"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."

Acquired via PaperBackSwap. (Unabridged on 13 CDs; read by Kimberly Farr)

Louis Comfort Tiffany, later renowned for his Tiffany lampshades, first makes himself known as a creator of beautiful stained glass windows. Behind the scenes, a group of women are in charge of actually choosing the specific varieties of glass, matching them to the designer's artwork, and creating the finished product. Heading up the group of women is Clara Driscoll, widowed but determined to make her mark under Tiffany's watchful eye.

Well, I bailed on this one. I've read a few previous novels by Susan Vreeland and though her novels are generally slow-moving and filled with detail, I've enjoyed them for the most part. But I really couldn't make myself like Clara's character in this one and it this just dragged too slowly for me. I read this one on audio. When you find yourself persevering with a story just to get it over with so that you can start your next book, it's time to cut your losses and move on. So I did. Sorry, Ms. Vreeland. (I didn't realize, but she passed in 2017. R.I.P.) I still have a couple other of her audiobooks on my shelf, so I'm hoping I will enjoy them more than I did this one.

Passing along in an audio bookbox!

Taking this out of the audiobook box to enjoy. Thank you!

I loooooove other books by this author (and saw her speak once at the National Book Festival), so I'm super excited about this one!