by Piyali C.

The story begins in 1486 on the island of Murano, where glass blowers create their masterpieces in relative quiet, separated from bustling and chaotic Venice by a body of water. Orsola Rosso is the eldest daughter in a family of esteemed glass blowers. Although she is interested in creating art with glass, she is relegated to household chores because women are not allowed to be in the maestros’ studios. The exception to this rule is Maria Barovier, a historical glass maker in Murano in the 15th century. Maria makes a brief appearance in Tracy Chevalier’s story as an inspiration to our young protagonist and as a woman who lends a hand to Orsola to help her fulfill her dream. With Maria’s encouragement, young Orsola learns to make glass beads from a woman in the Barovier family.

Except for her mother, Laura, Orsola must keep her skill a secret – particularly from her moody older brother Marco as he cannot tolerate Orsola’s ambition. The Glassmaker is a story about Orsola’s ascent as an established artist of glass beads, if not a maestro, during a time when women were expected to keep house, have and raise children, and support the men at work by sweeping up their broken glass. But Orsola and the other women in the Rosso family defy patriarchy in their own ways, like women have done through the centuries despite the shackles that men have tried to foist upon them. 

This book displays Chevalier’s magical ability to conjure up Murano and Venice through her descriptions. She truly transports her readers to the chaos of Venice as it undergoes changes through the centuries and relatively tranquil Murano where glassmakers create their art far away from the traders and merchants of Venice. Orsola’s growth from a young girl to a strong woman with an acute sense of business is a pleasure to witness. The depth and fullness of the characters make them come alive in the readers’ minds. But all these we have come to expect from Chevalier, a maestra in her own craft. What fascinated me most was how Chevalier manipulates time to tell her story.

She urges the readers to skim a rock in the water that connects Murano to Venice. As the rock lightly touches the water and gets ready to skim to the next part, time advances fast, sometimes 70 to 100 years while Orsola’s age and those who matter to her advance only 4 or 5 or 7 years. As the rock touches the water again, Chevalier pauses to tell the story of Orsola and her family, and their lived in experience during that historical era. Then the rock skips again and we take off with it, fast forwarding several decades or even centuries.

This way, Chevalier makes her protagonist live through plague, wars, domination of Murano, heartbreak, creative triumphs and finally, in modern times, Covid. As we skim through centuries, we are mesmerized by Orsola’s growth, her strength and the strength of the women who surround her, pull her up, support her, and chart their own paths with sheer determination. As we fall in love with Orsola, we cannot help but fall in love with Murano as Chevalier gently glides us through the calles, lagoons, markets, and gondolas. We seek to return to its quiet lifestyle after a rambunctious rendezvous with Venice along with Orsola when she goes there to meet with merchants to sell her beads. 

I did not wish for the book to end. But like all good things, this story also ended filling my heart with love and my head with images of Venice and Murano through centuries. 

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier is available in print, large print, e-book, and e-audiobook formats. 

Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.