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The Glassmaker

By: Tracy Chevalier
Narrated by: Juliet Aubrey
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Summary

'Ingenious' THE TIMES, Book of the Month

'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
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What listeners say about The Glassmaker

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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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Listen now

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

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Brilliant atmospheric story

Well written and narrated. Prepare to suspend disbelief. The protagonist and those she cares for transcend time to tell.a tale of the glassmakers of Murano and the relationship with Venetians across the centuries. Great attention is paid to the making and trading of glass, the role of women. the plague and COVID,

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Beautiful narrated wonderful tale

Beautifully written tale of love, family, business & tragedy. I was captivated from the start . It was wonderful being immersed into the glassmaking artists world set against the backdrop of Venice and Morano.

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Wonderful story beautifully narrated

A wonderful story beautifully narrated. It makes me want to return to Venice and Merano. I thought the skimming stones was a great idea for the passage of time.

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Innovative and intriguing

This is a stunning piece of writing, so clever and beautifully crafted. It starts off as a fairly straightforward historical romance set in Morano/Venice in their late medieval heyday, then quietly and entrancingly morphs into something much much more. It tells the story of Venice/Morano/glass making; it tells us about the nature of families, love and the nature of what it is to be human. It spins tales of plagues, both ancient and modern, and not once, never once did I question the premise Ursula and her family could live for 600 years. Bellissimo, the best read of 2024, I adored it.

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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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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 genuine original story

the flow of the story was magical, it was intriguing and too you right there to the time an place.

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Another triumph for Tracey Chevalier

Beautifully and sensitively narrated this is a story of Venetian glass and glassmakers through the centuries. Once again she conjures both the place and the people so vividly that is a joy to accompany them. I have been to Venice twice now but listening to this has followed me with the desire to revisit with this book inside me. If you have enjoyed her previous works you will not be distr you are a new reader/listener this is a good place to start

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