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The Glassblower is the story of the three Steinmann sisters – Johanna, Ruth, and Marie. They have survived the loss of their mother. Joost Steinmann runs a glassblowing business, and his daughters work with him. The death of their father, however, leaves them at a crossroads. How will they survive? What will they do? Johanna wishes for independence. Ruth wishes for love and marriage. Marie wishes to draw and paint. The paths they take lead them to joys and sorrows and to directions they never envisioned.
The premise of three young women surviving and defining their own way in what is still a male-dominated society and profession is a positive one. Unfortunately, the focus of the book is not on their endeavors in that profession. It is more about their relationships with the men they encounter along the way. Warning: this book does include some sexual scenes including rape and abuse.
The most fascinating part of the book is history. Apparently, blown glass ornaments were invented in the town of Laschua, Germany in the nineteenth century – the setting for this book. Frank Winfield Woolworth, the founder of the FW Woolworth Company, was responsible for bringing these glass ornaments to the United States in the 1880s. He enabled a huge expansion of the industry and made a fortune selling the ornaments. FW Woolworth features in this book as it tells this history from the perspective of its very personal impact on one family.
