THE ARTFUL READERS CLUB
"The Glass Room" by Simon Mawer
November 1, 2013
I really enjoyed this month's book...I hope you found the same level of absorption, anticipation and excitement in YOUR October read! I've enjoyed this process so much...the reading, creating a piece of art representitive of the book, followed by a review...that I'm going to continue the process on my own when Darcy's finished with it in January (IF she's finished with it!!) Thanks Darcy...for suggesting this wonderfully creative vehicle!
THE GLASS ROOM by Simon Mawer starts as newlyweds, Viktor and Liesel Landauer, meet architect Ranier von Abt...not just an architect but a "poet...of light and space and form," who agrees to build their dream home... a "modern house, adapted for the future rather than the past, to the openness of modern living." THE GLASS ROOM is a story focusing on the lives of a group of people in Czechoslovakia with this stunningly modern architectural gem of cement, steel and glass, as a centerpiece...and it's a story about the social and political changes that occur in Eastern Europe between the two world wars, all of them affecting the fate of the house and the architect's dream. But, the house acts as far more than a backdrop for the events of the novel. As the world spins into chaos, the very symbolic Landauer house is the only constant, though it shifts identities more than once!
The lives of the people Mawer creates are tragic, joyous and oh, so interesting. He shows the many ways people learn to survive not only politics, war and dislocation, but also personal upheaval and adversity. I found all his characters very believable and likeable. Sharp and edgy, I found myself completely absorbed in the story of THE GLASS ROOM. What makes it even more intriguing is that such a house exists in Brno, in the Czech Republic. Although the story centers around this house, the rest of the story is a work of fiction.
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The book is beautifully written and the author's words paint detailed images of the people and the times with subplots and many characters connecting and reconnecting over the 60+ year time span covered by the book. Interesting to note that the restoration of the house on which the novel is based (see above photos) has been open to the public since March 6, 2012. I highly recommend THE GLASS ROOM by Simon Mawer... I loved it!
Hugs...'til my next posting...and happy reading,
Abbyj
Although the house looks similar to something Frank Lloyd Wright would have created on the outside, the inside is far better looking, in my opinion, than anything Wright could have created. I love your art, and thoroughly enjoyed both the review and the look into the "real" glass room. I can tell you enjoyed it, even before I saw your final remark.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book - I like the idea of a book written about a real house.
ReplyDeleteThe story sounds very mysterious. I love the use of color in your art as well as the geometric shapes! Thanks for a great review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a book I would enjoy! Your artwork is wonderful, full of colour and bouncing light - just perfect for the Glass Room.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your very professional and interesting review so much, and it's definitely one that makes me want to read it. I love the geometry in your artwork, which is once again good enough for the book cover.
ReplyDeleteLike Bleubeard and Elizabeth I thought the house looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright design from the outside, and the space inside is amazing, spacious but somehow welcoming and homely.
oo I would love to visit that house, it looks stunning. Your artwork this month is fab, very visually stimulating, I can see that on a big canvas.
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