Glassworks is so deeply imagined and immersive that reading it felt like an invitation: Shatter what needs to be shattered and mold your story from what’s left.
Each section’s protagonist has some relationship to glass, and it would be painfully easy for a series of hokey glass metaphors to bring the whole premise crashing down. But first-time novelist Wolfgang-Smith pulls it off with a book that’s kaleidoscopic in its sweep, without sentimentality or showiness ... Warrants our attention and our admiration. With its gripping turns and subtle prose, it is a near-perfect debut.
These intertwined stories explore isolation and connection. With richly drawn characters and deft storytelling, Glassworks is a beautifully crafted, memorable debut.
This sophisticated debut from Wolfgang-Smith traces an evolving emotional legacy through four generations of a family while examining the basic question of "how to love something without letting it have everything" ... Wolfgang-Smith writes like a glass blower, patiently building and enhancing to create durable beauty.
As the various threads tie together, the author makes clever use of her central metaphor, considering glass as sharp, fluid, changeable, and even surprising—much like the characters she depicts. This is a radiant exploration of a complex legacy.
