Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Simon Mawer's The Glass Room brilliantly evokes six decades of Eastern European history, beginning in 1930s Czechoslovakia. Jewish newlyweds Viktor and Liesel Landauer build their dream home, and despite the low hum of the German war machine reverberating through the land, the two look forward to a life of promise. But as war becomes inevitable, their lives are transformed in profound ways. "Mawer's writing and characters are rich ."-Publishers Weekly
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"I adored this book, and I'd love to read it again. I saw everyone so clearly, and of course I have a weakness for anything set in WWII Europe. The room itself was a larger character than many of the people, which was a phenomenon I was unfamiliar with but really enjoyed." — Angelina (5 out of 5 stars)
"I adored this book, and I'd love to read it again. I saw everyone so clearly, and of course I have a weakness for anything set in WWII Europe. The room itself was a larger character than many of the people, which was a phenomenon I was unfamiliar with but really enjoyed."
“The Glass Room works so effectively because Mawer embeds…provocative aesthetic and moral issues in a war-torn adventure story that’s eerily erotic and tremendously exciting…[a] gorgeous novel.”
“A stirring historical novel.”
“An old-fashioned, beautifully constructed novel of history, passion, and ideas.”
“A saga of a family and a nation at war…Mawer moves with grace among multiple points of view and establishes sympathy for characters with competing interests.”
“[The Glass Room is] a thing of extraordinary beauty and symmetry…A novel of ideas, yet strongly propelled by plot and characterised by an almost dreamlike simplicity of telling. Comparisons with the work of Michael Frayn would not be misplaced, and there are occasional moments of illuminating brilliance.”
“In Mawer’s hands [The Glass Room] becomes a means for exploring the way people’s hopes for the future become part of their history. This he does beautifully.”
“Mawer creates a passionately detailed portrait of individuals struggling to snatch order and happiness from frightening, irrational times.”
“Engrossing…Mawer explores his themes with a subtle intelligence. A novel of ideas, but one driven by character and story.”
“Mawer’s perfect pacing clinches a wholly enjoyable and moving read.”
“The Glass Room’s poetic success is to remind us of two great gilt-edged ironies: that whatever is held to be the height of modernity is already en route to the museum, and that even ‘cold’ art is the embodiment of its maker’s passion—one that can prove contagious.”
“Simon Mawer’s grasp of period and place achieves what all great novels must: the creation of an utterly absorbing world the reader can scarcely bear to leave. Exciting, profoundly affecting, and altogether wonderful.”
“A carefully constructed book, beautifully written.”
" plot driven. compelling characters. set around WWII (broadly) which is a period of interest for me. perfect summer reading. "
" A little slow getting started...then starts to pick up. ...still reading. "
" The house was a main character in this book. Made me want to see it someday. "
" enjoyed this story centerd in chezoslovakia before during and after world war II. the title comes from the house that is built by the protoganists family before the war and is based on a true all-glass house located in the general areaa. "
" A good read with the play between living in an open, seemingly transparent space and the secrets held by the same space. "
" This is a really good read, charting the 20thC history of Czechoslovakia (as was) through the residents of a Modernist masterpiece of a house. Just great. "
" Enjoyed. It was nicely written and against an interesting historical back drop. "
" I loved reading about the architecture in this story. I am fascinated by Prague and the times in which it was written. I love the style Mawer brings to his work. It is hard to put down. "
" A tangle of relationships and Europe WWII. interesting and sad. "
" Good read about prewar life "
" A friend passed this book along to me and I loved it. Knowing it's based on an actual house in the Czech Republic made it all the more intriguing for me. I'd love to make a road trip to Brno now! "
" Set in Czechoslovakia during WWll. A different aspect of the Nazi holocaust. Don't want to ruin by saying more but it is an excellent book. "
" Wonderful tales of Czech Jews prior to and during the Holocaust melded with the venue, an architectural masterpiece of Bauhaus understated grandeur! "
" This was a great story. A whole new aspect to the told and retold tale of the war. "
" Fascinating history piqued my interest. Disappointing as fiction. "
" I loved this book! It is a great look at World War II from another perspective. The characters are memorable -- it was a great book for a book club discussion as well. "
" This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. "
Simon Mawer is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Glass Room, which was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His other novels include The Fall, which won the Boardman Tasker Prize; The Gospel of Judas; and Mendel’s Dwarf, which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. English by birth, he has made Italy his home for more than thirty years.
Jefferson Mays, an Earphones Awards-winning narrator, is also an award-winning theater and film actor. In 2004 he won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and a Theatre World Award for his solo Broadway performance in I Am My Own Wife, a Pulitzer Prize–winning play by Doug Wright. He holds a BA from Yale College and an MFA from University of California–San Diego.
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