This was my book group read for July, and I have copied and pasted the review which I already posted on my book group reads page of this website:
The book group read Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier a few years ago, and loved it, and this one, while still enjoyed was perhaps not so well liked as that. Set in Murano, the artisan glass blower’s island in the island group including Venice, the story centres on one family of glass blowers, particularly the daughter of the family beginning in 1486 and continuing until the present day. The magical realism twist was that the members of this family and their closest friends and contacts barely aged so hundreds of years passed in ‘the real world’ while they continued to carry on the traditional practises. This highlighted the timelessness of their work, as well as allowing them to experience and react to lots of interesting historical events from the plague, visits from Casanova, world wars and modern-day covid and the internet. Personally, I got quite bored in the middle, and I know one other member of the group gave up on it, but I made myself finish it, and did actually quite enjoy the ending. Not my favourite Chevalier though.
Sarah Wray Writer 