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A review by shelves_by_sim
The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Brilliant. This book was absolute, jaw-dropping brilliance. I had no idea that we were getting a drop of magical realism in this beautiful story. Firstly, give me anything Italy in the 15th to 19th century and I'll gobble it up! I love how Italian fiction centers so perfectly around real historical figures and events, it's so rich in culture and arts and language and just magnificent to read. I love Italian architecture and that rich beauty of Venetian living and this book portrayed these little touches perfectly!
I loved Orsola's story. It is a story about a woman with a dream, who chases it while still having to deal with responsibility, the hardships of living a life as a woman, the sacrifices, the way the world changes and grows and I just loved how she never gave up. She's truly awe-inspiring and such a strong character. I think the side characters were done so well, very diverse in personalities and I could literally imagine running into each of them in the streets of Murano/Venice.
At first, I was really shocked that this book only had 8 chapters - it being over 400 pages - BUT, I get it. Chevalier took a story that could be a straight-forward beautiful historical story on its own and gave it such a wonderful twist. Each chapter is set in a different century, hundreds of years between them, and yet Orsola and her family's story carries on throughout. I think that this solidified the changes in history and the world the author chose to portray and showed how life had to adapt to keep up with the times! It was such a fun take and I absolutely loved it. There were moments that excited me, moments that angered me, ones that broke my heart and ones that healed it. I loved walking through hundreds of years worth of time with Orsola, what an experience!
I loved Orsola's story. It is a story about a woman with a dream, who chases it while still having to deal with responsibility, the hardships of living a life as a woman, the sacrifices, the way the world changes and grows and I just loved how she never gave up. She's truly awe-inspiring and such a strong character. I think the side characters were done so well, very diverse in personalities and I could literally imagine running into each of them in the streets of Murano/Venice.
At first, I was really shocked that this book only had 8 chapters - it being over 400 pages - BUT, I get it. Chevalier took a story that could be a straight-forward beautiful historical story on its own and gave it such a wonderful twist. Each chapter is set in a different century, hundreds of years between them, and yet Orsola and her family's story carries on throughout. I think that this solidified the changes in history and the world the author chose to portray and showed how life had to adapt to keep up with the times! It was such a fun take and I absolutely loved it. There were moments that excited me, moments that angered me, ones that broke my heart and ones that healed it. I loved walking through hundreds of years worth of time with Orsola, what an experience!