Book Review
The Glassmaker
by Tracy Chevalier
I love to travel, but nowadays vicariously, in comfort, with a book: no delayed flights, tedious planning or overcrowded sights. So I leapt at the opportunity to immerse myself in Venice and more specifically, Murano, where glassblowing was perfected over the centuries. Tracy Chevalier starts the story of Orsolo Rosso there, in 1486, where her family has a glassblowing workshop. Her father is the ‘Maestro’, the master glassblower with the male assistants and apprentices learning and facilitating in the production – there is (supposedly!) no place for a female craftsperson! When Orsolo’s father dies, and her brothers struggle with the responsibility of running the studio, Maria Barovier, daughter of the famous glass-manufacturing family, suggests she makes glass beads.
Maria Barovier has managed to insinuate herself into this male-dominated profession and was granted permission to set up her own small studio. Thus, with the mentoring of a Barovier cousin, Orsolo learns the art of glass-bead making. Her oldest brother is uncharitably dismissive, but through the years and centuries (yes, centuries!) her skill and artistry assist in keeping the Rosso business afloat. When I write centuries, Chevalier uses the narrative device of the main characters only ageing a normal lifetime, but the story spans from the late 15th century until the present day. Orsolo encounters significant historic times, and we see how they affect her family and the wider world.
While I was initially disconcerted by this gambit, Chevalier wove the story with mastery and I was bewitched. Travelling through the eras allows the reader to comprehend how hard it was for artists and craftspeople to survive, let alone prosper. Trade routes were established, and while beneficial at times, at others they allowed competitors to flourish and eventually led to globalisation and the influx of mass production. Orsolo is savvy and wise enough to listen to advice and survive all these challenges, but her biggest challenge is to break free of male dominance and be independent. Weeks after reading The Glassmaker, Venice and Orsolo Rosso are still with me. Chevalier has once again written an engrossing novel with heart and substance; I loved every minute of my travel experience!
