Fabulous!! This is one of my favorites, now! Brilliant, intelligent writing that kept me turning the pages quickly. So glad I found this book!

In 1470 Venice, the glassmakers of Murano enjoy a privileged position. Their social status permits them to intermarry with the nobility, and it's forbidden to teach their trade to foreigners, which ensures that the secrets of fine glassmaking never leave the lagoon. These two privileges benefit the

A quite surprising type of a book. There is in one package: a historical fiction, a sweet romance, a fairy-tale and a moral and philosophical guide.

When I have begun reading I was feeling like I was in some fairy-tale world. There is no magic, there is this kind of writing, of storytelling that mak

I believe I have found my favorite book. :)

Zorzi Ballarin is a Dalmatian and therefore cannot be an Assistant Glassblower to the Master artist Angelo Beroviero, only a fire stoker. But despite the laws of Venice stating otherwise, Zorzi learns the trade of glassblowing and becomes a master artist w

The year 1470 was a tough year to be a glassblower if you were not Venetian by birth. Not only was it illegal, you could be tried by torture into confessing and imprisoned or killed.

So when Zorzi the Dalmatian was taken in as servant to famous glass blower Angelo Beroviero, much effort was put fort

I recalled reading a portion of this for a class in college and being surprised by how engaging it seemed for a now-obscure Victorian romantic novel. I read it in full just recently and my opinion still stands. While it is very much a product of its time and audience, it is thoroughly enjoyable in h

I recalled reading a portion of this for a class in college and being surprised by how engaging it seemed for a now-obscure Victorian romantic novel. I read it in full just recently and my opinion still stands. While it is very much a product of its time and audience, it is thoroughly enjoyable in h