The Glassblower

The Glassblower Trilogy, Book 1

By: Samuel Willcocks - translator, Petra Durst-Benning

Narrated by: Kristin Watson Heintz

Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

In the village of Lauscha in Germany, things have been done the same way for centuries. The men blow the glass, and the women decorate and pack it. But when Joost Steinmann passes away unexpectedly one September night, his three daughters must learn to fend for themselves. While feisty Johanna takes a practical approach to looking for work, Ruth follows her heart, aiming to catch the eye of a handsome young villager. But it is dreamy, quiet Marie who has always been the most captivated by the magic - and sparkling possibilities - of the craft of glassblowing. As the spirited sisters work together to forge a brighter future for themselves on their own terms, they learn not only how to thrive in a man’s world, but how to remain true to themselves - and their hearts - in the process.

©2003 Petra Durst-Benning (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. English translation © 2014 by Samuel Willcocks.

If you love romance novels...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If this book had been billed as a romance novel instead of historical fiction, I would have been informed enough to leave it on the shelf. I was mislead.

What could Petra Durst-Benning and Samuel Willcocks (translator) have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The translation was horribly anachronistic. I hope the original wasn't nearly as bad.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

If the narrator had said, "OMG, Beyonce just walked into the shop" I would not have been surprised. Her voice did not match the story and was annoying. She made a terrible story worse. I couldn't even finish it.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I stuck with it for a long time despite it's flaws, but when "mounds of Venus" was mentioned, I was out. The book had no redeeming qualities, except that it was a catalyst for researching glass in Lauscha.

Any additional comments?

Awful. Just awful.

Good book

I looked the book. I just don't care for sex scenes being so graphic. That is why I gave it a lower star rating.

Boring, Boring. I listened to the 1st five hours.

Something was lost in the translation. This book just never took off. I finally decided to just stop torturing myself. I have listened to some really good books. This is not one of them.

Fantastic!

There were zero reviews when I picked this book. I couldn't download a sample to listen. The cover was enticing. It was maybe a little bit slow in the very beginning but wow! After I got started, I couldn't quit listening. I'm going to look for the next book in the series.

Historically Interesting, but..

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Thr Narrator

Would you recommend The Glassblower to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not. This novel has a few interesting historical facts, but I founf the characters unreal.

What aspect of Kristin Watson Heintz’s performance would you have changed?

Her voice made the characters almost 'juvenile'. I don't know how else to describe it.

Could you see The Glassblower being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Any additional comments?

This book was disappointing to me. The storyline could have better if the characters were more believable.

Like a Grimms Fairy Tale, But Better

Oh, my! Germany in the 1800s . . . a beloved glassblower and his three sweet daughters . . . life was hard, but very, very good . . . and then he unexpectedly dies leaving the girls to fend for themselves. Three head strong girls, all different, all with an idea of what she wants, but no clue as to how to get there . . . fierce and clumsy, each in their pursuit of what they believe will make them happy. And just like siblings, they back bite one another, so critical of each other, until someone harms a sister, then there's hell to pay. The beautiful German countryside, the Christmas market of Nurnberg, the smell of fresh gingerbread in the city bakery . . . all this brought back memories for me . . . flooding my mind with cobblestone streets, stone churches, and tiny towns in Germany that still look today like they have for centuries. I am SO glad this book was translated from the German into English, and I hope that the other two in the trilogy will be, too. It swept me away into another time. And I was amused and delighted that the American retailer Woolworth was part of the story . . . because as a child, going downtown on the bus with my grandmother and visiting the big Woolworth store was so much fun for me!

Can't wait till book 2 comes out on audible

Where does The Glassblower rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks pretty high , I loved the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Marie , because she didn't conform to how society told her to live.

What does Kristin Watson Heintz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The interaction between the sisters. If I was just reading it wouldn't have been so lively.

Close to a 4.. some lovely images

Any additional comments?

Books with rich language and images.. I like them. The Glassblower has much of this and yet it is a sprinkling in amongst more simple language that seems to have some too modern phraseology . This may be a result of translation and narration. I suspect this book would be even better read. Still, it is a very enjoyable listen and I do believe I will continue with the series. There is some interesting historical interweaving into the story that has opened my mind to the early world of commerce across oceans.

Very engaging

The story was engaging from the start. Characters well developed. I was thinking there were more books in a series but I don't find any. :(

Very interesting

Loved the historical setting and unique story. The bickering sisters got on my nerves a bit, but I guess that made it more true to life.

story spoiled by weird pronunciations

The story is brilliant but the narrator kept pronouncing words like shone as shown e.g. the sun shown brightly. It was quite distracting

The Glassblower

I have to say this was pretty dire. I stuck it out till the end because I was truly hoping it would improve, but the writing could have been straight from the Mills and Boons library, or from the over active imagination of a lovesick teenager. It was truly laughable in parts and I suppose a saving grace could have been that it was entertaining although not in the way it was intended. The story could have been interesting but really it could have done without the swelling bosoms, the constant whining, the flashing eyes and tossing heads and all the other romantic fiction rubbish. The glassblowing information and lifestyle should have been fascinating but wasn't because it was just the backdrop to the ridiculous romances.

The reader was truly dreadful although I suppose it could be said that if you're going to have whining main characters then you should have a whining reader. It would have been so much better to have had a European reader with European pronunciation rather than the irritating grating American accent with its mispronounciation. I hated it.

worth reading

enjoyed the book, good narrator good storyline left me wanting to know what the future holds for each of the sisters.

Excellent book

I loved this story! I felt like I was living the story with the characters. A definite 5 star