FEBRUARY 2011 - AudioFile
Was artist Clara Driscoll really the force behind the iconic Tiffany lampshade? Vreeland’s novel focuses on the theme of artistic innovation, and Kimberly Farr’s narration gives a convincing picture of a woman forgotten by time. In passionate tones Farr portrays Clara’s story amid the Bohemian life of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. With a mix of accents she places Clara in the midst of a bevy of immigrant “Tiffany Girls,” who inspire her to fight for artistic recognition. Farr’s reading portrays Clara’s inner battles as well—her heartbreak in the aftermath of difficult relationships, her mixed feelings about Louis Tiffany, her growth from needing personal affirmation to championing her employees, and her drive for continued creative expression. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
Vreeland (Luncheon of the Boating Party) again excavates the life behind a famous artistic creation--in this case the Tiffany leaded-glass lamp, the brainchild not of Louis Comfort Tiffany but his glass studio manager, Clara Driscoll. Tiffany staffs his studio with female artisans--a decision that protects him from strikes by the all-male union--but refuses to employ women who are married. Lucky for him, Clara's romantic misfortunes--her husband's death, the disappearance of another suitor--insure that she can continue to craft the jewel-toned glass windows and lamps that catch both her eye and her imagination. Behind the scenes she makes her mark as an artist and champion of her workers, while living in an eclectic Irving Place boarding house populated by actors and artists. Vreeland ably captures Gilded Age New York and its atmosphere--robber barons, sweatshops, colorful characters, ateliers--but her 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. (Jan.)
Library Journal
Did Louis Comfort Tiffany have help conceiving his iconic leaded-glass lamps? In her sixth novel—following Luncheon of the Boating Party (2008), also available from Books on Tape—New York Times best-selling author Vreeland (www.svreeland.com) draws on recent evidence to suggest that he did: one Clara Driscoll, a designer who headed the women's division at his New York studio. Theater actress Kimberly Farr imbues Clara's first-person narrative with texture and color with a rich array of accents (including Tiffany's signature lisp) and the flavor of Gilded Age exuberance. Recommended for listeners interested in the art of the Gilded Age, Tiffany lamps, women's issues, turn-of-the-century New York City, and art glass production, a topic to which Vreeland devotes some time. ["Likely to become a favorite on the book club circuit," read the review of the Random hc, which was recommended "for historical fiction readers," LJ 11/1/10.—Ed.]—David Faucheux, Louisiana Audio Information & Reading Svc., Lafayette
FEBRUARY 2011 - AudioFile
Was artist Clara Driscoll really the force behind the iconic Tiffany lampshade? Vreeland’s novel focuses on the theme of artistic innovation, and Kimberly Farr’s narration gives a convincing picture of a woman forgotten by time. In passionate tones Farr portrays Clara’s story amid the Bohemian life of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. With a mix of accents she places Clara in the midst of a bevy of immigrant “Tiffany Girls,” who inspire her to fight for artistic recognition. Farr’s reading portrays Clara’s inner battles as well—her heartbreak in the aftermath of difficult relationships, her mixed feelings about Louis Tiffany, her growth from needing personal affirmation to championing her employees, and her drive for continued creative expression. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
