Author Stephen Kiernan always provides complex ideas that stick with me long after I have finished his books. In THE GLASS CHATEAU he asks us to consider that there are no true moral survivors in war, even wars with clearly delineated good/bad guys. Perhaps he means that no one survives war with any part of their previous selves intact, unchanged or unharmed; regardless of their side in the war. In this book he describes mostly the French, but he could easily be describing the Ukrainians. The plot of this book moves along similar lines; moral choices impacting attempts at survival. The book is sometimes uplifting yet tends towards melancholy. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Glass Chateau is a thoughtful, highly engaging book that focuses on the psychological and physical rebuilding that had to happen in France in the years immediately following WW2. I mistakenly thought this was a fictionalized version of Marc Chagall’s life, but instead it was “just” inspired by his work. Asher is a psychologically damaged Jewish survivor of the French Resistance, whose family had been murdered by German soldiers. When he finds himself taken in at a chateau in the Champagne region, he hides his Jewish identity so that his Christian hosts won’t send him away. The people in the chateau are engaged in making stained glass to replace the windows that were destroyed during the war. Asher was a cobbler by trade, and eventually finds that he is gifted at design, not glass creation itself.

The story is a bit slow-paced but compelling. The characters are written as distinct individuals and you really want to learn all their back stories. I don’t think I’ve read many (any?) books that focus on how hard it was to recover, not just physically, but mentally, from the things ordinary people experienced/had to do (people who were not in the camps) during WW2. This story demonstrates how humans can heal after horrible experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is a beautiful story of healing after deep heartbreak. I found myself highlighting so many poignant lines that deeply reflect the human condition. This book takes place in the immediate aftermath of WW2, which I found to be new and fresh. We don't often think about or read about what it takes to rebuild society as well as a human heart after facing the brutality and inhumane-ness of war. Asher, a Jew and a Revolutionist, needs to learn how to find peace after everything in his life is ravaged by war. He needs to learn if there is any place for art and beauty in his heart and life after seeing the deepest ugliness. This is a beautiful book worth falling into.

This was a moving story of a broken man in a broken world searching for goodness, hope, and ultimately redemption. Though it was very much a character-driven novel, at times (especially at the beginning) it had the feel of an epic journey. The ending was touching and truly brought the story full circle.

I also appreciated the author's notes about the inspiration behind the story.

This would be a good read for those interested in historical fiction, especially if they enjoy stories about the resilience of the human spirit.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the early read.

Stephen P. Kiernan has once again explored a unique angle of World War II history with his latest novel, The Glass Chateau. This story takes place after the war has ended, and explores the difficulties of trying to return to any kind of normalcy in France during the rebuilding process. Protagonist Asher was a member of the Resistance, an assassin as part of the organization-and a Jew. With the war over and his wife and child dead at the hands of the Nazis, Asher struggles with place and purpose, which eventually leads him to an atelier that specializes in stained glass and second chances. Here he finds the purpose he’s looking for and a community to belong to, while struggling with the secrets of his past and his faith. Kiernan creates an interesting cast of characters that seem both intimate and unknown to the reader, the welcoming Brigitte, quiet leader Marc, knowledgeable Etienne, silent Henri, not-so-silent Simon, temperamental man with no name, independent Marie and larger-than-life Pascal and Euclid. Just as the reader can imagine being part of the glass-making process intricately described in the book, they can just as easily be a part of this group gathered around the dinner table after a long day’s work, digging into Brigitte’s food and arguing. At some points it does start to feel a bit repetitive, the arguments, an installation process over multiple days that goes much the same each time, a relationship between Asher and Marie that doesn’t seem to go anywhere. There were moments where I wondered if I had accidentally reread something. With all the broken men at the atelier it could be difficult to keep straight which was broken in what way, and who they were angry with at any particular moment in time. But all in all I really enjoyed Kiernan taking a point in history that gets told frequently, and coming up with something that is unique and worth reading. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m bowled over! The Glass Chateau is a brilliant story, beautifully written. The novel plumbs the depths of human nature in all its depravity and majesty. in a story of goodness, grace, and redemption set against the horrors of war’s unforgettable brutality and indelible emotional scars.

Although there are many memorable characters (good and bad), expertly developed, this is at heart the story of Asher, a Jewish member of the French Resistance who lost all he most valued. In helping to rebuild stained glass windows destroyed in the war, he finds a way to heal himself and rebuild his life. Asher is a character who will stay with me forever — in the same way as Towles’s Count Rostov and as few other characters have — a character I can completely believe in.

Moreover, Kiernan is at the top of his literary powers here, with respect to both the originality of the story and the lyricism of his writing. I was drawn in immediately, couldn’t stop reading, and didn’t want the story to end. Some sentences are so apt, so gorgeous, they took my breath away. I read them over and over. The book is one of my very favorite novels ever. If you liked All the Light We Cannot See and/or A Gentleman in Moscow, you will love The Glass Chateau.

The Afterward details how Kiernan’s admiration of Marc Chagall inspired the novel and recounts details of Chagall’s life and art that found a way into this story. He did an amazing amount of research and convinces me that it was pure pleasure.

Honestly, I think this book should win a Pulitzer.

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance reader copy of this truly marvelous book. It will be published on June 20, 2023.

How does a country ravaged by war recover once peace is declared? How do the men who fought in the resistance find a life after a war?
This is the story of Asher, an assassin for the resistance. When the war ends he wanders the French countryside looking for hope and a place of peace. He keeps hearing of a village that is recovering but can’t seem to find it. After a year, when he is ready to give up all hope, he stumbles upon it. He begins to help at a glassworks. They are making glass and stained glass windows to restore a church. The work gives him purpose and a place in an odd community of angry men and strong women led by a former priest who insists they tolerate each other. Gradually we learn their stories and see them begin to recover.
This would be an excellent choice for book discussion.

This is a beautiful book set in postwar France, right after WW2 is over..Asher, a Jewish Frenchman who spent the war in the resistance, is a broken down man, completely lost, both emotionally and physically. He finds a chateau with people who will help him with his traumas, but alongside others with their own serious issues. At this chateau he helps design, build and install new stained glass window. Yes, this is a fictional story about Marc Chagall.

The characters are vivid, the plot original and the writing is beautiful. Kudos to the author. I gave 4 stars rather than 5 because the book took me awhile to get into. Don’t give up, it is a memorable and outstanding book.

A beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness after such a time of tribulation and horror. Asher has lost so much, his wife and daughter, his business and way of earning, his sense of freedom and almost of humanity. He was a.member of the French Resistance, and his job was as an assassin. But this memories haunt him. He is looking n for somewhere to leave the war behind and find himself again and finds it in a place of glass. They are attempting to rebuild the stained glass windows in a local cathedral that were damaged during the war. This is not his livelihood, he knows nothing of making windows like this, but he does know hard work and so goes to it and begins to learn a new trade and some peace. Along the way he meets such a cast of characters, one of whom we never learn their name. And he finds himself again! In his art, in the glass, in one person you would never expect him to connect with. And where they set off to, to rebuild more stained glass windows, is astonishing. A beautiful read.

Set in France shortly after the end of World War II, “The Glass Chateau” focuses on the emotionally scarred inhabitants of a chateau in the French countryside that is devoted to glass making. Asher, a Jewish resistance worker during the war, finds himself emotionally wounded both from the grief of losing his wife and daughter to a Nazi soldier’s bullet, and from the guilt he feels for his role in killing 19 Germans as part of his resistance work during the war. Suffering from starvation and without hope, Asher finds the chateau, where he is offered room and board in exchange for performing menial jobs around the glass making workshop. He conceals his identity as a Jew out of fear that he will be expelled from this recently discovered sanctuary, which compounds his feelings of guilt, adding deception to his list of perceived sins.

Objectively, this novel had all the elements that usually appeal to me—a cast of flawed characters who come together to help each other heal and grow. In addition, it had an ambitious theme of how victory in a war does not automatically result in peace for either the country or individuals.

Unfortunately, the execution of this plot did not work for me. First, the novel felt tedious as it went into great details about Asher’s day to day menial tasks that he performed while he slowly learned the art of glass making. Second, the characters primarily fell into two categories: belligerent or philosophical. This may have been intentional on the part of the author to demonstrate the peoples’ anger and grief as a result of their suffering and deprivations during the war. However, the end result was an inability to connect with what seemed to be interchangeable characters and a sameness to the narrative.

Other readers might not find objections to these aspects of the novel, but instead will focus on the growing camaraderie among the residents of the chateau and how their experiences and mutual support helped them overcome their grief and find peace at last. Also, the language was beautiful in its description of the French countryside, and Asher’s growing reawakening to the beauty of nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

What it means to build a home, a life, a family after the horrors of war. How to go on when you can’t go on. When you’ve lost it all, when you don’t recognize your country, when people remain divided despite the recent declaration of peace. How work, meaningful work in the form of glass making can save a person.

There’s so much to appreciate about this wonderfully written novel, set in the aftermath of WWII in the French countryside.

Asher wanders the country burdened by guilt and grief - he lost his family during the war and then became an assassin - and slowly begins to move forward again when he is taken in at the Chateau Guerin. The character development is perhaps this story’s greatest strength, as is the depiction of family that is made within the chateau and the village as the team labors at the hard work of making glass windows and everyone tries to recover from the devastation. And, everyone holds a secret that they’re holding back. Inspired by the life of artist Marc Chagall, this book will be one of the great reads of the summer, the year.

This is a heartwarming story of friendship, hope, and healing.

Recovery in Europe, following WWII, was not easy. People, as well as places, were badly damaged and needed time to rebuild, and to regain strength and balance. This book does an outstanding job of demonstrating how the ugly and the beautiful things in life can coexist, and how healing can take place in unlikely places, even among an improbable group of people.

After working for the resistance in France for many years and losing what was most important to him in his life, Asher leaves his home and profession as a cobbler behind. His search begins for a new purpose and a reason to keep living. Wandering the country lost and hungry, he is chased by his memories and nightmares while suffering from guilt and grief.

Eventually, Asher finds himself at an old French Chateau that has become a sanctuary for other misfits. Under the kind and nonjudgemental tutelage of a glass blower and his wife, this unusual group of characters come together to rebuild the stained glass windows for a local cathedral, while also protecting their individual secrets. Ultimately, all secrets were revealed, as this eclectic group melded their way into my heart.

Stephen Kiernan, this author, has been on my radar since 2013. This is the fifth book of his that I have read and I enjoyed every one of them. I was sorry to see this story end and I wish that someone would make it into a movie.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me the gift of a digital ARC of this wonderful book to read and review. All opinions are my own. Publication date: June 20, 2023.

This book was great! I couldn't put it down! The premise was fresh and new, which is hard for me to say as I read so much each year! Sometimes it feels as though I keep reading similar stories, but this was a so original!

When you read a lot of books like I do, you realize that there are good books and not so good books. Occasionally you get a surprise and read a GREAT book. A book that is so beautifully written it made me read much slower than usual so I wouldn't miss any of the lyrical sentences. A book with a main character who you know that you'll never forget - one who touches not only your mind but also your soul. A book with a theme that gives you a point of view that you've never read before and makes you think. The Glass Chateau by Stephen P. Kiernan is all that and more. It's one if the best books that I've read in a long time and I know it will be on my top 10 list for 2023.

As the novel begins, the war in France has been over for a month. After the celebrations, the people realized what needed to be done to return to normal. Many people had no homes, every bridge and road had been destroyed, most churches and houses were gone and many families were wiped out. There were many people alone in the world, wondering how to bring life in France back to some kind of normalcy. Asher, a young Jewish man, has lost his wife and daughter and had his business destroyed. In retaliation for the shooting of his loved ones, he has been an assassin in the French resistance. He knows how many people he killed and one in particular haunts his dreams. All Asher wants now is peace and forgiveness. He wanders through the French countryside for a year looking for a place of peace. Several people tell him that peace can be found in Clovide but no one is exactly sure where it is. As Asher travels, he is plagued with doubt and fear combined with extreme hunger but he continues his odyssey. When he finally finds the castle her finds that it is full of a group of men who as damaged as he is but slowly recovering as they work together to make a stain glassed windows for the local Catholic cathedral. When Asher is allowed to stay, he realizes that he must hide his Jewish religion or he fears that they might not let him stay. There is plenty of food and constant work to make the glass. Asher finds that he has an artistic talent and begins to enjoy the process of making glass. Will working with glass - making beautiful glass from common ordinary sand - help Asher find his peace and redemption or are his wounds too deep to be healed?

This is a beautiful well written novel with fantastic characters . I won't forget Asher and his quest for peace. I actually read this book a month ago and I find my mind going back to the story and the characters. To me, that is a sign of a great piece of fiction.

"Victory does not equal peace."

I absolutely loved this book! I would love for it to turn into a series. The setting is wonderful it takes you straight back to France after WWII. The characters are masterfully done. The story is so interesting, and the historical details make me want to learn more. A must read for historical fiction fans!