Venice, 1486. Across the lagoon lies Murano. Time flows differently here – like the glass the island’s maestros spend their lives learning to handle.

Women are not meant to work with glass, but Orsola Rosso flouts convention to save her family from ruin. She works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. But perfection may take a lifetime.

Skipping like a stone through the centuries, we follow Orsola as she hones her craft through war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.

The beads she creates will adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna – but will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?

Tracy Chevalier is a master of her own craft, and The Glassmaker is vivid, inventive, spellbinding: a virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as their glass. I’ve always enjoyed her books, some of my favourites include The Lady and The Unicorn, Girl with a Pearl Earring, A Single Thread and Remarkable Creatures. I love that they feature so many crafts and skills, and that she often learns the very crafts she writes about. Glass blowing is fascinating and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little more about it.

I haven’t read a book which has this kind of timeline before. For Orsola Rosso and her family time moves slowly, whilst life in Venice and the rest of the world moves quickly. The Glassmaker is set against the backdrop of Murano and Venice and everything that happens to the city over 500 years is mirrored in the fortunes of the family.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier is published 12th September 2024.

Disclosure – thanks to NetGalley for an ARC