The Paradise of Glass

The Paradise of Glass by Petra Durst-Benning is the third (and final) book in the Glassblower Trilogy. Wanda has returned to Lauscha from Italy with little Sylvie (her Aunt Marie’s daughter). Wanda is looking forward to being home and preparing for her marriage to Richard Stamme. Richard, though, is preoccupied with a showing he will be having in the fall. It has taken his total attention (he ignores Wanda). The rest of the town is upset of the sale of the Grundler Foundry. It is being sold to an outsider and it has all the glassblowers and workers in an uproar. Wanda finally asks why they don’t buy the foundry themselves.

After some thinking, some of the men decide it is a good idea. They put Wanda in charge of the finances (much show more to Richard’s dismay). They come up with 11,000 marks towards the purchase of the foundry. The owner gives them time to come up with the money to purchase it. If the glassblowers can raise the money in time, the owner will sell the foundry to them. They try Grosse and Sons to get a loan for the remainder of the funds they need. David Wagner is the loan officer at the bank. He knows that the loan will not get approved since the bank handles the finances of the person wishing to person the foundry. Wanda convinces the group to raise the money via the stock market. With the right stocks, they can might be able to raise the money in time. Unfortunately, things do not go as smoothly as Wanda anticipates. Someone is working behind the scenes to make sure they do not raise the money in time.

What is going to happen to the foundry? Will Richard and Wanda get married? Who is the other buyer for the foundry? You do have to read the first two books in the series in order to understand what is happening in The Paradise of Glass. I loved the first book in the series, the second one was okay, and this one was just fine (so-so). The book is very slow throughout the middle of the book (like the author ran out of things to put into the book). Wanda comes across as a very selfish, spoiled, self-centered girl who has no business raising a child nor getting married (I would never trust her with money). Wanda is always coming up with ideas, but she rarely follows through with them (or wants someone else to). I give The Paradise of Glass 3 out of 5 stars. The writing is good, but the content (story) was deficient. I was very disappointed with this final book in The Glassblower Trilogy.

I received a complimentary copy of The Paradise of Glass from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I really think this book was mis-named -it should have been called The American Lady -or the American Girl. The title is so misplaced that ut makes the middle book a little confusing -What Anerican Lady??? And then you get here and you say Ohhh That American Lady...
Regardless -i think the book was a good story -the reader's voice was way too feminine for all but the main character though -it was distracting to hear some whiney voice talking about doing something violent and then discover that its actually a man who is talking. The most masculine voice in the book ironically was Eva (a woman). Obviously that wouldnt be part of the experience of you were simply reading the book though. Overall it was a good book. I enjoyed the first and show more third more than the second show less

The three books in this trilogy are The Glassblower, The American Lady and The Paradise of Glass. I enjoyed all three books and were sorry to see them end. They tell the story of three sisters Johanna, Ruth and Marie in Germany in fall 1890 to the end on 1911. Their father all their lives have sheltered them from the outside world, so when their father suddenly dies the girls are all left alone in a town where only the men are glassblowers and breadwinners of the family. The girl's struggle to find a way to survive, but triumphant through the years having families.

The entire Glassblowers trilogy came to me at the same time and I tried to work my way through them. My response to the series is "Little Women" with a little sex. Not interesting to me in the slightest but I can understand that people who like easy-going books that tell a story might find them pleasing.

I received a review copy of the Glassblowers Trilogy by Petra Durst-Benning (Amazon Crossing) through NetGalley.com.

Es war schön, aber nicht mehr so fesselnd wie der erste Teil. Habe es mir halt ausgeliehen, weil ich die ersten beiden Bücher auch schon gelesen hatte (Die Gläsbläserin & Die Amerikanerin).