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The Glassblower of Murano
Ein dunkles Geheimnis.
Ein Herz aus Glas.
Eine Liebe, die Jahrhunderte überdauert.
Venezianisches Glas: kostbar wie Gold. Um das Geheimnis seiner Herstellung zu wahren, verbannte der Rat der Stadt die Glasbläser auf die streng abgeschirmte Insel Murano. Als Corradino Manin, der berühmteste der Glaskünstler, 1661 einen Fluchtversuch wagt, bringt er nicht nur sich selbst in Gefahr, sondern auch die, die er liebt.
Fast vierhundert Jahre später stößt die junge Leonora Manin auf das Erbe ihrer Familie. Sie ahnt nicht, wie eng die Vergangenheit mit ihrer eigenen Zukunft verknüpft ist, wie sehr ihr eigenes Glück von Corradinos Schicksal abhängt ...
Ein Herz aus Glas.
Eine Liebe, die Jahrhunderte überdauert.
Venezianisches Glas: kostbar wie Gold. Um das Geheimnis seiner Herstellung zu wahren, verbannte der Rat der Stadt die Glasbläser auf die streng abgeschirmte Insel Murano. Als Corradino Manin, der berühmteste der Glaskünstler, 1661 einen Fluchtversuch wagt, bringt er nicht nur sich selbst in Gefahr, sondern auch die, die er liebt.
Fast vierhundert Jahre später stößt die junge Leonora Manin auf das Erbe ihrer Familie. Sie ahnt nicht, wie eng die Vergangenheit mit ihrer eigenen Zukunft verknüpft ist, wie sehr ihr eigenes Glück von Corradinos Schicksal abhängt ...
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
262 people are currently reading
4536 people want to read
About the author
Marina Fiorato
14 books595 followersMarina Fiorato is half-Venetian. She was born in Manchester and raised in the Yorkshire Dales.
She is a history graduate of Oxford University and the University of Venice, where she specialized in the study of Shakespeare’s plays as an historical source.
After University she studied art and since worked as an illustrator, actress and film reviewer.
She also designed tour visuals for rock bands including U2 and the Rolling Stones.
She was married on the Grand Canal and lives in North London with her husband, son and daughter.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/marina...
She is a history graduate of Oxford University and the University of Venice, where she specialized in the study of Shakespeare’s plays as an historical source.
After University she studied art and since worked as an illustrator, actress and film reviewer.
She also designed tour visuals for rock bands including U2 and the Rolling Stones.
She was married on the Grand Canal and lives in North London with her husband, son and daughter.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/marina...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 995 reviews
May 8, 2013
Let me start by saying I much prefer recommending good books over warning people away from bad ones. But sometimes the only right, responsible thing to do is tell others to be wary. This is such a case.
Being a history buff with a particular interest in Venice (see John Julius Norwich for something worth your time if Venice interests you), I was looking forward to a light, historical fiction read. I was even OK with the romance angle -- the cover looked decent enough and didn't scream "stay away" (or "welcome home," depending on your perspective) as so many genre covers do.
But the actual writing in this book is so amateurish, so poorly crafted that it insults the reader. Ladies and gentlemen, just consider these few pieces of evidence. (Trust me, there is plenty more where this stuff came from.)
Early in the book, Nora, known as Nora, has no money concerns. She's just gotten all the proceeds from the sale of a house that the writer tells us is impressive and important enough to have a name, Belmont. A few chapters later, after less than a month in a hotel, Nora, known as Nora, is worried about collecting a workman's paycheck because she's nearly run through all her money?
The dialogue is insipid. In more than one place, Nora, known as Nora, or another character refers aloud to "Corrado, known as Corradino." Seriously, say that out loud to yourself. Who speaks like that? OK, perhaps one speaker has a quirk. But why would multiple characters speak the same stilted words? It's like Ms. Fiorato found a sliver of research and is determined to beat her reader about the head and shoulders with it.
Nora, known as Nora, swiftly and magically locates and moves into the most perfect, affordable apartment (no ancient pipes, no crumbling moldy walls, no wiring problems, perfect plumbing, gorgeous view, you know, just the everyday find in a 1,200-year-old city), lives there a month, and then the writer tells us that Nora, known as Nora, has been in Venice now for four months. What? Two or three weeks in a hotel plus one month in an apartment. Where did those two-and-a-half extra months come from? And why has it been Autumn and "end of the tourist season" for three straight months? Is this a Doctor Who adventure, A Slow Death by Pen in Venice perhaps?
A journalist character appears. We're told she's ambitious and driven. She was promoted to a bureau in Rome, then Milan, now back to Venice to an even higher position. (And trust me, even the dimmest of readers will figure out her secret identity in 30 seconds flat.) And her reward for that determination and drive? She's sent out to write a puff-piece about a sad marketing campaign from a down-on-its-luck glass factory? Really? No wonder she's so bitter. The author clearly knows nothing about how newspapers work. Driven, ambitious, important journalists don't take assignments that would make even an intern sniff, "I don't think so. What else you got?"
In that same chapter about the journalist, the author makes the worst, most amateurish mistake. Mid-chapter, she suddenly jumps perspective from the main character, Nora, known as Nora, and jerks the reader into this journalist's head -- no warning, no signal of the switch, nothing. (Mind control, perhaps? Maybe my Doctor Who theory isn't so far off?) This is the type of mistake beginning writers learn not to make in Fiction Writing 101 classes. Or they fail the class. I'm flabbergasted at how this scene made it into print.
Chapter 19, "The Fourth Estate," is where I finally lost my sh*t, as the kids say. The writer gives us the text of a story that appears in a local paper. Ms. Fiorato, when is the last time you actually read a newspaper? Can you please Please PLEASE show me just ONE real newspaper story that has ever included lines like "Our readers will remember just days ago" or "Little did we know then what this paper has been able to discover..." (And I remind you, this isn't a story about Venice sinking, the local gondola industry disappearing, or political corruption -- this is a story about a marketing campaign and the reader is expected to believe that a real live newspaper editor would assign a whole series of stories on it.) Ms. Fiorato, I ask again, have you ever actually read a newspaper? Even a passing glance would have told you that this story you "quote," this isn't how newspapers are written.
From this point on, I confess it was a hate-read. I finished the book simply because I wanted to see how bad it would get. Trust me. "Bad" is being kind. Writing is rewriting, so any good author will tell you, and I would lay odds that I've rewritten this review more times than Ms. Fiorato took a crack at her own pages.
But let's let poor Ms. Fiorato off the hook a bit. After all, one hopes there was an editor for this book, yes? The marketing department did a great job packaging the thing, but why didn't an editor kick this manuscript back and make Ms. Fiorato rewrite these ridiculous passages? Why didn't someone ask her to do the hard work that a writer should do?
As for the historic elements, the information about Venice and glassblowing is slapped into the text in the most ham-handed fashion. Italian words are thrust in unnecessarily when they don't add texture or flavor -- really, why not just use the English word "proprietor"?
This book insults the reader, and should embarrass the author (though since she's churned outthree four more of these things, good on her for turning a buck -- clearly she has found an audience equal to her talent. Part of me is tempted to read and review the rest but, no, I think there is an infomercial on TV that I need to catch).
Venice, on the other hand, has grounds to sue Ms. Fiorato and ban her from mentioning its name in print ever again.
Being a history buff with a particular interest in Venice (see John Julius Norwich for something worth your time if Venice interests you), I was looking forward to a light, historical fiction read. I was even OK with the romance angle -- the cover looked decent enough and didn't scream "stay away" (or "welcome home," depending on your perspective) as so many genre covers do.
But the actual writing in this book is so amateurish, so poorly crafted that it insults the reader. Ladies and gentlemen, just consider these few pieces of evidence. (Trust me, there is plenty more where this stuff came from.)
Early in the book, Nora, known as Nora, has no money concerns. She's just gotten all the proceeds from the sale of a house that the writer tells us is impressive and important enough to have a name, Belmont. A few chapters later, after less than a month in a hotel, Nora, known as Nora, is worried about collecting a workman's paycheck because she's nearly run through all her money?
The dialogue is insipid. In more than one place, Nora, known as Nora, or another character refers aloud to "Corrado, known as Corradino." Seriously, say that out loud to yourself. Who speaks like that? OK, perhaps one speaker has a quirk. But why would multiple characters speak the same stilted words? It's like Ms. Fiorato found a sliver of research and is determined to beat her reader about the head and shoulders with it.
Nora, known as Nora, swiftly and magically locates and moves into the most perfect, affordable apartment (no ancient pipes, no crumbling moldy walls, no wiring problems, perfect plumbing, gorgeous view, you know, just the everyday find in a 1,200-year-old city), lives there a month, and then the writer tells us that Nora, known as Nora, has been in Venice now for four months. What? Two or three weeks in a hotel plus one month in an apartment. Where did those two-and-a-half extra months come from? And why has it been Autumn and "end of the tourist season" for three straight months? Is this a Doctor Who adventure, A Slow Death by Pen in Venice perhaps?
A journalist character appears. We're told she's ambitious and driven. She was promoted to a bureau in Rome, then Milan, now back to Venice to an even higher position. (And trust me, even the dimmest of readers will figure out her secret identity in 30 seconds flat.) And her reward for that determination and drive? She's sent out to write a puff-piece about a sad marketing campaign from a down-on-its-luck glass factory? Really? No wonder she's so bitter. The author clearly knows nothing about how newspapers work. Driven, ambitious, important journalists don't take assignments that would make even an intern sniff, "I don't think so. What else you got?"
In that same chapter about the journalist, the author makes the worst, most amateurish mistake. Mid-chapter, she suddenly jumps perspective from the main character, Nora, known as Nora, and jerks the reader into this journalist's head -- no warning, no signal of the switch, nothing. (Mind control, perhaps? Maybe my Doctor Who theory isn't so far off?) This is the type of mistake beginning writers learn not to make in Fiction Writing 101 classes. Or they fail the class. I'm flabbergasted at how this scene made it into print.
Chapter 19, "The Fourth Estate," is where I finally lost my sh*t, as the kids say. The writer gives us the text of a story that appears in a local paper. Ms. Fiorato, when is the last time you actually read a newspaper? Can you please Please PLEASE show me just ONE real newspaper story that has ever included lines like "Our readers will remember just days ago" or "Little did we know then what this paper has been able to discover..." (And I remind you, this isn't a story about Venice sinking, the local gondola industry disappearing, or political corruption -- this is a story about a marketing campaign and the reader is expected to believe that a real live newspaper editor would assign a whole series of stories on it.) Ms. Fiorato, I ask again, have you ever actually read a newspaper? Even a passing glance would have told you that this story you "quote," this isn't how newspapers are written.
From this point on, I confess it was a hate-read. I finished the book simply because I wanted to see how bad it would get. Trust me. "Bad" is being kind. Writing is rewriting, so any good author will tell you, and I would lay odds that I've rewritten this review more times than Ms. Fiorato took a crack at her own pages.
But let's let poor Ms. Fiorato off the hook a bit. After all, one hopes there was an editor for this book, yes? The marketing department did a great job packaging the thing, but why didn't an editor kick this manuscript back and make Ms. Fiorato rewrite these ridiculous passages? Why didn't someone ask her to do the hard work that a writer should do?
As for the historic elements, the information about Venice and glassblowing is slapped into the text in the most ham-handed fashion. Italian words are thrust in unnecessarily when they don't add texture or flavor -- really, why not just use the English word "proprietor"?
This book insults the reader, and should embarrass the author (though since she's churned out
Venice, on the other hand, has grounds to sue Ms. Fiorato and ban her from mentioning its name in print ever again.
June 5, 2014
The first thing I'd like to do is find the person responsible for proof-reading this novel and slap them, followed by recommending that they be fired from employment with the publishing house. There are numerous occassions during the book where words are completely missing from the text and, on page 105 (I was so annoyed I memorised the page number)the narrator refers to Corradino's ancestors when what is clearly meant is descendants.
The shoddy proof-reading wasn't my only issue with this novel. Whilst the history that inspired the story was new to me and extremely fascinating, it wasn't enough to earn any extra stars... Where to begin? How about with the annoying, italicised, random thoughts that constantly interrupt the story as Fiorato allows her characters to find their own voice? I say their own voice, but actually all these voices sound the same and none of them are convincing. Most of the time what they have to say simply insults the intelligence ('In case you, the reader, didn't notice, the glass here is a metaphor for...').
Next up you have the modern-day storyline, which reads like really bad chick-lit - annoying heroine (check); unconvincing romance with no basis for the attachment other than the fact the guy looks pretty (check); a feeling that feminism never happened and it's still okay to use the word 'barren' (check)... grr.
Finally, it's all so convenient. Of course you can turn up in a gift shop, ask for a job as a glass blower and get it. Of course infertility can be solved by falling for the right man. Of course, when your ancestor's integrity is called into question, his personal note book will appear just in time to exonerate him (in the store room of the orphanage his daughter grew up in - because, even though she loved her father and was moved to tears when the notebook was given to her following his death, she carelessly neglected to take it with her to the mansion she was moving to).
It's a pity really, because the historical fiction aspect of this novel was pretty readable.
The shoddy proof-reading wasn't my only issue with this novel. Whilst the history that inspired the story was new to me and extremely fascinating, it wasn't enough to earn any extra stars... Where to begin? How about with the annoying, italicised, random thoughts that constantly interrupt the story as Fiorato allows her characters to find their own voice? I say their own voice, but actually all these voices sound the same and none of them are convincing. Most of the time what they have to say simply insults the intelligence ('In case you, the reader, didn't notice, the glass here is a metaphor for...').
Next up you have the modern-day storyline, which reads like really bad chick-lit - annoying heroine (check); unconvincing romance with no basis for the attachment other than the fact the guy looks pretty (check); a feeling that feminism never happened and it's still okay to use the word 'barren' (check)... grr.
Finally, it's all so convenient. Of course you can turn up in a gift shop, ask for a job as a glass blower and get it. Of course infertility can be solved by falling for the right man. Of course, when your ancestor's integrity is called into question, his personal note book will appear just in time to exonerate him (in the store room of the orphanage his daughter grew up in - because, even though she loved her father and was moved to tears when the notebook was given to her following his death, she carelessly neglected to take it with her to the mansion she was moving to).
It's a pity really, because the historical fiction aspect of this novel was pretty readable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2015
I really loved this book. The author artfully switches between two interwoven tales, one modern-day and the other in the 17th-century, both centered in the intriguing and romantic city of Venice, Italy. The story has a bit of everything; romance, history, art, music, murder, intrigue, sacrifice and escapism. I also really enjoyed the central theme of glassblowing, which to me is an amazing art, and made this story even more interesting. The format of this book was wonderful; the chapters are short and the story flows quickly, and I was impressed with how the author managed to weave the two stories together, almost as if they were one -- yet they were actually set a couple hundred years apart. The setting was perfect, as Venice has a timeless and unchanging quality to it -- so it was easy to imagine that pieces of the 17-century Venice are still present in the modern day. And interestingly, according to the conversation with the author at the back of the book, some facets of the story are actually true, although the central characters are fictional. It's just that type of thing that makes me appreciate a book even more -- and now it makes me want to go back to Venice to explore the city some more, and especially to visit the famous glassblowers on Murano. Overall, an excellent read!
October 6, 2010
I was drawn to this book by the promise of reading about Venice and Murano. Unfortunately, I found The Glassblower of Murano to be not so good.
First of all, there's the heroine. Leonora/Nora Manin grew up in London but was born in Venice. Her mother, an Englishwoman, we studying art abroad when she met the Titian-esque Bruno, a vaporetti driver. Of course, she immediately became pregnant, had the baby, and returned to England. Bruno, meanwhile, stayed in Venice and didn't write, ostensibly because he had died of a heart attack. At the age of 23. I would have been concerned about this, if I were Leonora. Perhaps I would have scheduled an electrocardiogram for myself, but that seemed to be the one thing that didn't put Leonora in a tizzy. Angry that Bruno didn't leave his family and homeland to follow her to Europe before dying, Leonora's mother became a bitter, hippie feminist. Leonora, however, became the weakest, most disappointing heroine, no, make that protagonist, that I've ever read.
Despite the luck of being able to move to Venice, immediately getting an impossible job as a glassblower, and finding a gorgeous canal-side flat in her ancestral home, she spends the first half of the book feeling sorry for herself because of her recent divorce, and the last half of the book mooning about, pining over her new Italian love, whining when he isn't as attentive as she thinks he should be, and yet refusing to say anything to him about it. It was quite pathetic.
There were a lot of Stephenie Meyer-esque repetitions going on (We know, Corradino doesn't have fingerprints. Please stop telling us about it.), and those became very irritating. As it was when Fiorato repeated the entire first chapter of the book toward the end of the book. It wasn't a cute little literary device, and it was a long chapter. One that I didn't really like reading the first time, to be honest. I also did not like the way Fiorato wrote her characters' thoughts in little italicized statements between paragraphs. Again, it was just a little stylistic affectation, and it was irritating. Plus, when thinking things in their heads, people's thoughts are not as stilted as these statements were. People do not, when remembering something silently to themselves, think the words "I remember when...." It just didn't work for me.
Then there were the plot problems. There were just too many things that were not feasible. I didn't like any of the relationships, and I didn't think that peoples' motives were explained well enough, particularly with regard to Corradino. His reasons for leaving, his reasons for returning, and his supposed exoneration at the book's conclusion--none of it was very convincing, in my opinion.
First of all, there's the heroine. Leonora/Nora Manin grew up in London but was born in Venice. Her mother, an Englishwoman, we studying art abroad when she met the Titian-esque Bruno, a vaporetti driver. Of course, she immediately became pregnant, had the baby, and returned to England. Bruno, meanwhile, stayed in Venice and didn't write, ostensibly because he had died of a heart attack. At the age of 23. I would have been concerned about this, if I were Leonora. Perhaps I would have scheduled an electrocardiogram for myself, but that seemed to be the one thing that didn't put Leonora in a tizzy. Angry that Bruno didn't leave his family and homeland to follow her to Europe before dying, Leonora's mother became a bitter, hippie feminist. Leonora, however, became the weakest, most disappointing heroine, no, make that protagonist, that I've ever read.
Despite the luck of being able to move to Venice, immediately getting an impossible job as a glassblower, and finding a gorgeous canal-side flat in her ancestral home, she spends the first half of the book feeling sorry for herself because of her recent divorce, and the last half of the book mooning about, pining over her new Italian love, whining when he isn't as attentive as she thinks he should be, and yet refusing to say anything to him about it. It was quite pathetic.
There were a lot of Stephenie Meyer-esque repetitions going on (We know, Corradino doesn't have fingerprints. Please stop telling us about it.), and those became very irritating. As it was when Fiorato repeated the entire first chapter of the book toward the end of the book. It wasn't a cute little literary device, and it was a long chapter. One that I didn't really like reading the first time, to be honest. I also did not like the way Fiorato wrote her characters' thoughts in little italicized statements between paragraphs. Again, it was just a little stylistic affectation, and it was irritating. Plus, when thinking things in their heads, people's thoughts are not as stilted as these statements were. People do not, when remembering something silently to themselves, think the words "I remember when...." It just didn't work for me.
Then there were the plot problems. There were just too many things that were not feasible. I didn't like any of the relationships, and I didn't think that peoples' motives were explained well enough, particularly with regard to Corradino. His reasons for leaving, his reasons for returning, and his supposed exoneration at the book's conclusion--none of it was very convincing, in my opinion.
October 28, 2008
I seem to have read several historical novels recently which interweave a modern story with one from the past - this is another along the same lines.
The modern-day story is about an English woman, half Venetian, who moves to Venice after her marriage breaks up and starts tracing the story of her famous ancestor, a master glass-maker. She also follows in his footsteps by working for a traditional glassmaker.
It's well-written and an easy, flowing read - the historical parts are better than the modern-day parts, I thought - but some of it is very sentimental, especially towards the end, which does get a bit cloying. All the same, I enjoyed it.
The modern-day story is about an English woman, half Venetian, who moves to Venice after her marriage breaks up and starts tracing the story of her famous ancestor, a master glass-maker. She also follows in his footsteps by working for a traditional glassmaker.
It's well-written and an easy, flowing read - the historical parts are better than the modern-day parts, I thought - but some of it is very sentimental, especially towards the end, which does get a bit cloying. All the same, I enjoyed it.
January 25, 2016
A very good read. It was well written with beautiful descriptions of Venice, as well as the art of glassblowing. The dual storylines were engaging and detailed, and swept you up in the story. My first read from this author and I was pleasantly surprised. I will be certainly be reading more
November 13, 2017
I just finished this and I loved it. I came on here expecting to see most people also loved it and though a lot obviously do there are many who really didn't like it all. I read those reviews and I can see and appreciate some of the points made, but for me, they did not detract from the story. I wasn't confused by the changing from one period of time to another, I ignored any anachronisms - I did wonder about the obsidian glass and Pompeii but I let it go. Just as I let go the odd POV slips - I knew who was talking so they didn't matter. Yes, there might be an unwritten rule about staying in a character's point of view but many authors break it and I never in this story felt she head hopped.
I was fascinated from beginning to end with the past and present tales. I loved the detail about the glass blowing. I don't even care too much if it wasn't completely accurate. It was accurate enough for me to be absorbed into that world. I loved the characters. My heart broke at times. I just thought this was a charming story from beginning to end.
I was fascinated from beginning to end with the past and present tales. I loved the detail about the glass blowing. I don't even care too much if it wasn't completely accurate. It was accurate enough for me to be absorbed into that world. I loved the characters. My heart broke at times. I just thought this was a charming story from beginning to end.
May 15, 2023
В "Стъкларят от Мурано" (Марина Фиорато, "Кръгозор") става въпрос за една лондонска женичка, която след изневярата на съпруга си решава да се завърне към корените си във Венеция. Там тя, в рамките на няколко месеца (дори на авторката не е известно колко точно са те), успява да усвои езика и диалектите, да си намери апартамент и нов мъж, както и да стане маестра на стъкларите. Всичко това – без усилия, пада й от небето, като дар божи. Стягайте куфарите и беж да откривате предците си из Венеция. Явно там животът се случва по-лесно.
„Стъкларят от Мурано“ – това книжно недоразумение, успя да ме изуми с две неща. Първо, как въобще е видяло бял свят, и второ, как се е превърнало в бестселър и по нашите земи. Авторката е коренячка венецеианка и въпреки това се погавря така фриволно и без да се свени, със своите история и традиции.
Идеята на романа е прекрасна, историята на стъкларите от Мурано е повече от любопитна, като добавим и паралела със съвремието, звучи супер. Това обаче слага край на всичко хубаво, което мога да кажа за тази книга. Героите са плоски, откровено дразнещи и немотивирани. Липсва им страст, заряд, липсва им душа и най-вече им липсва хъс. Лично аз не можах да повярвам на лекотата, с която главната героиня (както там беше името й) успява за толкова кратко време безпроблемно да се издигне в йерархията. Талантът и името са едно на ръка – да правиш перфектно стъкло обаче, без да си се докосвал до занаята никога в живота си, ми се струва нереалистично.
Фиорато е сметнала за много оригинално героинята й да си общува с мъртъв неин прародител, от когото да иска съвети и сила – като че е някакъв бог на стъкларите жени. Езикът е беден, елементарен. Всичко важно според авторката е казано в курсив. Съществуват реклами за перилни препарати, написани по-добре.
Щеше ми се да прочета цялата книга, за да мога да излея тонове и тонове тиня върху страниците на тоя гаден роман (пък и от любопитство колко по-зле може да стане), само че в момента, когато *спойлер* по драматичен начин в края на главата беше вметнато, че героинята (както и да е глупавото й име) е бременна, не издържах повече. Не си струва главоболието. Свърши ми аспиринът.
Густо, каза тя и проследи с пръст карираната му риза. Густо, помисли си той, предвкусвайки как ще му излезе късметът. Густо, написа Фиорато, ще забогатея лесно и бързо. Густо, рече издателят, усещайки почивка на Хаваите. Густо, помислих си аз и после повърнах шумно в реката.
Ако някой ме беше натирил да я чета, щях да мога да го обвиня в кофти литературен вкус и никога повече да не взимам препоръки от него. Само че сама си я избрах. Гадничко ми е.
„Стъкларят от Мурано“ спокойно може да бъде синтезирана по следния начин: тоталната липса на талант е фатална за добрата история. Спестете си паричките за нещо по-добро – баничка с боза, примерно. Дайте ги на уличен музикант. Изобщо – стойте далече от тази книга.
„Стъкларят от Мурано“ – това книжно недоразумение, успя да ме изуми с две неща. Първо, как въобще е видяло бял свят, и второ, как се е превърнало в бестселър и по нашите земи. Авторката е коренячка венецеианка и въпреки това се погавря така фриволно и без да се свени, със своите история и традиции.
Идеята на романа е прекрасна, историята на стъкларите от Мурано е повече от любопитна, като добавим и паралела със съвремието, звучи супер. Това обаче слага край на всичко хубаво, което мога да кажа за тази книга. Героите са плоски, откровено дразнещи и немотивирани. Липсва им страст, заряд, липсва им душа и най-вече им липсва хъс. Лично аз не можах да повярвам на лекотата, с която главната героиня (както там беше името й) успява за толкова кратко време безпроблемно да се издигне в йерархията. Талантът и името са едно на ръка – да правиш перфектно стъкло обаче, без да си се докосвал до занаята никога в живота си, ми се струва нереалистично.
Фиорато е сметнала за много оригинално героинята й да си общува с мъртъв неин прародител, от когото да иска съвети и сила – като че е някакъв бог на стъкларите жени. Езикът е беден, елементарен. Всичко важно според авторката е казано в курсив. Съществуват реклами за перилни препарати, написани по-добре.
Щеше ми се да прочета цялата книга, за да мога да излея тонове и тонове тиня върху страниците на тоя гаден роман (пък и от любопитство колко по-зле може да стане), само че в момента, когато *спойлер* по драматичен начин в края на главата беше вметнато, че героинята (както и да е глупавото й име) е бременна, не издържах повече. Не си струва главоболието. Свърши ми аспиринът.
Густо, каза тя и проследи с пръст карираната му риза. Густо, помисли си той, предвкусвайки как ще му излезе късметът. Густо, написа Фиорато, ще забогатея лесно и бързо. Густо, рече издателят, усещайки почивка на Хаваите. Густо, помислих си аз и после повърнах шумно в реката.
Ако някой ме беше натирил да я чета, щях да мога да го обвиня в кофти литературен вкус и никога повече да не взимам препоръки от него. Само че сама си я избрах. Гадничко ми е.
„Стъкларят от Мурано“ спокойно може да бъде синтезирана по следния начин: тоталната липса на талант е фатална за добрата история. Спестете си паричките за нещо по-добро – баничка с боза, примерно. Дайте ги на уличен музикант. Изобщо – стойте далече от тази книга.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2011
The beauty she discovers around her, touching it, hearing it .... the knowledge that something like it exists and that it is there, where she is.
The tears it brings the realization of it existence.... she wrote so beautiful, so real... so close to how those creations make me feel
The smile it brings on your face.
That is how reading The glassblower of Murano made me feel. The story of Leonora moving to Venice to find out about her ancestors. The past and secrets of the Manin family. The beauty and returning events being told in such a beautiful way by this author.
I remember visiting Murano, one of the smaller islands near Venice. I saw the glass that was sold there, where they made it. But after having read the story, I want to leave immediately and see the real fornaci of Murano. To walk around the islands and see, tocuh and feel the wonders they created decenia, centuries ago.
Venice has a past so important and full of secrets that the story about the best glassblower, Corradino, blends in with a grace that makes me remember the beauty which remains there and was told beautifully in this story between two times, connected by the art of glassblowing.
The tears it brings the realization of it existence.... she wrote so beautiful, so real... so close to how those creations make me feel
The smile it brings on your face.
That is how reading The glassblower of Murano made me feel. The story of Leonora moving to Venice to find out about her ancestors. The past and secrets of the Manin family. The beauty and returning events being told in such a beautiful way by this author.
I remember visiting Murano, one of the smaller islands near Venice. I saw the glass that was sold there, where they made it. But after having read the story, I want to leave immediately and see the real fornaci of Murano. To walk around the islands and see, tocuh and feel the wonders they created decenia, centuries ago.
Venice has a past so important and full of secrets that the story about the best glassblower, Corradino, blends in with a grace that makes me remember the beauty which remains there and was told beautifully in this story between two times, connected by the art of glassblowing.
September 14, 2024
DNF.
The book is full of descriptions of Venice with its sumptuous and magnificent historical palaces, the narrow streets, the bridges, the particular atmosphere of the lagoon.
There are also many interesting descriptions of the art of glass creation and all the methods and processes from which wonderful creations emerge.
This is all good to me, I really appreciate it however, the story of the two main characters, the Venetian master glass-maker in XVIII century era and his descendant living nowadays, it's too much boring to keep on reading.
I know the beauties of Venice ( since I live in Italy ) but I equally appreciate the wanderings with the descriptive parts of the cities and I love too learn more about art of glass, but the story, that is told parallel to these two themes, should have been captivating and offer intrigue and mystery as well as a romance (this according to the plot on Goodread and according to the tags "historical mystery" and "historical romance).
Instead it seems to me like an unbearable chronicle, of events, I feel it like a flat and gray account.
Surely the book is well written and it can be recommended to many people, but according to my tastes it's not the right book for me to read and I do not want to waste my free time with something that bores me to death.
Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my poor English since it's not my mother language.
The book is full of descriptions of Venice with its sumptuous and magnificent historical palaces, the narrow streets, the bridges, the particular atmosphere of the lagoon.
There are also many interesting descriptions of the art of glass creation and all the methods and processes from which wonderful creations emerge.
This is all good to me, I really appreciate it however, the story of the two main characters, the Venetian master glass-maker in XVIII century era and his descendant living nowadays, it's too much boring to keep on reading.
I know the beauties of Venice ( since I live in Italy ) but I equally appreciate the wanderings with the descriptive parts of the cities and I love too learn more about art of glass, but the story, that is told parallel to these two themes, should have been captivating and offer intrigue and mystery as well as a romance (this according to the plot on Goodread and according to the tags "historical mystery" and "historical romance).
Instead it seems to me like an unbearable chronicle, of events, I feel it like a flat and gray account.
Surely the book is well written and it can be recommended to many people, but according to my tastes it's not the right book for me to read and I do not want to waste my free time with something that bores me to death.
Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my poor English since it's not my mother language.
November 28, 2015
Never mind the glowing, capital letters on the cover that this novel was [quote] AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. That is the first clue that something is amiss. The big phat trad publisher must have pre-ordered gazillions of copies because it's hard to believe there would be that many gullible buyers, and worldwide. Let us mourn the needless dead trees to pad the sales and tout this title.
Two stars rather than one star, only because the numerous typos and missing words (!) are not the author's fault. However, some errors are, like using "poured" rather than "pored" when the phrase refers to looking intently at an item (paint samples). The adjective "avuncular" appears roughly 3 times in the first 120 or so pages.
As other reviews note, switching back and forth between modern and historic settings was not well done here. In fact, the choppy pacing almost resulted in another copy going into the trash with all those remaindered, fake pre-orders. The modern story, cloying and ultimately annoying, adds miserably little to the period tale of the actual glassblower. Here the author's historical acumen should have been allowed to shine; after all, the publisher hype on the cover copy and on the Goodreads page reminds us as often as possible that the author attended Oxford at some point. Exactly which college or where the history degree resulted, Oxford or Venice, isn't made clear.
Despite her vague credentials, there are anachronisms. The glassblower of the late 1600s is somehow familiar with how bodies had been buried in Pompeii, which had not yt been excavated---though he supposes the bodies were covered in obsidian [ pp 182-3 in the paperback], an unnecessary and factually incorrect detail. Nothing is said about this in the Author's Note because there isn't one. This is pulp fiction, so it has inane reader's guide questions but no Author's Note.
Description of glassmaking as a process is superficial. More attention is paid to florid praise of the end products. The plot is for the most part insipid and full of unlikely coincidence. If you are hoping to learn something, or be immersed in 17th century Venice, reader pass by.
Two stars rather than one star, only because the numerous typos and missing words (!) are not the author's fault. However, some errors are, like using "poured" rather than "pored" when the phrase refers to looking intently at an item (paint samples). The adjective "avuncular" appears roughly 3 times in the first 120 or so pages.
As other reviews note, switching back and forth between modern and historic settings was not well done here. In fact, the choppy pacing almost resulted in another copy going into the trash with all those remaindered, fake pre-orders. The modern story, cloying and ultimately annoying, adds miserably little to the period tale of the actual glassblower. Here the author's historical acumen should have been allowed to shine; after all, the publisher hype on the cover copy and on the Goodreads page reminds us as often as possible that the author attended Oxford at some point. Exactly which college or where the history degree resulted, Oxford or Venice, isn't made clear.
Despite her vague credentials, there are anachronisms. The glassblower of the late 1600s is somehow familiar with how bodies had been buried in Pompeii, which had not yt been excavated---though he supposes the bodies were covered in obsidian [ pp 182-3 in the paperback], an unnecessary and factually incorrect detail. Nothing is said about this in the Author's Note because there isn't one. This is pulp fiction, so it has inane reader's guide questions but no Author's Note.
Description of glassmaking as a process is superficial. More attention is paid to florid praise of the end products. The plot is for the most part insipid and full of unlikely coincidence. If you are hoping to learn something, or be immersed in 17th century Venice, reader pass by.
June 10, 2016
Iako ne volim idealizirane djevojke kao ni priče sa "sladunjavim" krajem, ovom romanu ne mogu dati ništa manje od četiri zvjezdice, ako ništa zbog živopisnih opisa otoka Murana i njegove povijesti koja odiše proizvodnjom predmeta od stakla na jedinstven i sofisticiran način,tzv. puhanjem. Svidjeli su mi se i opisi Venecije, njene mračne strane u periodu godine kad se taj grad na vodi "zatvara u sebe", kad ga i turisti napuštaju. S najvećom pažnjom sam ipak čitala dio koji se odnosi na Corradina Manina, umjetnika i majstora tog posla čiju je biografiju autorica uspjela dočarati da djeluje kao stvaran lik. Kraj je totalno nerealan, ostalo je misterija šta se dogodilo s Leonorinim konkurentom, osvetnički raspoloženim Robertom - jednostavno se povukao i nestao da bi priča imala sretan kraj?! Zato baš i ne volim ljubavne romane sa sretnim krajem kao iz bajke. No, dobro, planiram nastaviti čitati Marinu Fiorato, možda su njeni ostali romani za nijansu uvjerljiviji, ako je ovo njena prva knjiga, onda zaista zaslužuje sve čestitke :)
April 10, 2017
Look, it's a romance, set in beautiful Venice. A bit of harmless escapism, which almost enabled this reader to ignore the utterly unbelievable plot - especially the really silly bit in the middle of the story; to forgive the predictable love interest with the obligatory potential rival thrown in, and to overlook the so-last-century view of womanhood, abandoning everything (home, friends, job etc) all for love.
August 15, 2021
Gospođa Fiorato piše tople ljudske priče koje nas uče mnogo o istoriji mjesta u koji smjestila svoju priču, ali i o ljudskim sudbinama gdje se isprepliću stvarni događaji sa fikcijom.
Od dvije priče, više mi se svidjela savremenija, ali samo zato što druga prikazuje neka mračnija vremena.
I opet ne znam zašto njene knjige karakterišu kao ljubavne. Da li je to reklama da bi se knjiga bolje prodala?
Od dvije priče, više mi se svidjela savremenija, ali samo zato što druga prikazuje neka mračnija vremena.
I opet ne znam zašto njene knjige karakterišu kao ljubavne. Da li je to reklama da bi se knjiga bolje prodala?
January 20, 2018
Loved it. I don’t care about the other reviews. I couldn’t put it down read it til 1:30 am and sad that it’s finished. Loved the Venetian history and locations kept reminding me of Donna Leon’s books.
Now I must have some authentic Murano glass!
Now I must have some authentic Murano glass!
May 29, 2019
3* samo zato što volim ostale Marinine knjige 😂 Inače nit bih je pročitala do kraja, niti bi imala ocjenu višu od 1! Ovaj očaj između korica pravdam time da joj je ovo prva knjiga i da se još učila pisati i šarati među žanrovima, realnim i nerealnim životnim situacijama i sl.
October 18, 2009
Man, I was really excited. I thought this was the first Goodreads First Reads book I'd get where I could rate it a four or a five. And then I hit the last 30 pages. This had an awesome middle, but had some serious missteps at the beginning and end. If the ending had been better it would get a four.
First, the middle.
The middle of this book illustrates the work of glassmaking in an almost visceral manner. It brings alive what it must have been like to make glass hundreds of years ago, and the difficulties of glassmakers on Murano today. I also grew to like the main character, Leonora Manin, who after a difficult divorce has moved to Venice to reconnect with her heritage and further her work in the glass arts. I liked watching her delve into her own history.
So, that's the middle, and the stuff I liked about the book.
The things that knocked it down to a four:
Two-dimensional characterization. We have two "bad guy" characters in the novel, Roberto and Vittoria. Neither of them have any redeeming qualities; they're just self-serving and eeeeeevil. But two-dimensional characters are par for the course here; Leonora's beau Alessandro is similarly two-dimensional, going from perfect lover to jealous lover to last-minute hero without any real deep sense of his motivation.
Unexpected mid-chapter switch in perspective. In the beginning, the story is told in close-third from two perspectives, Leonora and that of her ancestor Corradino. In later chapters, we get the perspective of another character in Corradino's era, and that's...fine. It moves the story forward. But then in Chapter 20, Leonora goes to visit Professore Padovani. In the middle of the chapter, with no warning and no section break (and no real purpose), the perspective shifts to Padovani for a few paragraphs, and then back to Leonora. It doesn't add to the story; it just looks like she wrote a rough draft from Padovani's point of view, switched it to Leonora's, forgot to edit six lines of the original draft, and then the editors rushed and also missed it. This happens several times in the last two hundred pages of the book, and it doesn't add anything - it just takes away from the story.
Massive infodump in Chapter 2. Pages nine through 20 are dull, tedious exposition on Leonora's backstory. We started off so well! So excitingly! In media res! Can't you keep some forward plot motion going and have her backstory revealed during the action? My ex-husband the English composition professor would have given Fiorato a D for chapter 2.
The things that brought it down to a three:
Chapter One and Chapter 38 are the same frickin' chapter. Word for word, cut and paste, eight pages, NO CHANGES. Really? Really? Were you eight pages short of the length required by your publisher? At this point, you've swapped perspectives so often. Can't you give us the same scene from someone else's perspective? Couldn't you at least assume we'd remember what happened?
The ending really left me cold. After all the work Leonora does to find out what really happened with Corradino, her boyfriend - the one who got her pregnant and won't shack up with her and has been totally no help and just THREW her PRICELESS antique NECKLACE made by her ANCESTOR into the GRAND CANAL, for heavens' sake - leaves her standing by the Grand Canal, hares off to the library at the orphanage and finds the book Corradino left behind. Meanwhile, Leonora's off having a baby. (Don't these people have cellphones? I've been to Venice. EVERYONE has a mobile phone! Why wouldn't the hospital call him to say, "Hey, your girlfriend who you won't MOVE IN WITH despite the fact that SHE'S HAVING YOUR BABY is in the midst of a difficult and dangerous breech birth!") Alessandro's basically been the absentee boyfriend for the whole novel, and now at the last minute he saves the day, and basically takes away all the power and self-actualization that Leonora built up through the novel. Because she's got a BABY, see! And that's the most important thing in the WORLD!
As you can see by that incredibly calm and self-possessed critique above, I was a bit annoyed that Fiorato spent 90% of the novel transforming Leonora from someone whose entire identity was formed by others into her own person, and then knocked her back to being the weak woman who is rescued by others. Although, come to think of it, she never really does develop her own identity, does she? She first takes her identity from her husband, then from her ancestor Corradino, then from her husband and son (and after childbirth really seems to lose interest in the whole glass-making thing that was so important before). Ugh. The ending just left a bad taste in my mouth.
First, the middle.
The middle of this book illustrates the work of glassmaking in an almost visceral manner. It brings alive what it must have been like to make glass hundreds of years ago, and the difficulties of glassmakers on Murano today. I also grew to like the main character, Leonora Manin, who after a difficult divorce has moved to Venice to reconnect with her heritage and further her work in the glass arts. I liked watching her delve into her own history.
So, that's the middle, and the stuff I liked about the book.
The things that knocked it down to a four:
Two-dimensional characterization. We have two "bad guy" characters in the novel, Roberto and Vittoria. Neither of them have any redeeming qualities; they're just self-serving and eeeeeevil. But two-dimensional characters are par for the course here; Leonora's beau Alessandro is similarly two-dimensional, going from perfect lover to jealous lover to last-minute hero without any real deep sense of his motivation.
Unexpected mid-chapter switch in perspective. In the beginning, the story is told in close-third from two perspectives, Leonora and that of her ancestor Corradino. In later chapters, we get the perspective of another character in Corradino's era, and that's...fine. It moves the story forward. But then in Chapter 20, Leonora goes to visit Professore Padovani. In the middle of the chapter, with no warning and no section break (and no real purpose), the perspective shifts to Padovani for a few paragraphs, and then back to Leonora. It doesn't add to the story; it just looks like she wrote a rough draft from Padovani's point of view, switched it to Leonora's, forgot to edit six lines of the original draft, and then the editors rushed and also missed it. This happens several times in the last two hundred pages of the book, and it doesn't add anything - it just takes away from the story.
Massive infodump in Chapter 2. Pages nine through 20 are dull, tedious exposition on Leonora's backstory. We started off so well! So excitingly! In media res! Can't you keep some forward plot motion going and have her backstory revealed during the action? My ex-husband the English composition professor would have given Fiorato a D for chapter 2.
The things that brought it down to a three:
Chapter One and Chapter 38 are the same frickin' chapter. Word for word, cut and paste, eight pages, NO CHANGES. Really? Really? Were you eight pages short of the length required by your publisher? At this point, you've swapped perspectives so often. Can't you give us the same scene from someone else's perspective? Couldn't you at least assume we'd remember what happened?
The ending really left me cold. After all the work Leonora does to find out what really happened with Corradino, her boyfriend - the one who got her pregnant and won't shack up with her and has been totally no help and just THREW her PRICELESS antique NECKLACE made by her ANCESTOR into the GRAND CANAL, for heavens' sake - leaves her standing by the Grand Canal, hares off to the library at the orphanage and finds the book Corradino left behind. Meanwhile, Leonora's off having a baby. (Don't these people have cellphones? I've been to Venice. EVERYONE has a mobile phone! Why wouldn't the hospital call him to say, "Hey, your girlfriend who you won't MOVE IN WITH despite the fact that SHE'S HAVING YOUR BABY is in the midst of a difficult and dangerous breech birth!") Alessandro's basically been the absentee boyfriend for the whole novel, and now at the last minute he saves the day, and basically takes away all the power and self-actualization that Leonora built up through the novel. Because she's got a BABY, see! And that's the most important thing in the WORLD!
As you can see by that incredibly calm and self-possessed critique above, I was a bit annoyed that Fiorato spent 90% of the novel transforming Leonora from someone whose entire identity was formed by others into her own person, and then knocked her back to being the weak woman who is rescued by others. Although, come to think of it, she never really does develop her own identity, does she? She first takes her identity from her husband, then from her ancestor Corradino, then from her husband and son (and after childbirth really seems to lose interest in the whole glass-making thing that was so important before). Ugh. The ending just left a bad taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2009
I received an advanced copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
This is a story about Nora/Leonora (present day) and her ancestor, Corradino (17th Century). Nora was born in Venice, but her mother took her to England when she was a baby. Her husband just left her for another woman (older and not as pretty), so to try and move on from the pain, she decides to return to Venice and follow in the footsteps of her ancestor to become a glassblower. Corradino was a maestro glassblower imprisoned on the island of Murano as all glassblowers are. He is followed by The Ten (the rulers of Venice) at all times because his father was a conspirator against The Ten.
The story follows Nora as she becomes Leonora (her given name) and she connects to her ancestor. There is a mystery surrounding his death and she is determined to find out more about him.
This book was difficult to read in the beginning. Nora's story could be followed, but Corradino's jumped back and forth without any understanding of what time it was--you have to figure it out yourself (many times books will give you a time/date stamp at the beginning of the chapter, but not this one). It took until about 100 pages or so into the book to really start to feel the timeline and not get confused.
The book is written in third person, but mostly from the POV of Leonora or Corradino--occasionally it will jump to another character. There is very little dialogue throughout much of the book--almost none at the beginning where there are lots of descriptions--of everything.
The story was fairly well written with the development of Corradino's story coinciding with Leonora's discoveries paralleled well. The writing tries to give you a sense of the Venician people--not really the city. It does that. I did feel like I understood more about how they people live/lived.
I didn't love this book, though. I was bothered by Leonora's relationship with Alessandro until the end. She seemed too uncertain (and pitiful) and it never gave you Alessandro's side until the very end. Also, my one pet peeve is in this book. I won't give it away, but it deals with Leonora and what happens to her--it comes across as if things that don't work will all of a sudden work when you aren't in the same setting anymore. I disagree with the speed of the change--it can happen, but it usually takes longer. I understand it was important to the story, but it annoyed me and it was the second book in a row with this pet peeve! Ugh.
My final assessment is that this is a decent book. Very different from most of the books that I read, but worth the read. I can't give it 5 or even 4 stars for some of the reasons I've stated, but it is better than 3 stars. I would give it 3.5 stars.
This is a story about Nora/Leonora (present day) and her ancestor, Corradino (17th Century). Nora was born in Venice, but her mother took her to England when she was a baby. Her husband just left her for another woman (older and not as pretty), so to try and move on from the pain, she decides to return to Venice and follow in the footsteps of her ancestor to become a glassblower. Corradino was a maestro glassblower imprisoned on the island of Murano as all glassblowers are. He is followed by The Ten (the rulers of Venice) at all times because his father was a conspirator against The Ten.
The story follows Nora as she becomes Leonora (her given name) and she connects to her ancestor. There is a mystery surrounding his death and she is determined to find out more about him.
This book was difficult to read in the beginning. Nora's story could be followed, but Corradino's jumped back and forth without any understanding of what time it was--you have to figure it out yourself (many times books will give you a time/date stamp at the beginning of the chapter, but not this one). It took until about 100 pages or so into the book to really start to feel the timeline and not get confused.
The book is written in third person, but mostly from the POV of Leonora or Corradino--occasionally it will jump to another character. There is very little dialogue throughout much of the book--almost none at the beginning where there are lots of descriptions--of everything.
The story was fairly well written with the development of Corradino's story coinciding with Leonora's discoveries paralleled well. The writing tries to give you a sense of the Venician people--not really the city. It does that. I did feel like I understood more about how they people live/lived.
I didn't love this book, though. I was bothered by Leonora's relationship with Alessandro until the end. She seemed too uncertain (and pitiful) and it never gave you Alessandro's side until the very end. Also, my one pet peeve is in this book. I won't give it away, but it deals with Leonora and what happens to her--it comes across as if things that don't work will all of a sudden work when you aren't in the same setting anymore. I disagree with the speed of the change--it can happen, but it usually takes longer. I understand it was important to the story, but it annoyed me and it was the second book in a row with this pet peeve! Ugh.
My final assessment is that this is a decent book. Very different from most of the books that I read, but worth the read. I can't give it 5 or even 4 stars for some of the reasons I've stated, but it is better than 3 stars. I would give it 3.5 stars.
November 10, 2009
I saw this book at the airport on Sunday and it was bought and read by the following Wednesday. That is a minor miracle that could have only been possible if someone else bought it and someone else did! She, then, let me read it first. A true friend!
This is the story of a woman who changes her life by going back to her roots - roots she new barely anything about. A sudden turn of events in Nora's life, which, thankfully, the author deals with quickly and succinctly, leads her to Venice and a new life following in the footsteps of her ancestors.
The story does not blather on about how Nora's mother feels about the Venice connection or too much about Bruno. The amount that is included is just enough to give the reader the background that s/he needs to move on in the story without detracting from the main event.
In Venice, Nora returns to her given name, Leonora, and with it a whole new life. This story isn't written in a straight line and there are twists and turns along the way.
One of the appealing aspects is the reach back to the past where the author tells the story of Corradino in alternative chapters, in a flashback sort of way. In a way this method is like reading two stories at once. I liked that the author dealt with the mistakes that people made.
This book has a great tone and the characters seems real -- not perfect robots that seem so frequent in some fiction lately. This is definitely a book I would like to read again.
This is the story of a woman who changes her life by going back to her roots - roots she new barely anything about. A sudden turn of events in Nora's life, which, thankfully, the author deals with quickly and succinctly, leads her to Venice and a new life following in the footsteps of her ancestors.
The story does not blather on about how Nora's mother feels about the Venice connection or too much about Bruno. The amount that is included is just enough to give the reader the background that s/he needs to move on in the story without detracting from the main event.
In Venice, Nora returns to her given name, Leonora, and with it a whole new life. This story isn't written in a straight line and there are twists and turns along the way.
One of the appealing aspects is the reach back to the past where the author tells the story of Corradino in alternative chapters, in a flashback sort of way. In a way this method is like reading two stories at once. I liked that the author dealt with the mistakes that people made.
This book has a great tone and the characters seems real -- not perfect robots that seem so frequent in some fiction lately. This is definitely a book I would like to read again.
August 21, 2016
I loved the storyline! Venice in 1681, the art of glassblowing on the island of Murano and the tactics the Venetian Republic would deploy to preserve and protect the secrets of their craft - namely, restricting the movements of their gifted glassblowers - one in particular - Corradino Manin. What's not to like about the setting - it being one of the most charming and unique cities I've visited. Fast forward to current times and Corradino's descendant Leonora's life is falling apart in London. So, not surprisingly, she packs up and heads to Venice to find herself and explore her past -- a past that links back to Corradino Manin and the mystery and intrigue that shaped his life. Those are all the parts I liked - the storyline. But the writing didn't wow me, the editing was shoddy and the contemporary characters were one-dimensional. Leonora particularly could have used a good shaking up - toughen up lady! But I still loved the storyline and the setting, so I'm being uncharacteristically generous by bestowing three stars on this one. I probably will give the author another chance and check out a more recent book, given this was her first.
July 3, 2015
This is a book club read and is so far from what I want to be reading that it's going to end up on my life-is-too-short list very soon. Our last book was Ransom by David Malouf, one of the best books I've read for years. What an unfortunate slip this one is.
Update: life is definitely too short. I've read enough to say what I think at the book club, that's all that matters with this one!
Update: life is definitely too short. I've read enough to say what I think at the book club, that's all that matters with this one!
July 23, 2019
3,5 estrelas
Opinião no blogue: https://a-lilianaraquel.blogspot.com/...
Opinião no blogue: https://a-lilianaraquel.blogspot.com/...
December 15, 2022
Marina Fiorato dances between comfortable and disconcerting with such style and grace it's criminal. How I love to be caught there, never fully relaxed because behind such scenic beauty lurks a beast of some sort.
Thrilling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thrilling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 23, 2015
The Glassblower of Murano is by Marina Fiorato. It is a mystery and a romance in beautiful Venice of today and of old. The narrator’s view goes between that of Corradino Manin of 1700’s to that of Lenora Manin of the present. Venice and the island of Murano are the settings of this wonderful novel.
Corradino Manin is the only known survivor of his family’s massacre by The Ten in Venica. He was denounced by his own brother as a traitor to Venice. As soon as he put the note in the Lion’s Mouth, Ugolino regretted putting his brother’s name in and immediately went to Corradino and told him The Ten were after him and he and his family needed to run. They ran to the Island of Murano to catch a French boat to France; but the killers found them and killed them on Murano. All but Corradino who had stopped on his way home to see what was going on in the glassblower’s shed. Here, he was given small jobs to do and soon became as dirty as the rest of the young boys who helped. When the killers came looking for him, Giacomo, the glassblower, kept his identity a secret and thus saved him. Corradino had an aptitude for glassblowing which made him a magnificent blower and one to be watched with awe. As he grows up in Venice, he has a secret which to share would mean death. What is his secret and with this secret, would he become a traitor?
Lenora Manin grew up in England as the only daughter of Elinor Manin, an academic who specialized in Renissance Art. She had visited Venice during her studies and met and married Bruno Manin, a boatman who told her of his illustrious ancestor, Corradino Manin. They lived happily in Venice until the birth of their daughter Lenora. Elinor wanted to return to England but Bruno did not. She was very upset when she heart he died of a heart attack soon after they had left Venice. She continued to raise Nora on her own. When Nora married Stephen Carey, they honeymooned in Italy. She loved it but Stephen did not. While in school, Nora became entranced in the art of glass blowing and learned the techniques herself. She became quite good. When her marriage to Stephen grew to an end, she decided to go to Venice and become apprenticed on Murano to learn the ultimate in glassblowing as well as to search for her ancestor Corradino.
How will Venice treat her? Will she be accepted in Venice and on Murano?
Corradino Manin is the only known survivor of his family’s massacre by The Ten in Venica. He was denounced by his own brother as a traitor to Venice. As soon as he put the note in the Lion’s Mouth, Ugolino regretted putting his brother’s name in and immediately went to Corradino and told him The Ten were after him and he and his family needed to run. They ran to the Island of Murano to catch a French boat to France; but the killers found them and killed them on Murano. All but Corradino who had stopped on his way home to see what was going on in the glassblower’s shed. Here, he was given small jobs to do and soon became as dirty as the rest of the young boys who helped. When the killers came looking for him, Giacomo, the glassblower, kept his identity a secret and thus saved him. Corradino had an aptitude for glassblowing which made him a magnificent blower and one to be watched with awe. As he grows up in Venice, he has a secret which to share would mean death. What is his secret and with this secret, would he become a traitor?
Lenora Manin grew up in England as the only daughter of Elinor Manin, an academic who specialized in Renissance Art. She had visited Venice during her studies and met and married Bruno Manin, a boatman who told her of his illustrious ancestor, Corradino Manin. They lived happily in Venice until the birth of their daughter Lenora. Elinor wanted to return to England but Bruno did not. She was very upset when she heart he died of a heart attack soon after they had left Venice. She continued to raise Nora on her own. When Nora married Stephen Carey, they honeymooned in Italy. She loved it but Stephen did not. While in school, Nora became entranced in the art of glass blowing and learned the techniques herself. She became quite good. When her marriage to Stephen grew to an end, she decided to go to Venice and become apprenticed on Murano to learn the ultimate in glassblowing as well as to search for her ancestor Corradino.
How will Venice treat her? Will she be accepted in Venice and on Murano?
April 18, 2009
I'm a fan of historical fiction, with authors such as Philippa Gregory, Kathleen Kent, Diana Gabaldon, and Sarah Dunant on my books read list. Also, I've visited Venice and am a fan of glass art, specifically Dale Chihuly's, so I was really looking forward to reading this book when I received the ARC I won in a Goodreads contest. The book weaves two stories, one set in the present about Leonora Manin from London, who comes to Venice hoping to be the first female master glassblower, and one about her ancestor Corradino Manin, who in a traitorous act to his home city state, sells his methods to King Louis XIV of France to protect his secret daughter.
The author did not disappoint me with her lyrical descriptions of the city of Venice and its island for the glassblowing industry, Murano. Also, the descriptions of the glassblowing itself showed a true appreciation of the art, and I'm sure the author has visited glass workshops and talked to glassblowers. I was fascinated with the tale of Corradino Manin, the reasons for his treachery and how it was carried out.
However, the modern-day tale of Leonora didn't capture my interest as much. I felt that more could have been made of the conflict with her rival glassblower Roberto and there could have been deeper tension in her relationship with Police Detective Alessandro. With an archrival lurking around and a detective ready to investigate any crime, I felt that the gun had been left on the mantle for all to see, and it wasn't used. Of course, being a mystery fan, I'm looking for mystery in all that I read. There was plenty to interest me in Corradino's story, but I felt Leonora's conflict could have been deeper.
I liked how author Fiorato weaved symbology through the intertwined stories and brought it all together in the end, a reflection of her story-telling skill. Because of this and Corradino's tale, I rated the book as 4 stars.
The author did not disappoint me with her lyrical descriptions of the city of Venice and its island for the glassblowing industry, Murano. Also, the descriptions of the glassblowing itself showed a true appreciation of the art, and I'm sure the author has visited glass workshops and talked to glassblowers. I was fascinated with the tale of Corradino Manin, the reasons for his treachery and how it was carried out.
However, the modern-day tale of Leonora didn't capture my interest as much. I felt that more could have been made of the conflict with her rival glassblower Roberto and there could have been deeper tension in her relationship with Police Detective Alessandro. With an archrival lurking around and a detective ready to investigate any crime, I felt that the gun had been left on the mantle for all to see, and it wasn't used. Of course, being a mystery fan, I'm looking for mystery in all that I read. There was plenty to interest me in Corradino's story, but I felt Leonora's conflict could have been deeper.
I liked how author Fiorato weaved symbology through the intertwined stories and brought it all together in the end, a reflection of her story-telling skill. Because of this and Corradino's tale, I rated the book as 4 stars.
May 30, 2015
Há escritores que têm uma primeira obra memorável, que depois é difícil de suplantar, e outros em que se nota um desenvolvimento de livro para livro. Marina Fiorato encaixa-se neste último caso. Já tinha lido três obras desta autora, todas muito boas, mas este seu primeiro livro deixou muito a desejar.
Fiorato tem uma ligação estreita com Itália e as suas histórias decorrem sempre numa cidade italiana. Neste caso temos Veneza. A personagem principal, Leonora Manin, parte para a cidade dos canais para fugir a um divórcio traumático e encontrar as suas raízes italianas. Um seu antepassado, Corradino, foi um importante artista na arte do vidro de Murano, acusado de vender os seus segredos à corte de Luís XIV. Leonora sente que Corradino não é um traidor e, então, com a ajuda de um inspetor de polícia, tenta limpar o nome do seu antepassado.
Marina Fiorato é ótima a descrever ambientes e muito precisa nos pormenores de época, quer seja a descrever a política veneziana do século XVII ou as regras rígidas dos artistas do vidro. O que “manchou” esta história, a meu ver, foi a tentativa de agradar o pública feminino, transformando a relação de Leonora com o polícia numa história cor de rosa a la Nora Roberts. Demasiado açúcar e pouco realista. Ora vejam – durante o seu casamento de vários anos, nunca conseguiu engravidar e foi considerada estéril pelos médicos. Com o italiano, engravidou logo na primeira noite. Outro caso – a profissão de soprador de vidro em Murano continua a ser masculina e muito fechada. Leonora, uma estrangeira, consegue emprego logo num instante, sem qualquer experiência, simplesmente porque é descendente do grande Corradino.
Valeu pela parte histórica, mas Marina Fiorato não começou a sua carreira da melhor maneira. Esqueçam este livro. Leiam os outros!
Fiorato tem uma ligação estreita com Itália e as suas histórias decorrem sempre numa cidade italiana. Neste caso temos Veneza. A personagem principal, Leonora Manin, parte para a cidade dos canais para fugir a um divórcio traumático e encontrar as suas raízes italianas. Um seu antepassado, Corradino, foi um importante artista na arte do vidro de Murano, acusado de vender os seus segredos à corte de Luís XIV. Leonora sente que Corradino não é um traidor e, então, com a ajuda de um inspetor de polícia, tenta limpar o nome do seu antepassado.
Marina Fiorato é ótima a descrever ambientes e muito precisa nos pormenores de época, quer seja a descrever a política veneziana do século XVII ou as regras rígidas dos artistas do vidro. O que “manchou” esta história, a meu ver, foi a tentativa de agradar o pública feminino, transformando a relação de Leonora com o polícia numa história cor de rosa a la Nora Roberts. Demasiado açúcar e pouco realista. Ora vejam – durante o seu casamento de vários anos, nunca conseguiu engravidar e foi considerada estéril pelos médicos. Com o italiano, engravidou logo na primeira noite. Outro caso – a profissão de soprador de vidro em Murano continua a ser masculina e muito fechada. Leonora, uma estrangeira, consegue emprego logo num instante, sem qualquer experiência, simplesmente porque é descendente do grande Corradino.
Valeu pela parte histórica, mas Marina Fiorato não começou a sua carreira da melhor maneira. Esqueçam este livro. Leiam os outros!
May 4, 2017
Let me start with a true pearl that only Norwegians will fully appreciate: the english expression "making a cake of herself" was here translated literally into "gjøre av kake av seg selv"...
...
I dont't even.
I suspect that the horrible Norwegian translation contributed a little, but this might be one of the most poorly written books I ever read. As an avid reader of historical fiction, I'm used to books like these following a prescription, and I'm used to guessing the OMG PLOT TWIST stuff to come after less than fifty pages. But this... This hurt my brain. This makes Lucinda Riley seem like a veritable Hemingway in comparison. The one-sided characters with little to no buildup! The plot holes! The foreshadowings and side plots that were abandoned! The sentimental repetitions of words for "effect"! The fucking cheesiness of everything! And how the disgusting boyfriend somehow suddenly just knew there must be a diary??? Aaaargh.
I also somtimes read the kind of single title historical romance novels that you can only buy in grocery stores here in Norway, but at least books like "The gypsy earl" and "The viscount's mistress" are honest about what they are. This shit right here is trying to pass itself off as Proper Literature. I'm so glad I borrowed it at the library, because if I'd spent money on it I would regret it to my dying day. The fact that this book has so many positive reviews in the library app, the newspapers and on goodreads leaves me with little to no hope in humanity. I can understand how Drump became president now. It's all going to down from here.
...
I dont't even.
I suspect that the horrible Norwegian translation contributed a little, but this might be one of the most poorly written books I ever read. As an avid reader of historical fiction, I'm used to books like these following a prescription, and I'm used to guessing the OMG PLOT TWIST stuff to come after less than fifty pages. But this... This hurt my brain. This makes Lucinda Riley seem like a veritable Hemingway in comparison. The one-sided characters with little to no buildup! The plot holes! The foreshadowings and side plots that were abandoned! The sentimental repetitions of words for "effect"! The fucking cheesiness of everything! And how the disgusting boyfriend somehow suddenly just knew there must be a diary??? Aaaargh.
I also somtimes read the kind of single title historical romance novels that you can only buy in grocery stores here in Norway, but at least books like "The gypsy earl" and "The viscount's mistress" are honest about what they are. This shit right here is trying to pass itself off as Proper Literature. I'm so glad I borrowed it at the library, because if I'd spent money on it I would regret it to my dying day. The fact that this book has so many positive reviews in the library app, the newspapers and on goodreads leaves me with little to no hope in humanity. I can understand how Drump became president now. It's all going to down from here.
May 20, 2009
This book was okay. It certainly wasn't horrible, but it's far from being really, really great. It was engaging, in a light, simplistic sort of way of entertaining, but the author seemed to try too hard to make it really "deep". She quotes Dante and other 'great works' seemingly as a way to make her own writing more sophisticated, but the effort falls flat.
Instead of following the essential rule and showing readers what she means and what symbolism is in her story, she tells, as in:
"He felt the assassin's final twist of the blade to snap handle from haft, felt his skin close behind the blade to leave no more than an innocent graze at the point of entry.... As he submerged in the freezing depths, the water closed behind his body to leave no more than an innocent graze at the point of entry." (page 8)
I mean, really? You have to spell it out for us that bluntly? The author often hits us over the head with this sort of thing. "The glass horse broke... and it was as if his childhood had broken, too", that sort of thing.
Beyond that, the ending is far too neatly resolved. Actually, the whole story seemed a bit contrived. But if you're looking for fluffy, easy beach reading, this isn't a terrible book for that purpose.
Instead of following the essential rule and showing readers what she means and what symbolism is in her story, she tells, as in:
"He felt the assassin's final twist of the blade to snap handle from haft, felt his skin close behind the blade to leave no more than an innocent graze at the point of entry.... As he submerged in the freezing depths, the water closed behind his body to leave no more than an innocent graze at the point of entry." (page 8)
I mean, really? You have to spell it out for us that bluntly? The author often hits us over the head with this sort of thing. "The glass horse broke... and it was as if his childhood had broken, too", that sort of thing.
Beyond that, the ending is far too neatly resolved. Actually, the whole story seemed a bit contrived. But if you're looking for fluffy, easy beach reading, this isn't a terrible book for that purpose.
October 30, 2009
This was a Goodreads Giveaway win for me (yay!) and I was so excited to receive it, frankly, because of how very enticing the title sounded. My overall verdict is: It was okay.
The language was usually very flowery, and while sometimes this did enhance the descriptions of some places deserving of lavish adjectives, it mostly made me feel like the author was trying too hard.
I also had a problem with character/relationship development. Alessandro never progressed enough, for starters. I didn't believe him at all when he suddenly became this possessively jealous and passionate lover...I needed more of a transition from aloof boyfriend to devoted husband-figure. I wasn't crazy about Leonora's need to be validated by things and people outside of herself, which somehow suddenly went away, either.
I enjoyed the historical parts much more than the modern ones, even though, to be fair, the modern ones drew me in like a soap opera!
With all of this said, I have to give the book fair praise. It is a pretty great concept, and though I would have liked to see it become more developed, it definitely held my interest. I also love Italy, and I enjoyed having it described for me so colorfully.
So, I liked it, but it's not a masterpiece, by any means.
The language was usually very flowery, and while sometimes this did enhance the descriptions of some places deserving of lavish adjectives, it mostly made me feel like the author was trying too hard.
I also had a problem with character/relationship development. Alessandro never progressed enough, for starters. I didn't believe him at all when he suddenly became this possessively jealous and passionate lover...I needed more of a transition from aloof boyfriend to devoted husband-figure. I wasn't crazy about Leonora's need to be validated by things and people outside of herself, which somehow suddenly went away, either.
I enjoyed the historical parts much more than the modern ones, even though, to be fair, the modern ones drew me in like a soap opera!
With all of this said, I have to give the book fair praise. It is a pretty great concept, and though I would have liked to see it become more developed, it definitely held my interest. I also love Italy, and I enjoyed having it described for me so colorfully.
So, I liked it, but it's not a masterpiece, by any means.
April 12, 2009
Halfway through this book I gave it three stars as a preliminary rating. By the time I was done, I'd given it four.
Although it gets off to a bit of a slow start, by the end of the novel I was completely engrossed in the story. Remarkably sweet and touching, it tells the story of Nora's attempt to discover more about herself, as an artist and an individual, on a trip to Venice. her story intertwines in revolving chapters with that of her ancestor, the most famous glassblower in Venetian history. Trying to understand more about her own origins as a female glassblower in a male oriented trade, she delves more into her own history to discover more about her roots. I honestly had to say that I would have given then book five stars if some of the segues into each chapter hadn't been a little confusing. in addition, some of the secondary characters seemed a little two-dimensional, especially Allesandro, Nora's love interest. At times he seemed little more than a necessary pilot to move the story in the right direction.
All in all, a great story, and a sweet read. Totally captivating in it's descriptions of Venice, and Venetian history, once hooked, I couldn't put it down.
Although it gets off to a bit of a slow start, by the end of the novel I was completely engrossed in the story. Remarkably sweet and touching, it tells the story of Nora's attempt to discover more about herself, as an artist and an individual, on a trip to Venice. her story intertwines in revolving chapters with that of her ancestor, the most famous glassblower in Venetian history. Trying to understand more about her own origins as a female glassblower in a male oriented trade, she delves more into her own history to discover more about her roots. I honestly had to say that I would have given then book five stars if some of the segues into each chapter hadn't been a little confusing. in addition, some of the secondary characters seemed a little two-dimensional, especially Allesandro, Nora's love interest. At times he seemed little more than a necessary pilot to move the story in the right direction.
All in all, a great story, and a sweet read. Totally captivating in it's descriptions of Venice, and Venetian history, once hooked, I couldn't put it down.
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