Title: The Glassblower of Murano

Author: Marina Fiorato

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin 2009

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 348

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My Own Damn Books; Women Authors; 52 Books - W28

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 his soul to the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, to protect his secret daughter. In the present day his descendant, Leonora Manin, leaves an unhappy life in London to begin a new one as a glassblower in Venice. As she finds new life and love in her adoptive city, her fate becomes inextricably linked with that of her ancestor and the treacherous secrets of his life begin to come to light.

Our book club selection for July. This particular book has been sitting on my shelves for awhile after picking it up for super cheap at Half Price Books. I'm not sure why I can bypassing it as I did enjoy this historical fiction. At first I was hesitant about switching from the past to the present and back. Often those transitions are clunky. Thankfully Fiorato weaves the two stories together in a way that had me intrigued. I learned a lot about glassblowing and Venice. As a character, I didn't connect that well to Leonora, but I still wanted to read her story. Overall, a decent historical fiction novel.