Clara and Mr. Tiffany

A Novel

By: Susan Vreeland

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary novel, which brings a woman once lost in the shadows into vivid color.It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman, which ultimately force her to protest against the company she has worked so hard to cultivate. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces to a strict policy: he does not hire married women, and any who do marry while under his employ must resign immediately. Eventually, like many women, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.

©2011 Susan Vreeland (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“The book brims with fascinating information about Tiffany's glassmaking and about New York as its gilded age gives way to a more progressive era. ...Vreeland's ability to make this complex historical novel as luminous as a Tiffany lamp is nothing less than remarkable.” (Washington Post)

“For the first time in my long life of reading novels, Susan Vreeland made me cry over the gloryof women's work. Clara and Mr. Tiffany is a noble and necessary book, lest we allow ourselves tobe ignorant of the struggle, courage, and vision of women who have come before us. Readers will never look at a Tiffany lamp or window in the same way again.” (Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife and Adam & Eve)

Great Take on A Historical Story

I liked this story a lot and found myself checking the internet to see how much was based on fact. Anyone that is interested in that era should check this out. It has a lot of historical background in addition to the main storyline, but the union story at the glass factory was really interesting. Women don't appreciate what our predecessors put up with to get us to where we are not.

Loved This Story

This was a great book and wonderfully written. This book takes you back in time to the late 1800s and early 1900s and allows you to glimpse the life of a true stained glass artist. It also brings to the forefront the struggles for women in the workforce. The terminology and descriptions we were amazing!

It will make you want to buy a Tiffany lamp

A wonderful story. I never associated the lamps and the jewelery store as being related. Clara was an amazing women for her time.

Satisfying

i so enjoyed listening to this book that no sooner was it completed than I started it again. It's a finely drawn historical novel that has clearly benefited from some thorough research. Clara, her historical setting and the people around her are entirely believable. The descriptions of the leadlight panels are stunning. Susan Vreeland has crafted this novel well and it's beautifully narrated by Kimberly Farr. Good one, Audible!

Kind of Dry

I'm about half way through this book and, although it's interesting about how Tiffany glass art pieces were created, this book is very dry. The personal details and relationships in Clara's life don't really come alive. There is a lot about different pieces she created, how she came up with the ideas and how they were finally made but it read more like a documentary than a novel that brought all these characters to life. Clara only really comes alive through her art but that gets repetitious after a while.

It is interesting to see how women worked and how their contributions were thought of in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

I wish a I read a print version

I wish I had read a print version of this book. I had a hard time with the narrator’s voice and tonality of various characters which often came through very sarcastic and harsh. I don’t believe the performance was the intent of the author. I love historical novels but this one did drag on at times which is why I gave the book itself four stars.

Good read with a few problems

Overall, I'm glad I listened to this book and learned about Clara Driscoll. It was gratifying to find out, through a little Internet research, that the story is based heavily on the real Clara's letters and actual stained glass pieces she is believed to have designed. The narrative, however, does drag on a bit, as other reviewers have noted, and there are a number of barely-developed characters of whom it is hard to keep track. Perhaps most importantly for me, the narrator's voice very often was unconvincing. I found her English accents unrealistic and her tone frequently sarcastic when sarcasm did not seem appropriate. The strength of this book is in the life and character of the real person, Clara Driscoll, who produced incredible works of decorative art (for which, until very recently, she received no recognition), while also managing a large department of mostly immigrant working women during a time when a workplace like Tiffany Studios was almost unheard of for women. Susan Vreeland unquestionably has a knack for bringing art to life.

drags, but overall very worthwhile

My review is similar to others in that I didn't love everything about this book, but am very glad I read it. In terms of social history of the period and a window into the art and business of the Tiffany creations, it can't be beat.

Not enough excitement

Yes a good story regarding how the beautiful lamps were made & whom designed them & did the true work. So much detail though, which bored me. The little back story is about all that kept me going & even that was pretty boring. I am happy that Clara did what she did & made a difference. Took me awhile to get through it becaise it did not leave me at the edge of my seat, so I would find myself doing something else besides wanting to listen. I did see it to tne end & it was interesting just no pizzazz.

The real Clara Driscoll deserves better.

While I did learn a bit about Tiffany Studios and Clara Driscoll, this book was far too much like an overwrought and overwritten soap opera for my taste. Clara Driscoll's life, story, and accomplishments could have been much more interesting in a different author's hands, but this Clara weeps, wails, and waits - for acceptance and recognition from Louis Comfort Tiffany, and for love (from LCT?) but doesn't seem to know what to do when she receives what she has been seeking. All in all, this Clara is not a very likable character and I think the real Clara Driscoll probably deserves better.