The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

 The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier: Book Review

Glasses are abundant, but I never get a chance to learn how they are made. I was curious to know about the lives of the glassmakers. I stumbled upon a book that resonated well with the life of the glassmakers. In this book, I revisited the 14th-century era and one of my favourite places, Venice. The story is about a girl considered worthless in a male-dominated society. But she stands for her family, and her hurdles help the reader to introspect and discover the worth of themselves in the right manner.

The story begins with Orsolo Rosso wandering on the lanes of Murano, a small town near Venice. Murano is a place where most of the glassmakers live.Each glassmaker is unique, possesses their own secrets for making glass, and upholds their family traditions.. But in this male-dominated society, women are not meant to work with glass.

Orsolo mistakenly falls in the lagoon. She is completely drenched in water. She is advised to dry her clothes near the furnace, but no glassmaker allows any muddy or wet child to enter their workshop. She enters the workshop hiding from everyone. She is seen by Marieta Boravier and spills her out of the place. This incident is snapped in her mind forever, and the unknown bond is made between these two persons.

In the initial chapters, Orsolo grows up to be a beautiful teenager and is drowned in debts. With her father's death, her brother Marco is burdened with the responsibility of taking the position of maestro and running the family and fulfilling their needs. But he does not have the calibre of becoming a competent glassmaker, and the family's situation is at risk. On the other hand, her mother is pregnant, and her other brother, Giacomo, is also not that competent to take the lead in any way. So her mother advises her to seek help from her guide Marieta and save the family.

Marieta helps her learn about the shortcomings of their business and steps to overcome the situation but in limited time. Under her guidance, Orsolo learns in secret the art of making beads from Elena. Elena teaches her to make beads on a flame in the kitchen. Orsolo had never worked on glass ever before, but she tried her best to learn the techniques and save her family from the financial crisis.

Orsolo works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. The beads she creates adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna. It is intriguing to read, Will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?

Tracy Chevalier mixes history, the Murano and Venetian societies, the job of ladies, family, the embodiment of life, passing, love, and all of this with one family at its focal point. The design is captivating as we follow the Rosso family for more than 500 years and what their lives are meant for by verifiable occasions bringing flourishing, plague, and neediness, with similar characters situated in different time periods, a couple of years more established despite the fact that many years have passed.

This book happens during the hours of Renaissance-time Italy to the current day. It follows one family who age gradually during this time. It was an exceptionally smart touch, and perusers are shown the way that the characters develop, adjust, battle, win, and make do. During this time, they will fall head over heels, get through shock, develop, wed, become guardians, and endure the many changes that Venice will incite through time.

The most innovative part of the novel is the way the creator mysteriously plays with time and inspires me to get involved with it. Skipping stones, time, and those in and on Murano maturing contrastingly to firm ground is great, and the verifiable setting is brilliant. As ever, Tracy Chevalier widely explores, and I love the consideration of genuine characters like Giacomo Casanova and Josephine Bonaparte.

Orsola is a fascinating and complex person; she is certainly a charming character, and I respect her flexibility as she gets through different misfortunes. I don't think she resounds as much with me as Violet Speedwell in the original A Solitary String, yet her depiction is none the less brilliant. The novel is brimming with energetic characters who carry tone to the pages.

The novel is without uncertainty, flawlessly composed with close consideration regarding authentic detail, bringing this glassmaking adventure across time alive. There's some superb imagery dispersed all through, particularly of dolphins, which I love, and that is utilised so well in the last spot of the narrating. It's unique, unique, and shipping, which is good enough with this talented author.

Generally, "The Glassmaker" is an enamouring work of verifiable fiction that portrays one group of glassmakers living on Murano. It is a brief look into the existence of a lady, Orsola, who has an enthusiasm for glass in a period where it is peered down upon. Perusers are shown her victories, her misfortunes, her triumphs, her adoration, her energy, and her drive over the course of time.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla 
in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.

Purchase The Glassmaker here. 

#Bookishlife2022_ #theglassmaker #harpercollins #historicalfiction #bookreader #bookreview #venice #fictionreads