Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2011
432 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
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.
More about this book
"[Vreeland's] preoccupation with the larger historical story comes at the expense of Clara, whose arc, while considered and nicely told, reflects the times too closely in its standard-issue 'woman behind the man' scenario." - Publishers Weekly
"[Vreeland's] descriptions highlight the craftsmanship behind the timeless beauty of Tiffany's glass, and the true story of Clara Driscoll's life serves as a colorful canvas. Recommended for historical fiction readers; likely to become a favorite on the book club circuit." - Library Journal
"A novel that reads like a labor of love. Unfortunately, the labor is as evident as the love." - Kirkus
This information about Clara and Mr. Tiffany was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Susan Vreeland is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Clara and Mr. Tiffany and Girl in Hyacinth Blue. She died in August 2017 aged 71.
In her own words ....
Coming out of the Louvre for the first time in 1971, dizzy with new love, I
stood on Pont Neuf and made a pledge to myself that the art of this newly
discovered world in the Old World would be my life companion. Never had
history been more vibrant, its voices more resonating, its images more
gripping. On this first trip to Europe, I felt myself a pilgrim: To me, even
secular places such as museums and ruins were imbued with the sacred.
Painting, sculpture, architecture, music, religious and social history--I
was swept away with all of it, wanting to read more, to learn languages...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Susan Vreeland's Website
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