed light on a little known piece of history. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis and Marie Benedict.
This was a fascinating, well-written historical story about the women who worked for the Tiffany glass company. I admired the strong female protagonist and the genuine problems they had to overcome in the novel. It was full of realistic situations that would have occured in that time and made for a fantastic read! Very much recommended!
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy to read for review!
Thank you to William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I love reading Historical Fiction and discovering new authors, so when I saw this book it fit the bill.
This book tells of the lives and struggles of New York women in the 1899 who worked for the Tiffany Glass Company.
I only knew a little bit about the Tiffany company prior to reading this book, so it was a really interesting look into the day to day lives of the girls who worked at the factory.
This wasn't my favorite Historical Fiction book that I ever read, but I really enjoyed reading it. There were a few slow parts, but I would defiantly read another book by this author.
Beautiful
Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this title. All opinions are my own.
Once on a business trip I chanced to spend the morning at a Tiffany museum in Florida. I meant it as a casual encounter to kill time waiting for a departing flight; it was magical. The panels, windows, lamps and vases were exquisitely lit and the glass selections made the scenes and shapes seem so realistic. Water than almost moved! Leaves in seasons with rich colors. Grapes vines, dragonflies, gardens of flowers. This as a background to reading a novel about glass cutters gave me an insider's perspective as the protagonists discussed their work. But the rich layer of interpersonal stories made the historical events even more compelling. The lives of shop girls was difficult and women were seeking opportunities that weren't always available to them. This book brilliantly highlighted the lives of several fictional young women against this historical time period. I truly enjoyed it!
Emilie flees Paris after her father becomes known as a famous art forger, implicating her by association. Once in New York, Emilie seeks employment at Tiffany’s, anxious to share his vision and artistic sense. Emilie becomes a Tiffany girl, one of the many employed by Tiffany, requiring a choice. If the woman married, she had to leave work, something that challenged the women who saw more for their futures. The book’s setting on 1899 New York played a part on the appreciation of the story, lending to the description of working women at that time. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Noble created a wonderful story that provided just a glimpse into the world of the Tiffany Glass Company. Readers meet three women whose lives converged in one workshop. Each of them was creative and had artistic abilities. Despite their own talents, none of the women received individual credit for their contributions or creations while working for Louis Comfort Tiffany. Even though they all worked at the Women's Division of the Tiffany Glass Company that wasn't what defined them. Noble artfully wrote three characters that could easily have been main characters in their own story. Clara, Grace, and Emilie each represented women who were attempting to obtain more than what was socially acceptable. By the end each woman had broken through that illustrious glass ceiling toward their ultimate goals.
The characters were engaging and their stories were compelling. This book was delightful for its insight and for the individual plotlines.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
I knew nothing about Tiffany glass before reading this story. I was immediately transported to a time very much unlike the present, but I had no trouble picturing what was happening. Emilie's story was heartbreaking, showing that the sins of our parents can truly tear our lives apart. Grace's fight to be seen for her talent, and not her gender, was very inspiring. I loved this!
I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
Content warnings: loss of a sibling, abortion, attempted suicide, mention of rape, alcoholic parents
Emilie Pascal is the daughter of a French art forger who flees Paris for New York City to work at Louis Comfort Tiffany's glass company. In NYC, she meets other Tiffany girls including Grace Griffith, an artist with a secret passion for drawing political cartoons. Emilie must keep her background a secret while Grace sneaks out of their boarding house to witness newsworthy events.
Emilie and Grace constantly fear being discovered and finally open up to each other about their passions and artistic interests outside of Tiffany. But when it is announced that the girls will go to Paris with the Tiffany exhibit at the 1899 Exposition Universelle, Emilie is concerned her past will catch up to her.
Filled with details about art and the struggles of people (especially women) living in New York City at the turn of the century, The Tiffany Girls is a great read for fans of women's historical fiction.
Representation: neurodivergent side character, pre-1900 career women
I knew nothing about the creating of the famous Tiffany glass prior to reading this book. and enjoyed reading about the real women behind the making of these beautiful works of art. As interesting as it was to learn about the making of this famed glass, I did find myself bored while reading these sections after a while which ended up making me a little bored with the book as a whole (never a good thing..) I had a hard time getting interested in the women’s stories which was a shame because I feel like that was more important that the actual making of the glass. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction and sadly this book didn’t improve my opinion of the genre. I do appreciate the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for giving me an early e-galley of the book
A fun and charming read, and a great choice if you want a feel-good story that gives you the warm fuzzies without ever getting saccharine and overwrought.
I’ve enjoyed Shelley Noble’s historical mysteries, and though this is decidedly lower stakes and pretty light on action, the vibes are similar and the pacing is great.
Noble does a great job of creating a story blending real historical figures with fictional characters loosely based on real people and making the whole thing both satisfying and believable. Louis Comfort Tiffany is one of those rare birds among men from this time period who is actually very easy to like, and Noble’s semi-fictional Tiffany Girls are lovable as well.
I would have liked the book to focus more on the art itself and the glass working processes and I think this was a little thin on the educational aspects that mark the best historical fiction, but it’s a fun and likable read.
This historical novel is set in 1899 and 1900. Emilie journeys from Paris to New York with a dream of working at Louis Comfort Tiffany’s glass studio, where she meets Grace, a fellow worker, and Clara Driscoll, the manager of the Tiffany Glass women’s division. That’s right, Tiffany stained glass windows, lamps, etc were largely made by an unsung group of women! Rotating between the three women, we learn more about Tiffany as well as what it was like to be a woman living in that time, and go on a journey about the personal lives of Emilie and Grace and some of their coworkers as well.
I have loved Tiffany stained glass since I first saw the Tiffany windows in the American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a teenager, and I had a poster of the Autumn Landscape hanging in my room throughout college and law school. So needless to say, I had to read this book as soon as o saw the title. And as I had never heard of the “Tiffany girls” it was a super interesting read.
With its NYC setting and mix of real settings and people with fictional people, this reminded me a bit of Fiona Davis’s books (though without the present day storyline that exists in most of her books). I was googling for images of the works being described throughout the book, and my only regret when I finished was that at least in my ARC, there was just a brief acknowledgements section but no historical note as I would have liked to know more about what/who was real and what was fictional - though perhaps that will be present in the final novel. Don’t worry though, I went on an internet deep dive after finishing the book!
I LOVE historical fiction. But recently I've been skipping it for other genres because they can be emotional and depressing for me. The Tiffany Girls isn't set during war and although it had emotional moments, it had an overall positive and uplifting feel. I highly recommend to any other history lovers.
Based on the real-life "Tiffany Girls," we get an in-depth look into the fascinating group of artistic women who worked to create the world-famous Tiffany pieces. The main character is Emilie Pascal, who recently traveled to New York to escape her abusive father. She knew she had no future in art in Paris as her father was an art forger and her name was sullied by association. She had previously seen a Tiffany exhibit and felt a deep connection to the art so after arriving in New York, she seeks employment at Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.
It's 1899 and the Paris World's Fair is coming up so the main focus at the studio are the pieces to be featured at the installation. Much of the novel follows the process of designing and creating Mr. Tiffany's Four Seasons stained glass window. The rest mostly revolves around the girls' everyday lives in and outside the workplace.
I loved that the side characters were just as interesting as Emilie. There's Mr. Tiffany himself, and Clara Driscoll, the studio supervisor and talented designer. My favorite was Grace Griffith, copyist and glass cutter who is secretly also a political cartoonist under a pseudonym as she has to hide her identity as a woman.
One of my favorite things about this novel is how well researched it is. I loved being able to read additional information about Mr Tiffany, Clara Driscoll, and the individual art pieces. The Four Seasons window was actually created and brought to Paris and it was neat being able to google photos of it and the other pieces talked about in the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
It’s 1899 and the Louis C Tiffany company is famous making beautiful mosaic glass artwork and lamps. He is preparing a stunning installation at the Paris World’s Fair and that means all hands on deck. The Women’s Division is working overtime to make sure each piece receives care and attention.
There are three main women- Emilie, a Parisian woman who comes to hide from her past. Grace, the best copyist, but draws political cartoons at night and is out at dangerous events to get the newest scoop to sell to newspapers. And Clara is the manager of the division, but she’s responsible for the biggest piece- a signature lamp with a special dragonfly motif.
I found this book fascinating! In a time when women were very underrepresented, it’s really refreshing to see that they held such important roles. Mr Tiffany paid ALL his employees fairly and because of that he had great worker retention. It was a little sad to see that they wouldn’t accept married workers and that as soon as a woman was engaged, she had to resign from working. That was definitely a sign of the time! I especially enjoyed Grace’s storyline because I loved her reporting on events around the city on the sly.
Many thanks to @suzyapprovedbooktours @shelleynobleauthor and @williammorrowbooks for my gifted book. It’s out today!
In 1899, Louis Comfort Tiffany was preparing for the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. A group of young women worked tirelessly to fulfill Tiffany's vision for his stained-glass works of art. As soon as one of the women married, she was forced to leave the company. When Emilie Pascal arrived from Paris to New York City seeking a job, the Tiffany Glass Company was short-staffed, and they never uncovered that the young artist was hiding the fact that her father was a notorious art forger. Emilie is hired and befriended by Grace Griffith who is also hiding her own secret. Together with the other women, the "Tiffany Girls" help to produce some of the most beautiful and coveted decorative art of the day. And the leader of the department, Clara Driscoll, not only manages the women, but is creating some of the company's most intriguing and original designs.
Author Shelley Noble's The Tiffany Girls is a very entertaining book which provides a fictionalized depiction of these talented women who didn't get credit for their work. Some of the characters, like Driscoll, Alice Gouvy and Agnes Northrop, are true-life figures. The book describes how these magnificent works of art were meticulously and skillfully created. And while the women were not acknowledged publicly, Tiffany was a rare employer in that he paid them fairly. And outside the world of Tiffany, the book effectively weaved in the struggles of the lower and middle class, fighting for better working conditions and pay as well as other social changes. I find that the mark of good historical fiction is not only learning something new but the desire to keep exploring the subject matter. You will find yourself pausing to look up some of the actual works of art. Even if you're familiar with these legendary pieces, you'll surely gain a new perspective and perhaps an even greater appreciation.
Rated 4.25 stars.
A lovely, muscular novel that takes a look at life in Louis Comfort Tiffany’s workshop during its late 1800s heyday, The Tiffany Girls finally gives a voice to the unsung designers and artists who helped put together the glass king’s most famous pieces.
Responsible widow Clara Walcott Driscoll is running the women’s division of Tiffany’s New York Glass company in 1899 when the whole team is put to task making an enormous stained glass chandelier, to be shown at the upcoming World’s Fair. The design is an enormous task that will require a number of hands, and she’s losing glass cutters at an alarming speed. She doesn’t know that the design she’s been working on, a dragonfly lamp, will soon make the shop’s name.
The working hands left include the pair belonging to Grace Griffiths, a copyist who begins to tune in to feminist thoughts while attending speeches by Emma Goldman. A budding cartoonist, Grace is highly skilled and constantly getting into scrapes. Eventually, she takes on a double life as a political cartoonist working under the name G.L. Griffith.
Emilie Pascal is the daughter of an abusive art forger who had a position at an exclusive art Academy. She reveals her father’s lies, but confessing the truth places her own skills in question when her father abandons her, leaving her to bear the brunt of his shame. Since women are not accepted at the academy, the resultant scandal means she is forced to give up her dreams, her connection to her family’s life as well as living in France. Emilie learns the art of stained glass on the boat to America. At the Tiffany office, she’s hoping to start over and make a new life for herself – thanks to a forged letter of recommendation.
An impressed Clara sees Emilie’s designs when she faints at her interview and thinks they might have the potential to pull them out of their production troubles. Living in the same boarding house, Emilie and Grace soon become close. The lives of all three women become interlaced as work for the World's Fair pieces commences and each of them enters into history in her own unique way. But can Clara keep her staff of unruly young women away from the boys and on-task? Can Emilie conceal her secret past? And can Grace protect her double identity?
Tiffany Girls does an excellent job of portraying the era as it was and the people in it as they were. There are a lot of harrowing situations in the book, but (most of) the girls survive them with strength and determination. And the book doesn’t hesitate to draw a connecting line between Tammany Hall politics and the ones we grapple with to this day.
The book introduces a variety of lively Tiffany co-workers, and sometimes they absorb a little bit too much of the plot. Two sisters – one who is developmentally delayed and is manipulated by a factory worker into a romance and her long-suffering younger sister, in a storyline that has little respect for the woman’s agency and uses her as a symbol – take up a lot of the attention and drive a lot of the plot at the midpoint. I’d rather the high amount of plot already extant in the book had pushed its story forward, but instead a lot of the drama revolves around these supporting characters. I truly adored spending time at the boarding house, though, and loved the no-nonsense Mrs. B, who gives support and help and good food to all of the ladies living there.
Clara and Grace’s stories were fascinating to me in particular, and I really loved fiery Grace and her quest for justice and fairness. The romances in the book are less than enthralling, Grace’s slap-slap-kiss-kiss relationship with a fellow journalist in particular. What’s satisfying here are the friendships, the feminism, and the art. The Tiffany Girls is a heartfelt drama that deserves every plaudit it gets.
Note: This book contains details of a very bloody on-page depiction of a botched back alley abortion, and awkward treatment of a developmentally delayed person.
A delightful, well-researched novel about the legendary Tiffany factory and design company. I highly recommend this novel. You will be in for a wonderful treat that educates through enjoyment. I learned so much, and liked and cared about all the characters, and was rooting for them as they lived and worked for Tiffany. This was very difficult to put down, and isn't that the sign of a great book?
In 1899 Manhattan, the female designers and artists of the Tiffany Glass Company work diligently to create stunning art glass for the Paris World’s Fair. Emilie, secretly the daughter of a Parisian art forger, crosses the ocean to start a new life. Roommate Grace lives a double life as a political cartoonist. Meanwhile, division manager Clara struggles to keep her girls on schedule and on budget while designing a new signature piece. Together, these artists forge a new path for working women.
I've long been a Shelley Noble fan, so it's no surprise that I loved this book. The style and tone are a perfect fit for historical fiction. The story is smart, intriguing, and emotional from start to finish. The characters feel like real people.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble. It was a fascinating look into the lives of working women at the turn of the century and into the making of the gorgeous Tiffany glass. I enjoyed the stories of all of the women - some real and some fictional. Women who, according to the author “helped break the glass ceiling and set the way for professional women to come.”
There were times the story was a bit repetitive in the details and the backstories of the characters. I also didn’t love the last chapter - it just ended a bit abruptly. Yes, it’s a long book, but I felt it needed a bit more after what is the final chapter. After such a wonderful story that last chapter felt rushed.
Overall, I would (and will) recommend this book. I look forward to a published copy to that I can read the author’s note to learn more about what was real and what was fictional. A fantastic book!