Chevalier's newest book describes in detail Murano glassmakers during the Renaissance. Orsola Rosso is limited to making glass beads because she is a woman. However, her extraordinary talent helps her family endure countless disasters including the plague. The story crosses over time from the 1480s to 1915. It is a wonderful story that portrays Venice in its glory and the actual process of making Murano glass but often falls flat while including later periods.

Out of the Renaissance and the islands of Murano have come the world’s premier glass artisans, with Venice as the leading trade center. Each Murano family has their own secret recipes and techniques that are fiercely guarded and strictly confined to the island. Nine-year-old Orsola is the daughter of the Rosso glassmaking family. She is fascinated with the fire, sand, ash, and skill that combine to make the beautiful works of color and beauty. But the workshops and furnaces are strictly men’s domain. Orsola has the rare opportunity to learn the art of making glass beads. The glass is heated and shaped by a lamp and bellows, not the fierce fire of the furnace. This lampwork is disregarded by men and the beads as trivial “mouse shit.” But this women’s work is what puts food on the Rosso table as the production of significant glasswork faulters and wanes.

Chevalier plays with the passage of time across centuries as she tells the story of the Rosso family and Murano glass. Beginning in 1486, during the height of glassmaking, Venice is the world’s hub for exporting Murano’s glass. As the narrative skips to 1574, 1631, 1755, 1797, 1915, 2019, and 2024, we learn how world events and the expansion of glassmaking to other countries impacted the industry, Murano, and Venice. We see the ins and outs, ups and downs of glassmaking – especially beadmaking. It is Orsola, her family, and “those who matter” to her who, across 450 years, only age 60 years. We follow the Rossos through births, deaths, famine, wars, plagues, and economic changes. This is a clever and unique way to immerse the reader in the lives of a family while seeing the trajectory of glassmaking across centuries. Not only does Chevalier give us noteworthy characters and an immersive plot, she manipulates time expertly and believably: a remarkable read.
**Editors' Choice
--Historical Novels Review, August 2024

"The Glassmaker" by Tracy Chevalier is a captivating historical novel set in Murano, Italy. Spanning five centuries, it follows the Rosso family of glassmakers. Chevalier’s lush prose and vivid descriptions of glassmaking artistry, combined with rich character development, create an enchanting, timeless tale.

Tracey Chevalier's "The Glassmaker" is a captivating journey through time, following the Rosso family of glassmakers from Renaissance-era Venice to the present day. Set in 1486, Venice is at the height of its wealth and opulence. The story centers on Orsola Rosso, the eldest daughter of a family of glassblowers on the island of Murano. Chevalier's narrative skips through the centuries, reflecting the timeless quality of Venice itself. From the devastation of the plague to the ravages of war and the transformation of Murano's glass industry, the Rosso women face both triumphs and tragedies. Each era brings new challenges, yet the family's dedication to their craft and to each other remains unbroken.

The strength of "The Glassmaker" lies in its richly drawn characters and evocative setting. Orsola is a compelling protagonist, and her passion for glassmaking is vividly portrayed. Chevalier's meticulous research shines through, bringing Renaissance Venice to life with its bustling trade, artistic fervor, and underlying tensions. The descriptive passages of glassblowing are particularly enchanting, capturing the delicate balance of skill and artistry required to shape molten glass into beautiful creations.

Overall "The Glassmaker" is a beautifully crafted tale of passion, perseverance, and the unbreakable bonds of family. The novel's exploration of the artistry of glassmaking is both educational and enchanting, providing a unique backdrop for a multi-generational saga. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed this historical novel very much. Chevalier returns to the world of art with this story about a family of glassmakers from Murano, Italy. Lots of interesting history about glass, Venice, women and work, and the world in general. The author does something cool with time here that I hadn't seen before and found pretty ingenious. I won't disclose the details, but it was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

I love a strong female main character in an historical fiction novel. Orsola Rosso is such a character as she and her extended family share the art of glassblowing. They live on Murano, an Italian island, and, through a clever bit of writer’s license, they age more slowly than those living away from Venice. The story revolves around loyalty to family, dedication to craft, and relationships. I especially enjoyed following the timeline from 1486 to the present day.

Thanks to Viking Press and NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

2.5 stars

The glassmaking details and the life of an artisan depiction is first-rate and everything I have loved about Chevalier’s other books. The narrative structure gimmick is ridiculous and distracting.

I love so much about this book: the setting, the history of women in glassmaking, the historical tour through Venice itself. And I really found the Covid era of the book quite moving. My problem is that I never found Orsola a compelling character. She lacks conflict and passion. Yes she has a domineering brother who is kind of a jerk but other than that Ordola leads a fairly charmed existence, at least when placed in the historical context. She is a strong woman who has her own business and makes her own money. She has freedom of movement, support and admiration from her husband, and a deep sisterhood of women in her life which allows her to pursue her art and ambition. And yes, Orsola mildly pines for Antonio but it is not a romance of great passion since he was prepared to leave her without saying goodbye and she never even tried to reach out to him. Orsola acts more as a tour guide than heroine in this otherwise very interesting and satisfying story.

Orsolo Russo is the eldest daughter of a glassblower family on the island of Murano, which is right across from Venice. The story begins in 1486. Orsolo is very interested in blowing glass, which is reserved for only the male members of her family. No women on Murano have ever blown glass. She is determined, however, and teaches herself, in secret to do it with the help and advice of a competing family's matriarch who takes her under her wing, sort of, and encourages her to pursue her dreams. This is a book with an interesting timeline. Orsolo manages to carry the reader through to the year 2020, and she manages to tell the story of the glassblowers on Murano and their struggles and how they managed to survive against all odds. I appreciated this somewhat magical foremat as opposed to the timelines switched between several characters. I didn't know anything about these glassblowers and enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in historical fiction. Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publising for allowing me to preview this book in exchange of an honest review.

Courtesy of Netgalley, I received the ARC of The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier. This unique novel, begins on Murano Island and Venice during the Renaissance Era of the 1400's and skips like a pebble on water to arrive at the last great Venetian flood and Covid, skimming through history as it impacted the glassmakers of Murano. Following the Rosso glassmaker family and focusing on the dreams and accomplishments of the women, I was entranced by the ability to revisit this area and learn more about it's past, while admiring the strength, resilience, and evolution of the women involved with glassmaking and marketing.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
Venice holds a special place in the mind and imagination of people all over the world. I visited for the first time in 2023 and was delighted to receive a set of beautiful blue patterned Murano, (Venice’s “attendant island”) glass at Christmas. Needless to say, I was delighted to read Tracy Chevalier’s new book, The Glassmaker, which traces the history of Venice and Murano through the eyes of a glassmaking family, over five hundred years. The narrator explains to the reader in the first line of the novel: “The City of Water runs by its own clock…” While centuries pass for the rest of the world, the Rosso family of the book ages much more slowly. By using the same characters of the span of five centuries, we witness the continuities and struggle for the well-drawn Rosso family, and Orsola Rosso particularly, who we meet at nine years of age. Her passions, both for family, glass, community, and all it means to be Venetian tells the brilliant story of five hundred years of history, made personal. It is historical fiction at its finest.
Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for the review copy. The Glassmaker was published on June 18, 2024.

A story spanning centuries of Venetian history centered on a glassmaking family. Orsola Rosso wants to learn how to work with glass despite that not traditionally being a woman's job. When her father dies unexpectedly, her older brothers and mother must figure out how to keep the glass business going. As Orsolo learns how to make glass beads, her skills help keep her family going. Overall, an interesting concept though it can be confusing with the time skips and did feel like it ran a little long. Readers interested in Venice history will appreciate this one.

Well, I finished it. Wasn't sure at times if I was going to, and I am disappointed. Very, very, disappointed.

Look, I love Tracy Chevalier's writing and her books. The last one I read by her made me ugly cry and I STILL think about it. I doubt that will be the case with this one.

While I loved what I learned about Murano [I have always been fascinated by the glass produced there], Venice, and glassmaking [there could have been SO MUCH MORE about this, the book would have been much better for it, and I personally would have loved learning more about the process], the rest really fell flat for me. I felt the way the story was told [and how it progressed] led to scant character development and while times moves forward, the people [characters], their ideas [especially gender roles and what a woman is allowed to do and NOT to do. An example, Orsilla, who makes beads and her work often saves them from starvation is treated horribly by her brothers and her work is continually ridiculed. MASSIVE eye rolls over this], and their prejudices do not [SO MUCH venom about Venice and the people that live there - good grief]. It got old very quickly when you realize that nothing changes no matter how far you move forward. There is also the obligatory not to climate change [after the Venetian flood, a young relative has one conversation about it with the result being "WE ARE A GLASS FAMILY", meaning they will not change their ways and that was that] and the such, but so much of the story stays in the past and what was [and how they miss that] even as life moves on, and it really feels like you get nowhere at all.

So very disappointing. I wanted more. So. Much. More.

I was invited to read/review this book by the publisher [PENGUIN GROUP Viking/Viking] and I thank them, NetGalley and Tracy Chevalier for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Tracy Chevalier is a favored author of mine, I enjoy her storytelling and style of writing, as well as her choice of topics. In that respect, this book hit the target. The story of Orsola and her many and varied family relationships was enjoyable, well done, and kept me engaged. However, I found the time shifting to be distracting, confusing, and unnecessary. The preludes to each section about skipping stones just did not work for me in anyway at all, it felt kind of stilted. Why not just make this story about the Rosso family through sequential time as opposed to over the centuries and factor in the historical disasters in their life and other ways? I know there was a reason for it, but its awkwardness overshadowed the rest of the book. (The constant Italian words and phrases did not help with the confusion either.) Out of respect for the author and for the quality storytelling, I will give this book a generous four stars, but I really wish it had been a five star book from her. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

The book centers on Orsola Rosso and her family who are Murano glassmakers, it spans 6 centuries, covering significant periods in world history and how they affect the family, the history of glassmaking and Murano itself. It is unfortunate, however, that as I read this book it became boring in its telling. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tracy Chevalier is one of my favorite authors. Why? Her prose is one of the best I have ever come across - yes, she writes historical fiction, but she does so in a way that when I read it, I feel as if I am reading poetry. All of her books rank among my favorites and I always recommend them, and her latest is no different. Again, she astounds me with the way that she tells a story - her innate ability to transport the reader into her character's lives and circumstances, and the way she strings words together is incredible. I loved "The Glassmaker" and consider it one of the best books I have read in 2024! I urge anyone who is looking for their next unputdownable read to grab this one! Ten stars!!!!

Fascinating! Tracy Chevalier’s latest tracks about 500 years of the life and times of a woman glassmaker, Orsola Rosso, on the Italian isle of Murano and nearby Venice. Through a clever time-shifting device, she educates the reader on the evolution of glassmaking as well as the cultural, political and social history of Murano and Venice, along with that of the Rosso family. The end result is a bit too long and meandering for my personal taste (yet somehow felt rushed in its final chapters), and the time-shifting structure and manner in which the main characters age may be off-putting to some readers. For me, however, the novel was nonetheless entertaining, informative and mostly compelling.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Viking for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

A combination of historical fiction with a smidgen of magical realism tossed in, The Glassmaker begins in 1486 on the island of Murano and concludes in the present day. And yes, the main protagonist, Orsola Rosso and those immediately around her aged well and are alive in the present day, thanks to the slow flow of time similar to the movement of molten glass. (This is not a spoiler - it’s in the book blurb.) Orsola is a strong female character in a family of traditional glassblowers. Unfortunately, young girls or women are not usually part of the business and Orsola has to make her own contributions in the art of glassmaking without the knowledge of her oldest brother, the maestro. The historical setting, trade, and culture across the centuries were interesting but I think because the book crosses so many years, it was challenging to get the full picture of any given timeframe, except the first few years. Overall, I enjoyed the read and most of the characters set against the backdrop of one of most interesting countries in the world. So a 3.5 rating rounded up to 4. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Tracy Chevalier writes a fascinating historical fiction novel digging deep into the traditions, family bonds, artistry, and commerce of Murano glassmakers through the ages. The speculative aspects of the novel, specifically the play with time, felt awkward, but it enabled the glassmaking trade to evolve and change while the cast of characters remained the same. Led by Orsola Rosso, the characters are vividly drawn, with the major focus on women's lives, constraints, and boundary-pushing in an ever-changing, ever-pivoting Venice.
[Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

The Rosso family went through some serious s**t. You would if you lived for 500 years too. I know, that sounds wild, right? But Chevalier's explanation for the slow movement of time for this family did nothing to distract from the story itself. The characters are all so distinctly Muranese that you forget they, and the people important to the story, are aging slower than the rest of the world.

This is a beautiful written story of perseverance in the face of struggle, ingenuity, determination, and the power of women. It's very well researched, and the characters are all interesting in their own way. Orsola fights for her work to be not just seen by the world, but for her value as a person to be appreciated in a world where women are expected to be mothers, wives, nuns, or servants. She's born into a somewhat privileged family, but as a woman, there's no room for her as a glassmaker. One woman gives her a glimpse of what her future could be and there was no going back from that, and her headstrong mindset saves her family and its legacy more than once. For lovers of art and the beauty of literary fiction and for believers in the power of women, this is a Must-Read. Book.