The Glass Minstrel

Mar 29, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it

I have no trouble at all to admit that at the end of this novel I was in tears, but it was not a desperate crying, it was more like a lonely tear or two down your cheek, thinking, wondering of the things that could have been and will not and the hope that in any case is born from a tragic event.

This is the story of two lost souls, Heinrich and Stefan, barely eighteen years old kid who died together since together they wanted to live; their happiness was short and it was not easy, and so the tea...more I have no trouble at all to admit that at the end of this novel I was in tears, but it was not a desperate crying, it was more like a lonely tear or two down your cheek, thinking, wondering of the things that could have been and will not and the hope that in any case is born from a tragic event.

This is the story of two lost souls, Heinrich and Stefan, barely eighteen years old kid who died together since together they wanted to live; their happiness was short and it was not easy, and so the tears are for them, thinking that if life was more clement, they would have an option. But in a way Heinrich and Stefan are together now, in their dreams, and they will be also in another way at the end of this story, in the eyes of their parents, Abelard Bauer, the toy maker, and Herr Schiffer.

This is also the story of Jakob, 15 years old and in love with his best friend, and then in love with a stranger, and then in love of an imaginary prince he sees in the guise of a minstrel glass toy Herr Bauer did with the face of his own dead son. Jakob needs love and he doesn’t know where to find it in the small town where he is living, and probably he will not be able to find it.

This is the story of two men, Abelard Bauer and Herr Schiffer who need to find a way to come to term with what happened and will happen, and the only way to do that is to accept that Heinrich and Stefan were in love. This tragic love is told to the reader through small passages of Heinrich’s journal, and in the few things Stefan told to his father before his death. At the beginning I thought the two boys committed suicide, but that was not the case and for me it was an odd relief: through they are dead, but at least it was not an act they committed since there was no hope for them; they at least tried to live their love and that is the only hope they can leave to Jakob, unknown to them, but they are so dear to Jakob.

I like both Herr Bauer and Herr Schiffer’s characters, these men are in great pain but this pain is not so huge to prevent them to find the love for who is around them and still alive. Herr Bauer in particular is still able to be kind and generous, and, even if in silence and alone, he is trying to understand his son’s reasons. Not Herr Bauer or Herr Schiffer are idolatrising their sons, both of them are well aware that Heinrich and Stefan were no angel, but their faults were not to love each other. Even Herr Schiffer that is more embittered than Herr Bauer will at the end arrive to that conclusion and he will be the one that will allow to the glass minstrel to find his right companion to eternity.

I strongly recommend this novel, trust me, it’s not tragic as you can think, also since, well, all the tragedy already happened, and now it’s time for the aftermath, dealing with the pain and healing the hearts, and be ready to help who comes next.

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Oct 19, 2010 Kassa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stefan remains a little distant since the kiss. In fact, he’s been avoiding me lately. It’s very annoying. Is there a right way and a wrong way to kiss another boy? Men and women have mouths—what’s the difference? Whiskers? I’m only sixteen!
- from the journal of Heinrich Schiffer

The Glass Minstrel is an incredibly lovely tale that brought tears to my eyes. This is definitely a book that’s going on my keeper shelf and will pull out around Christmas just for the pleasure of reading. Thorne has del...more Stefan remains a little distant since the kiss. In fact, he’s been avoiding me lately. It’s very annoying. Is there a right way and a wrong way to kiss another boy? Men and women have mouths—what’s the difference? Whiskers? I’m only sixteen!
- from the journal of Heinrich Schiffer

The Glass Minstrel is an incredibly lovely tale that brought tears to my eyes. This is definitely a book that’s going on my keeper shelf and will pull out around Christmas just for the pleasure of reading. Thorne has delivered a story steeped in romance and atmosphere, heartbreakingly sad and joyously hopeful at the same time. The deft writing keeps the story engrossing and warm even as chilly wind, wet snow, and bitter anger swirl between the pages. This is a beautiful story of love, loss, hope, confusion, honor, and understanding that spans generations, time, and culture.

The story peers into the lives of three characters that intersect in many ways. This is the tale of two fathers struggling to come to terms with the actions and deaths of their sons, lovers who ran away to be together and ignoring scorn, scandal, and familial pressure. Bauer and Schiffer each have their own path to forgiveness and acceptance as they try to understand their sons. Young Jakob is also an eldest son but without a father and has his own struggles. Between trying to help feed and take care of his poor family, Jakob is coming to terms with the fact that he’s also gay and what that might mean in a very small village. Each has a journey of their own but their paths converge in the time of deepest need.

Although the sons are dead, it’s their romance that steeps through the pages. The young men met at school and although disgraced when found in bed together, Stefan and Heinrich defy their families and society by running away together. Their defiance and actions, followed by untimely death in a tragic accident, leave both fathers bereft and grieving. Toy maker Bauer struggles to reconcile his anger and disappointment with unrelenting sorrow. Having lost his wife previously, Bauer is alone and the loss of his son weighs heavily on him. Schiffer has taken his son’s death equally hard and withdrawn from his large family, preferring bitterness and anger to forgiveness. The two men are equally compelling and tragic as they work through their complicated emotions.

Schiffer has the journal of his son Heinrich, which is shown in excerpts at the start of each chapter. We’re treated to snippets of how Heinrich and Stefan fell in love and the depths of their emotion, giving a tragic love story that affects everyone. The fathers are wonderfully depicted and not easy men at all. They also don’t necessarily reach perfect understanding and forgiveness either. There will always be some questions, some confusion but the important theme of the two fathers is that they embrace the love they have for their sons and try to move on from their grief. Their intersecting story – the toy maker and the rich man – have many parallels but each is moving and fascinating.

The third story is that of young Jakob, struggling to help provide for his family while he dares to dream of a future. Once Jakob realizes that he’s attracted to other men, he fears the reaction of his best friend and ultimately becomes fixated on a foreigner staying at the local inn. This storyline is sometimes difficult to read as fifteen year old Jakob reads into actions and words. Watching the young man hope, dream, and crave affection and stability with another man shows all the reckless abandon and mistakes of youth. Jakob’s desire to know more about Stefan and the hope for such happiness, however brief, brings him into Bauer’s realm.

While the characters are unequivocally the stars of this beautiful tale, the atmosphere is truly stunning. The mid-19th century Bavaria landscape is vivid and breathtaking. From the quiet chill of the air to the snow that heaps everywhere, the story could be rather dark and depressing. Given the poor nature of Jakob’s family – fighting for money to eat – and the overwhelming sadness that permeate both Bauer and Schiffer, it’s a real credit to the writing and author that the story never fails to be warm, inviting, and delightful. There are moments of true sorrow and Jakob’s grief at the end brought tears to my eyes, just as the nestling of the glass minstrel and the shepherd in the tree also brought tears to my eyes. But for all of the sadness, the deft hand keeps the tone hopeful. Jakob’s joy and innocence help alleviate any gloom. The community, for all their gossiping ways, are loving and caring, surprisingly joyful despite the lack of money.

This well written story is truly timeless. It’s well written with incredible touches of detail from the toy making to the ornaments, the historical atmosphere, and the foreign words woven in. I simply couldn’t put this story down and never wanted it to end. I could read about Bauer and his ornaments, Jakob’s journey to acceptance, and Schiffer’s road to forgiveness for much longer and this is definitely on my keeper shelf. I easily recommend this heart warming story with its incredible imagery and hopeful spirit.(less)

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Oct 18, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, m-m, ya, historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hayden Thorne has composed another beautiful coming-of-age story set in 1850 Bavaria in the weeks leading up to Christmas of that year.

The Glass Minstrel is actually three separate stories that center around a primary theme. The opening paragraph, which I found to be so captivating I read it several times before I moved along into the book, introduces the love story around which the entirety of the plot is based. The paragraph is an excerpt from a journal written by Heinrich Schiffer, a teenage...more Hayden Thorne has composed another beautiful coming-of-age story set in 1850 Bavaria in the weeks leading up to Christmas of that year.

The Glass Minstrel is actually three separate stories that center around a primary theme. The opening paragraph, which I found to be so captivating I read it several times before I moved along into the book, introduces the love story around which the entirety of the plot is based. The paragraph is an excerpt from a journal written by Heinrich Schiffer, a teenage boy madly in love with his schoolmate, Stefan Bauer. The boys' love story unfolds gradually, through Heinrich's words, as they're being read by his father, Andreas.

Andreas Schiffer and Abelard Bauer are desolate men, each coping with the figurative and literal loss of their sons - figuratively, in that the father/son bond was broken by their boys' sexuality, and literally, in that the boys have each tragically perished in a fire after they'd run away to Frankfurt to be together. It's the anger, guilt, loss, and immense grief warring for a foothold within each of the men that provides the emotional backdrop to the story. One father is looking for someone to blame, while the other is simply looking for forgiveness. It is in two glass Christmas ornaments, each crafted by Abelard Bauer - one of a humble shepherd and the other, a traveling minstrel that is lovingly created in an all too familiar image - that each of the men are finally able to find peace.

The reader meets Jakob Diederich in Herr Bauer's toy shop. Jakob is the teenage protagonist whose is coming to terms with his own sexuality. In a time when society forced people to be other than who they were inclined to be, Jakob has no choice but to suffer in silence, watching the boy he loves dallying with girls and disregarding an encounter that had happened between them as nothing more than an awful mistake. In one of Heinrich's journal entries he writes, I thought kisses were supposed to be liberating, but I suppose I was wrong. It hurts.", and that altogether sums up Jakob's pain. He is a boy who misplaces his affections and has no idea where he will fit into society, wanting little more than to find someone to love and who will love him in return, wanting to know that there are others like him and that what he feels is not shameful.

The Glass Minstrel is a story of redemption. It is a story which shows that death is capable of making ghosts of the living. It is a story about finding second chances and making amends, about forgiving oneself as opposed to seeking forgiveness from others where there is no blame. It is the story of a boy who will come to benefit from the loving relationship of two boys he will never know but from whom he will learn that there is no wrong when it comes to love. It is a story of priorities, learning what is most important in life and realizing that the pain of losing a child far exceeds the perceived sin of loving the wrong person.

Hayden Thorne is a masterful storyteller. The historical setting is vividly detailed, evoking images of a sleepy, snow-covered mountain village. The snow, in fact, plays a role in the book and is a symbolic character itself. From the incongruity of its purity, contrasted by its oppressiveness, the reader is able to sense its purpose throughout.

There are a couple of factors that prevented me from giving this book a full five stars, but each are very personal observations which I entirely own and may be different for each reader. First, Jakob's story wasn't as well tied up as I'd have liked it to be. I felt that some loose ends were left between him and Carl, and I'd have liked to have been gifted with just a bit more story after he and Herr Bauer forge their bond. Lastly, for a book that I believe is categorized as Young Adult, I think Herr Schiffer's and Herr Bauer's stories overshadowed Jakob's, which was absolutely wonderful for me, but which may discourage a younger reader interested in Jakob's tale of self-discovery.

Overall, however, this book, along with The Twilight Gods, has done nothing more than to convince me that this author's historical fiction books will be on my guaranteed to read list.

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Oct 15, 2010 Jenre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, historicals, drama

This historical set in 1800s Bavaria tells the story of three characters. The first two, Bauer and Schiffer, are two men whose sons ran off together, leaving scandal in their wake. When the two young men die tragically their fathers are left with not only the ripples of the scandal to cope with, but also their own loss, their blame and their sorrow at what was said or not said between them and their sons. The story is set in the few days leading up to Christmas, over a year after the deaths of t...more This historical set in 1800s Bavaria tells the story of three characters. The first two, Bauer and Schiffer, are two men whose sons ran off together, leaving scandal in their wake. When the two young men die tragically their fathers are left with not only the ripples of the scandal to cope with, but also their own loss, their blame and their sorrow at what was said or not said between them and their sons. The story is set in the few days leading up to Christmas, over a year after the deaths of their sons, and follows the men as they face up to their grief and attempt to move on. Linked with this story is the character of Jakob, a fifteen year old boy who has come to realisation that he is gay. Two things happen to him during the story, firstly he discovers the story of Bauer and Schiffer’s sons which leads to realisation that he is not alone in his feelings, and secondly he becomes obsessed with an Englishman who is staying at the inn where he works.

The story is structured so that we have alternating chapters between the three main characters and each chapter begins with a short paragraph taken from the journal of Schiffer’s son Heinrich, as he records the growing love between him and Bauer’s son Stefan. Those short paragraphs form the only romance in the book and it’s bittersweet, as we know their fate is to die young. I have to admit this type of structure where we follow three separate stories, which then intertwine later, is never my favourite way of reading a book. I become too invested in one character – in this case, Jakob – and I got frustrated when I had to move onto the stories of Bauer and Schiffer. However, as the chapters were all quite short, it wasn’t long before I was back to Jakob. Jakob’s innocence and the almost painful way he latches onto the Englishman was very affecting, and I found myself sympathising with him and his young misguided love a great deal. Out of the three stories I least sympathised with Schiffer – as I think was expected. His selfish grief and the way it affects his family showed him to be self-absorbed and a little cruel. He hides behind the grief of Heinrich’s death and uses it as an excuse to behave badly, and even a redemptive conclusion to his story wasn’t enough for me to like him a great deal.

One of the successes of the story was in the way it looked at being gay and coming out from different perspectives, whilst also remaining true to the historical setting. Thus we see the joy and determination of Heinrich and Stefan to be together no matter the scandal and consequences for their families; the bewilderment and regret of Bauer over the way he handled Stefan’s confession of his feelings for Heinrich; and the loneliness and fear of Jakob as he realises that he is gay. These themes of loneliness, loss, regret, fear and longing circle through all the stories, making it rather a sombre and melancholy read, but also compelling and moving.

The historical setting is a backdrop to the events of the book, and especially Bauer’s shop and Jakob’s poverty are vivid and poignantly described. I liked that the setting wasn’t too aggressively realised, but rather was used to show the limitations of the characters and their lives. There was much that I found interesting, especially with the descriptions of the Christmas traditions.

Overall, this book was a well written drama, it’s character based plot was gentle but also convincing in its portrayal of the lives of these three characters. If you like historicals, especially sober dramas which make you think, then I would recommend The Glass Minstrel.(less)

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Oct 05, 2010 Kassa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stefan remains a little distant since the kiss. In fact, he’s been avoiding me lately. It’s very annoying. Is there a right way and a wrong way to kiss another boy? Men and women have mouths—what’s the difference? Whiskers? I’m only sixteen!
- from the journal of Heinrich Schiffer

The Glass Minstrel is an incredibly lovely tale that brought tears to my eyes. This is definitely a book that’s going on my keeper shelf and will pull out around Christmas just for the pleasure of reading. Thorne has del...more Stefan remains a little distant since the kiss. In fact, he’s been avoiding me lately. It’s very annoying. Is there a right way and a wrong way to kiss another boy? Men and women have mouths—what’s the difference? Whiskers? I’m only sixteen!
- from the journal of Heinrich Schiffer

The Glass Minstrel is an incredibly lovely tale that brought tears to my eyes. This is definitely a book that’s going on my keeper shelf and will pull out around Christmas just for the pleasure of reading. Thorne has delivered a story steeped in romance and atmosphere, heartbreakingly sad and joyously hopeful at the same time. The deft writing keeps the story engrossing and warm even as chilly wind, wet snow, and bitter anger swirl between the pages. This is a beautiful story of love, loss, hope, confusion, honor, and understanding that spans generations, time, and culture.

The story peers into the lives of three characters that intersect in many ways. This is the tale of two fathers struggling to come to terms with the actions and deaths of their sons, lovers who ran away to be together and ignoring scorn, scandal, and familial pressure. Bauer and Schiffer each have their own path to forgiveness and acceptance as they try to understand their sons. Young Jakob is also an eldest son but without a father and has his own struggles. Between trying to help feed and take care of his poor family, Jakob is coming to terms with the fact that he’s also gay and what that might mean in a very small village. Each has a journey of their own but their paths converge in the time of deepest need.

Although the sons are dead, it’s their romance that steeps through the pages. The young men met at school and although disgraced when found in bed together, Stefan and Heinrich defy their families and society by running away together. Their defiance and actions, followed by untimely death in a tragic accident, leave both fathers bereft and grieving. Toy maker Bauer struggles to reconcile his anger and disappointment with unrelenting sorrow. Having lost his wife previously, Bauer is alone and the loss of his son weighs heavily on him. Schiffer has taken his son’s death equally hard and withdrawn from his large family, preferring bitterness and anger to forgiveness. The two men are equally compelling and tragic as they work through their complicated emotions.

Schiffer has the journal of his son Heinrich, which is shown in excerpts at the start of each chapter. We’re treated to snippets of how Heinrich and Stefan fell in love and the depths of their emotion, giving a tragic love story that affects everyone. The fathers are wonderfully depicted and not easy men at all. They also don’t necessarily reach perfect understanding and forgiveness either. There will always be some questions, some confusion but the important theme of the two fathers is that they embrace the love they have for their sons and try to move on from their grief. Their intersecting story – the toy maker and the rich man – have many parallels but each is moving and fascinating.

The third story is that of young Jakob, struggling to help provide for his family while he dares to dream of a future. Once Jakob realizes that he’s attracted to other men, he fears the reaction of his best friend and ultimately becomes fixated on a foreigner staying at the local inn. This storyline is sometimes difficult to read as fifteen year old Jakob reads into actions and words. Watching the young man hope, dream, and crave affection and stability with another man shows all the reckless abandon and mistakes of youth. Jakob’s desire to know more about Stefan and the hope for such happiness, however brief, brings him into Bauer’s realm.

While the characters are unequivocally the stars of this beautiful tale, the atmosphere is truly stunning. The mid-19th century Bavaria landscape is vivid and breathtaking. From the quiet chill of the air to the snow that heaps everywhere, the story could be rather dark and depressing. Given the poor nature of Jakob’s family – fighting for money to eat – and the overwhelming sadness that permeate both Bauer and Schiffer, it’s a real credit to the writing and author that the story never fails to be warm, inviting, and delightful. There are moments of true sorrow and Jakob’s grief at the end brought tears to my eyes, just as the nestling of the glass minstrel and the shepherd in the tree also brought tears to my eyes. But for all of the sadness, the deft hand keeps the tone hopeful. Jakob’s joy and innocence help alleviate any gloom. The community, for all their gossiping ways, are loving and caring, surprisingly joyful despite the lack of money.

This well written story is truly timeless. It’s well written with incredible touches of detail from the toy making to the ornaments, the historical atmosphere, and the foreign words woven in. I simply couldn’t put this story down and never wanted it to end. I could read about Bauer and his ornaments, Jakob’s journey to acceptance, and Schiffer’s road to forgiveness for much longer and this is definitely on my keeper shelf. I easily recommend this heart warming story with its incredible imagery and hopeful spirit.(less)

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Dec 24, 2011 Jon Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was cold a lot during this book. And that’s a good thing.

A moving story about the aftermath of “an event” that managed to push me in several different directions. Early on (about a third of the way in), I worried that the author had tipped her hand too early; I felt (and continue to feel) the emotional impact of “the event” could have been so much deeper had it been played out to us gradually (i.e., the final fates of Heinrich and Stefan revealed only in the last chapters of the book). But I f...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Shanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, m-m, 2011

This was a lovely book and it was fun meandering down the streets with the characters the author created but the story did just that, meandered here and there with little or no direction. The author seemed to have ideas as to where he wanted things to go but was unable to find direction for those ideas. The characters were developed ever so slightly so that as a read I could sympathize with the fathers who had lost their sons and with the young man trying to find his way in a world that doesn't...more

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Jan 01, 2011 LdDurham rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, gay-fiction

This was a beautiful book. I was leery of this one, not sure I wanted to submit myself to what I thought would be a "downer." But I went for it and I am so, so glad I did! This wasn't a downer at all. The Glass Minstrel was a beautiful story of two men and a boy fighting their way to acceptance and solace, their lives entangled in the death of two other young men who stubbornly sought their own happiness.

I was enthralled at how perfectly the tales of all these characters were weaved together to...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Andune rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-literature, q-paperback, best-gay-fiction

This book is incredibly tender and moving. The story is quite original for a book of this genre and I enjoyed the change of pace. Basically it is a novel where three characters touch on each other's lives in ways that they would not have expected: two fathers who lost their sons and deal with the aftermath of grief, a young boy who is struggling to understand who he is and the ghostly voices of the two young lovers who died much too young.

Though the book is nostalgic and made me ache a little fo...more

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May 11, 2013 Nancy marked it as to-read

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Shelves: kindle-lending-library

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Shelves: historical, historical-1700-1800, gay, romance-adult, romance-historical, ya-realistic

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Shelves: wishlist

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Shelves: gay

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Shelves: gay, lgbt

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