I’m not a great one for reading prize winning books or books that have created a big hoo-ha, call me thrawn (stubborn) but I don’t ever like to be going with the prevailing fashion. So I’ve been some time getting around to reading Simon Mawer’s The Glass Room which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2009. I know I read about it on someone’s blog recently, but I can’t remember whose. I read it in a few days and when I got to the end of it I thought to myself – who on earth DID win the prize that year then? I guessed maybe it was Wolf Hall and it turned out I was right. What bad luck for Mawer that his book was up against Wolf Hall. The blurb on the front says: ‘A novel of extraordinary beauty’ Guardian – and it is.
It is set in Czechoslovakia with the story beginning in 1928 when Viktor and Liesel Landauer have just got married. Viktor is a wealthy Jew, the family business is the production of luxury cars. On their honeymoon they meet a young architect who persuades them to allow him to design their new home. The Glass Room as the house is called is a modernist and minimalist series of boxes, all very sleek and expensive with huge plate glass windows, one of which lowers electronically like a car window ( I want it).
After almost ten years of marriage which include the birth of their son and daughter, the Landauers’ seemingly idyllic existence is shattered when the Nazis invade Czechoslovakia. As Viktor is a Jew they know that their time there is coming to an end.
That’s as much as I’m willing to say about the story as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who like me is late in getting to this book.
I do love books that have a house at the heart of them though, like the house is as much a character as any of the humans. The house at the centre of this one does actually exist as The Glass Room was based on the Villa Tugendhadt in Brno, Czech Republic. You can see images of the house here.
This is the first book by Simon Mawer that I’ve read but I’m keen to read more. Have any of you read anything else by him? if so could you point me in the direction of my next Mawer read?
Katrina,
I have never read a book by him, and I most certainly will try this one. I’m so glad you posted about it. I’ll also find out more about his other works.
Judith
Judith,
I hope you enjoy it when you get around to reading it.
Maybe you read about it on my blog? I loved it too. It was the third book by Mawer that I’ve read. The other two are The Fall, about two generations beginning in the present day, when Rob hears on the news that Jamie, a renowned mountaineer has fallen to his death in Snowdonia. No one is sure whether it was an accident or suicide. Then it goes back to their parents’ lives and how they are interlinked. I found it a gripping story set in the mountains of Wales and the Alps, and also in London during the Blitz – it’s beautifully written. The other novel by him I’ve read is The Gospel of Judas – I read this one years ago (before I began my blog), so can’t remember details, but I did enjoy it. It’s about the discovery of the Gospel of Judas near the Dead Sea and the question of its authenticity, amongst other themes.
Margaret,
Yes, I’m sure it must have been on Books Please that I read about The Glass Room. I like the sound of The Fall but I’m not so sure about The Gospel of Judas, it’s a subject that doesn’t really interest me. Thanks for pointing me in Mawer’s direction!
This has decided me – I shall be reading The Glass Room within the next few months!
My first experience of Mawer was The Fall – chosen for our book club. I couldn’t imagine a book about mountain climbing would grab me: I am terrified of heights for a start! But I loved that book, absolutely loved it. That determined that I must read his other works; I’d never heard of him before. My friend who had chosen The Fall is a great Mawer fan and recommended I move onto The Glass Room next, but circumstances led on to me borrowing her very precious first edition of Mawer’s first novel, Chimera (now very difficult to find). Dear me – what a long-winded ramble this is!
Suffice to say that I had every intention of reading another Mawer before this year is out and with recommendations now from you, Margaret and my friend – it has to be The Glass Room. I’m really looking forward to it now!
Sandra,
That settles it, I’ll definitely be reading The Fall soon and probably his other books eventually. I hadn’t heard of him before Margaret wrote about The Glass Room on BooksPlease.
I’m hoping to read this soon because, as well as the Booker Prize, it was also nominated for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (in 2010) and I have set myself the challenge of reading through the shortlists. This book hadn’t sounded all that appealing to me, but after reading your review I’m now looking forward to it.
Helen,
Yes I saw that you’ve been reading the Walter Scott Prize books, in fact I’ve thought about joining in. I must admit that I was slightly put off by teh subject matter of The Glass Room thinking – not another depressing WW2 book – but it really isn’t depressing. I hope you enjoy it too.