Why read The Glassblower of Murano?

Book cover of The Glassblower of Murano

Book description

Venice, 1681. Glassblowing is the lifeblood of the Republic, and Venetian mirrors are more precious than gold. Jealously guarded by the murderous Council of Ten, the glassblowers of Murano are virtually imprisoned on their island in the lagoon. But the greatest of the artists, Corradino Manin, sells his methods and…

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Topics

Italy
Venice

Genres

Historical fiction

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Glassblower of Murano as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Deborah Swift

Author

I loved the descriptions of the craft of glassmaking, especially the fact that something so hard could be made out of something so hot and molten. A big part of my enjoyment of this book rested on the descriptions of glittering glass, which seemed to mirror the Venetian Lagoon.

Another thing I loved was the fact I felt a connection to Nora, who was transported from her ordinary life to a life in Venice where everything was shifting because of its watery nature. There was great attention to detail in the writing that brought the seventeenth-century past to life on…

From Deborah's list on The best historical fiction to immerse you in the old skills of artisans and craftspeople.