We are going to meet on Saturday to discuss this book, and I wanted to solicit opinions. I am looking forward to seeing the Tiffany exhibit at the museum. Matter of fact, I think that it will be awesome, and I praise the book club member who came up with that idea!
First, for anyone who needs to catch up, this is a fictional account of Clara Driscoll who was director of the Tiffany Studios' Women's Glass Cutting Department in New York City around the turn of the century. Clara and her team of women chose the colors and type of glass to be used in the studios' famous glass items. Women did not have the right to join the union, and were fired if they married, making this era interesting to discuss. This well written book is a comfortable trip into Clara's life.
I am still reading this, but should be finished by Saturday. So far, I am finding this OK, but not compelling to read. Granted, it is historical fiction, but it isn't thick with plot, which is why it is a bit slow for me. Pretty much, I'm seeing Clara seeing color and beauty in something, and then translating the art into glass as she matures one chapter at a time. Her bohemian existence in a boarding house filled with other eccentrics and artists is interesting, but not compelling. Discussion about women's issues will be interesting, but again, not page turning material. The setting in the early 1900's is very attractive, but still, I'm not on the rail with this book (yet).
So, what do you think? I'll summarize comments if anyone wants to make any to share on Saturday.
Later, K.
I enjoyed the book for it's historical content - mostly because of the women's rights issues during that era. Even though I felt the book was slow in places, it wasn't meant to entertain me as a mystery book would. I would read other historical novels of this era - mainly because my grandparents were young adults during the turn of the 20th Century. My grandmother gave up teaching once she got married.
ReplyDeleteI agree, historically it was pretty cool. Little things came back to me as I read the book. Like, my mom used to say things like "Time to eat. It is 6 bells" to mean six o'clock (the clock would chime 6X to announce it), and they used that same term in the book. The author did her historical research well, though I wonder if it would have been considered riskay for the group to have rented the beach house without escorts.
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