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The Glass Minstrel
It is the Christmas season in mid-19th century Bavaria. Two fathers, Abelard Bauer and Andreas Schifffer, are brought together through the tragic deaths of their sons. Bauer, a brilliant toymaker, fashions glass Christmas ornaments, and his latest creation is a minstrel with a secret molded into its features.
When Schiffer sees Bauer’s minstrel ornament in the toy shop, he realizes that Bauer is struggling to keep his son’s memory alive through his craft. At first he tries to fault him for this, but then recognizes that he, too, is seeking solace and healing by reading his son’s diary, a journal that reveals, in both painful as well as beautiful detail, the true nature of Heinrich’s relationship with Stefan.
Fifteen-year-old Jakob Diederich is the son of a poor widow. The boy is burdened with his own secret, and he develops an obsession with a traveling Englishman who stays at the inn where Jakob works. The lives of Bauer, Schiffer, and Diederich intersect during the holiday as Schiffer tries to focus on his family in the present, Bauer struggles to reconcile his past, and Jakob copes with an uncertain future.
Echoing the sensibilities of melancholy 19th Century folktales, lyrical prose and rich period detail quietly weave a moving tale of redemption, hope, and haunting, but timeless, themes.
When Schiffer sees Bauer’s minstrel ornament in the toy shop, he realizes that Bauer is struggling to keep his son’s memory alive through his craft. At first he tries to fault him for this, but then recognizes that he, too, is seeking solace and healing by reading his son’s diary, a journal that reveals, in both painful as well as beautiful detail, the true nature of Heinrich’s relationship with Stefan.
Fifteen-year-old Jakob Diederich is the son of a poor widow. The boy is burdened with his own secret, and he develops an obsession with a traveling Englishman who stays at the inn where Jakob works. The lives of Bauer, Schiffer, and Diederich intersect during the holiday as Schiffer tries to focus on his family in the present, Bauer struggles to reconcile his past, and Jakob copes with an uncertain future.
Echoing the sensibilities of melancholy 19th Century folktales, lyrical prose and rich period detail quietly weave a moving tale of redemption, hope, and haunting, but timeless, themes.
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2010
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311 people want to read
About the author
Hayden Thorne
100 books81 followersI write gothic fiction, fairy tales, and ghost stories with a touch of gay romance. For a complete and updated list of my published books,
please visit my Books2Read store
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 19, 2010
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.
- 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.
September 10, 2014
I first read Hayden Thorne’s The Glass Minstrel in its original publication four years ago, and one of the things I remember clearly about the book, when I’d finished reading it, was a sense of awe at how skillfully each of the individual storylines were woven together to make for a single, brilliant book.
There are three narratives running concurrently throughout The Glass Minstrel, each vibrant in detail that firmly affixes the story to its Christmas, 1850, time and place; each rich with emotion, all three deeply engrossing in their poetic prose and idyllic in picturesque beauty. This novel is part tragic romance, part healing and redemption story, and part a coming of age tale for a young man who is learning to come to terms with his sexuality through hope and dreams, rejection and disappointment, but, ultimately, with a promise of happiness discovered through a father’s chance to make amends with the past.
Stefan Bauer and Heinrich Schiffer’s presence is deeply engrained in this story as the couple around whom everything hinges. Falling in love with each other and making a single error in judgment which sends them both home from school in disgrace is the catalyst that brings their love story to its eventual, tragic ending. It’s through Heinrich’s journal that his father both curses and clings to his favored son’s memory as he wends his way through the details of how and when Heinrich fell so deeply in love with Stefan. Herr Schiffer’s anguish over his loss and his inability to cope with Heinrich’s unnatural proclivities is the wedge that comes between him, his wife, and his surviving children, who have each witnessed, through their own grief, their husband’s and father’s emotional separation from his family.
In contrast, Herr Bauer has suffered alone, having lost his wife years before he lost his beloved only son. Stefan ran away from the gossip and judgment of their small Bavarian village to start what was to be a new life with Heinrich, and it is through Herr Bauer’s palpable grief and regret that the reader learns of a father who’d loved his son unconditionally but never had the opportunity to ensure Stefan knew it. It is in the quaintness and warmth of Herr Bauer’s toy shop that we see a man who, in a single moment of anguish, has captured his son’s image in a glass ornament, a humble but beautiful minstrel that will eventually find a place alongside a simple shepherd to watch over him.
Jakob Diederich is the young man in whom Herr Bauer will discover atonement, as the boy who has suffered through the pangs of unrequited love comes to terms with the fact that he is different in a time when being so means rejection at best, danger at worst. Jakob’s story is both joy and heartache in the witnessing of first love’s heady bliss contrasted by the dawning realization that he may never know what it means to find true happiness with someone. Whispers of Stefan and Heinrich’s scandal eventually find their way to the very curious Jakob’s ears, and it is through these rumors that he and Herr Bauer will come to find hope and healing in each other.
Simply put, The Glass Minstrel is exquisite. It is a bard’s tale that not only succeeds as a coming-of-age novel but also exceeds its teenage demographic to grab hold of the heart of the adult reader who can empathize with the anguish of the parent for his lost child. Through more than a few tears on my part, this story reached out and captured not only my imagination but stirred my compassion and, in the end, uplifted my heart at Herr Schiffer and Herr Bauer’s healing, as well as in the hope Jakob will learn to believe in with Herr Bauer’s guidance. The magic of the winter landscape and the holiday season only serve to add to the sentimentality of this beautiful book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
There are three narratives running concurrently throughout The Glass Minstrel, each vibrant in detail that firmly affixes the story to its Christmas, 1850, time and place; each rich with emotion, all three deeply engrossing in their poetic prose and idyllic in picturesque beauty. This novel is part tragic romance, part healing and redemption story, and part a coming of age tale for a young man who is learning to come to terms with his sexuality through hope and dreams, rejection and disappointment, but, ultimately, with a promise of happiness discovered through a father’s chance to make amends with the past.
Stefan Bauer and Heinrich Schiffer’s presence is deeply engrained in this story as the couple around whom everything hinges. Falling in love with each other and making a single error in judgment which sends them both home from school in disgrace is the catalyst that brings their love story to its eventual, tragic ending. It’s through Heinrich’s journal that his father both curses and clings to his favored son’s memory as he wends his way through the details of how and when Heinrich fell so deeply in love with Stefan. Herr Schiffer’s anguish over his loss and his inability to cope with Heinrich’s unnatural proclivities is the wedge that comes between him, his wife, and his surviving children, who have each witnessed, through their own grief, their husband’s and father’s emotional separation from his family.
In contrast, Herr Bauer has suffered alone, having lost his wife years before he lost his beloved only son. Stefan ran away from the gossip and judgment of their small Bavarian village to start what was to be a new life with Heinrich, and it is through Herr Bauer’s palpable grief and regret that the reader learns of a father who’d loved his son unconditionally but never had the opportunity to ensure Stefan knew it. It is in the quaintness and warmth of Herr Bauer’s toy shop that we see a man who, in a single moment of anguish, has captured his son’s image in a glass ornament, a humble but beautiful minstrel that will eventually find a place alongside a simple shepherd to watch over him.
Jakob Diederich is the young man in whom Herr Bauer will discover atonement, as the boy who has suffered through the pangs of unrequited love comes to terms with the fact that he is different in a time when being so means rejection at best, danger at worst. Jakob’s story is both joy and heartache in the witnessing of first love’s heady bliss contrasted by the dawning realization that he may never know what it means to find true happiness with someone. Whispers of Stefan and Heinrich’s scandal eventually find their way to the very curious Jakob’s ears, and it is through these rumors that he and Herr Bauer will come to find hope and healing in each other.
Simply put, The Glass Minstrel is exquisite. It is a bard’s tale that not only succeeds as a coming-of-age novel but also exceeds its teenage demographic to grab hold of the heart of the adult reader who can empathize with the anguish of the parent for his lost child. Through more than a few tears on my part, this story reached out and captured not only my imagination but stirred my compassion and, in the end, uplifted my heart at Herr Schiffer and Herr Bauer’s healing, as well as in the hope Jakob will learn to believe in with Herr Bauer’s guidance. The magic of the winter landscape and the holiday season only serve to add to the sentimentality of this beautiful book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
October 5, 2010
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.
- 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.
January 2, 2011
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 make a truly lovely novel. It was heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. Not only were the characters alive and vibrant, but the setting was just as much a part of this story as they were. A very, very good read!
I was enthralled at how perfectly the tales of all these characters were weaved together to make a truly lovely novel. It was heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. Not only were the characters alive and vibrant, but the setting was just as much a part of this story as they were. A very, very good read!
Read
March 29, 2011I 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.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982826710/?...
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.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982826710/?...
December 24, 2011
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 freely admit that to be a minor and very personal quibble since, as I state in my opening, this is not so much a story about an event, but rather the aftermath.
The setting was wonderfully realized—in addition to being cold I was often (in?)explicably hungry for warm sweetbreads. Technically the book was remarkably sound. It seems so much of the fiction I’ve read of late has surrendered mechanics for drama. I’d rather read a well-written book than an exciting one—which is another personal quibble undoubtedly marking me as wholly divorced from the popular tastes of my fellow man. Thorne knows how to write.
The interwoven story of young Jakob held probably the least interest to me, and seemed a recurring and unwanted distraction (in large part because, having been in his shoes, I expected it to end absolutely humiliatingly—which it actually didn’t, so that was some compensation). In the end it was all Schiffer for me, whom I presume I was supposed to dislike from the start (and I did); his emotional journey was the one that brought the warm tears to the close of this winter tale.
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 freely admit that to be a minor and very personal quibble since, as I state in my opening, this is not so much a story about an event, but rather the aftermath.
The setting was wonderfully realized—in addition to being cold I was often (in?)explicably hungry for warm sweetbreads. Technically the book was remarkably sound. It seems so much of the fiction I’ve read of late has surrendered mechanics for drama. I’d rather read a well-written book than an exciting one—which is another personal quibble undoubtedly marking me as wholly divorced from the popular tastes of my fellow man. Thorne knows how to write.
The interwoven story of young Jakob held probably the least interest to me, and seemed a recurring and unwanted distraction (in large part because, having been in his shoes, I expected it to end absolutely humiliatingly—which it actually didn’t, so that was some compensation). In the end it was all Schiffer for me, whom I presume I was supposed to dislike from the start (and I did); his emotional journey was the one that brought the warm tears to the close of this winter tale.
November 17, 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 accept same sex love. I did like how both fathers found a way to heal themselves and their families. And it was interesting to see the impact of the two lovers with out them actually being there, like a ripple effect in the lives of those who loved them. I would've liked to know more about those two men because the little slices the author shared from the journal were hardly enough. Over all the story was beautifully written but with such a promising premise I expected more.
November 4, 2015
Not really a romance and it's a bit slow in the middle but a beautiful sentiment and I loved the end.
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