The Glassmaker, book review – ‘engaging, enchanting magical realism’
The Glassmaker is the latest novel by local author Tracy Chevalier, best known for The Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Set on the island of Murano near Venice, this is an historical tale of Orsola Rosso, a female glassmaker who braves stereotypes and personal setbacks to master her art.
Venice is known for its magic, and Chevalier draws on the magical realist device of placing different stages of Orsola’s life in different centuries, from the 15th to the 21st.
The result is an engaging story that unfolds over an historical sweep taking in everything from the bubonic plague to Covid, including occupation, war, economic collapse, climate change and overtourism. But also dazzling artistic and architectural achievements.
Perhaps most enchanting is the finely-wrought depiction of Murano glassmaking itself. This is a craft that has changed surprisingly little over five centuries, one that is based on a culture that is both culturally insular and globally connected through trading ties.
Replete with rich historical detail and snippets of Venetian dialect, this is one to savour over the holidays.
The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier is published by the Borough Press.
ISBN: 978-0-00-815386-1
RRP: £20.