The Glassblower

The Glassblower Trilogy, Book 1

By: Petra Durst-Benning, Samuel Willcocks - translator

Narrated by: Kristin Watson Heintz

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.

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. :(

Wow

What did you love best about The Glassblower?

It starts slowly and builds to the end. I felt pulled into the story and by the end of the book, I was begging for more.

Wonderful book

Don't miss this trilogy. It takes you to an amazing place and time with amazing people .

Slow but sure

The narrator did a good job having different intonations for different characters that weren't annoying like some can be. The story seems like it was written in English instead of being a translation, maybe too well translated missing the nuances of a different culture. The three sisters seemed at once naive and smart, with the naive making me think disaster was always about to befall them. However I'm happy to say disasters were kept to a reasonable amount. Overall an enjoyable story. i look forward to book two of the trilogy.

I look forward to book two of this trilogy.

good read

Enjoyed the story line. The naration was good but always skipped towards the end of each chapter. I had to replay or pause to continue.

Heartwarming

Good story & well-narrated.
The constant change of POV was a little distracting, making it difficult to figure out who to follow with a consistent thread, and who to sympathize with.
But the story was well thought out & very enjoyable to read.

Ending not complete

Felt like the author just said - ok, time to stop and stopped. Is this a series? That would explain it, in which case, I would probably give it 4 stars

Great book

Really enjoyed this book. It started a little slow but interesting. I will look for more by this author. Ahalom

Enjoyable for a long car ride

Any additional comments?

This was a pleasant "read" for a long car ride; no great surprises, but a sympathetic tale of a glassblowing town and three sisters who are a part of it. As a person who speaks German, some of the translation seemed a bit off to me, and I'm going to try to get a copy of the German version for comparison. However, the narrator was very good and easy to listen to.

Good story

The story line was a bit up and down. There were a few times I debated not finishing the book, but I'm glad I did. The second half of the story moved much better than the first half. I will read the next book because I like where it's going now that the plot is moving along.