reneesuz's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason this book didn't excite me but my friend Ruth loved it: http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2012/09/book-review-girl-in-glass.html
emlovestrees's review against another edition
5.0
Reading The Girl in the Glass, I felt just as Meg must have in Florence. I was immersed in a dreamlike reality, mistily concrete.
It sparked extensive thought. The themes are a significant part of the book. As I perused it, I decided the ultimate message of the book was that art can bring peace, healing, and hope, even when lives are falling apart. And that is, in part, the motif of the book. But it's also about so much more.
This is a book about hope. It's a book about identity. About experiencing renaissance, rebirth, for ourselves. This is a book about becoming who you are.
Partway through, I began to wonder about the title. At that point in the story, I couldn't see how it fit. But now? No title could be more fitting.
Because this book is about the girl in the glass. The one you see every time you look in the mirror. Ultimately, we are not defined by what happens to us, nor are we defined by reality. We decide who we are.
And now, for a couple of highlights:
This may seem small, but I appreciated Lorenzo's voice. From the beginning of the book, his words rolled off of the paper Italian. I felt like I could hear his accent in his words. All of the characters' voices seemed real, but his stood out to me.
I also want to acknowledge the writing. Meissner's writing was vivid, colorful, and pitch-perfect. I could tell it was written with precision, that the voices of the characters and the words used throughout the book were carefully chosen. The language of The Girl in the Glass made it art.
Needless to say, I loved this book. While it dealt with some depressing topics, the ultimate message of the book was hope. With this book I grew wings, and learned to fly.
This review was published on whimsicallyreal.blogspot.com.
It sparked extensive thought. The themes are a significant part of the book. As I perused it, I decided the ultimate message of the book was that art can bring peace, healing, and hope, even when lives are falling apart. And that is, in part, the motif of the book. But it's also about so much more.
This is a book about hope. It's a book about identity. About experiencing renaissance, rebirth, for ourselves. This is a book about becoming who you are.
Partway through, I began to wonder about the title. At that point in the story, I couldn't see how it fit. But now? No title could be more fitting.
Because this book is about the girl in the glass. The one you see every time you look in the mirror. Ultimately, we are not defined by what happens to us, nor are we defined by reality. We decide who we are.
And now, for a couple of highlights:
This may seem small, but I appreciated Lorenzo's voice. From the beginning of the book, his words rolled off of the paper Italian. I felt like I could hear his accent in his words. All of the characters' voices seemed real, but his stood out to me.
I also want to acknowledge the writing. Meissner's writing was vivid, colorful, and pitch-perfect. I could tell it was written with precision, that the voices of the characters and the words used throughout the book were carefully chosen. The language of The Girl in the Glass made it art.
Needless to say, I loved this book. While it dealt with some depressing topics, the ultimate message of the book was hope. With this book I grew wings, and learned to fly.
This review was published on whimsicallyreal.blogspot.com.
abif's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely amazing book. An incredible work of art. Definitely a must-read and then a re-read type of book!!! love, love, love!!!
justkenzie's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of those books that I saw my friend reading (via GoodReads) and thought it looked intriguing. With her insisting that I should read it I put it on hold and checked it out from the library as soon as she returned it.
The writing is truly beautiful, and I was pleased from the start. I was interested and desired to keep reading. For moments I would question how promising it really would be, winced every once in a while at awkward scenes and thoughts, but I kept reading.
This book was truly worth reading. No matter how the story might seem at one point, it kept on moving along, slowly but surely, progressing with each page. Everything fit together beautifully. It was nicely painted together in a believable way so that its secrets were revealed, but not too quickly, so that the reader can savor them.
The detailed writing was vivid and intriguing. I loved the way the stories weaved together, but the side stories didn't distract from the main story. Beautifully done.
I was enamored by "The Girl in The Glass" and wonderfully filled with its magical bit of life.
I wish I could say more to its credit, but alas my mind has run out of words on the matter. My friend said it very well, just about taking the words out of my mouth (except that she wrote them first)To clear up any thing I left out, just read what she had to say, for her thoughts are an echo of mine; whimsicallyreal.blogspot.com
The writing is truly beautiful, and I was pleased from the start. I was interested and desired to keep reading. For moments I would question how promising it really would be, winced every once in a while at awkward scenes and thoughts, but I kept reading.
This book was truly worth reading. No matter how the story might seem at one point, it kept on moving along, slowly but surely, progressing with each page. Everything fit together beautifully. It was nicely painted together in a believable way so that its secrets were revealed, but not too quickly, so that the reader can savor them.
The detailed writing was vivid and intriguing. I loved the way the stories weaved together, but the side stories didn't distract from the main story. Beautifully done.
I was enamored by "The Girl in The Glass" and wonderfully filled with its magical bit of life.
I wish I could say more to its credit, but alas my mind has run out of words on the matter. My friend said it very well, just about taking the words out of my mouth (except that she wrote them first)To clear up any thing I left out, just read what she had to say, for her thoughts are an echo of mine; whimsicallyreal.blogspot.com
swashington's review against another edition
2.0
Looking back, I'm very surprised by the number of stars this book received. I didn't hate this book...but the plot line was not plausible, the characters were not particularly likeable, etc.
brookepalmer796's review against another edition
1.0
About half way through I picked up another book that was more interesting and never made it back to this one. I was just bored with it, felt no connection to the characters.
stacyroth's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book as a FirstRead.
The Girl in the Glass follows Meg, whose dream has always been to visit Florence as promised with her dad, as she finally gets to visit Florence. Interspersed with Meg's story, we get little chapters of thoughts from Nora Orsini, a Medici girl who grew up in Florence until getting married.
I really enjoyed reading this book. All of the characters were likeable, and the story flowed well. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Italy, art, or the Renaissance.
The Girl in the Glass follows Meg, whose dream has always been to visit Florence as promised with her dad, as she finally gets to visit Florence. Interspersed with Meg's story, we get little chapters of thoughts from Nora Orsini, a Medici girl who grew up in Florence until getting married.
I really enjoyed reading this book. All of the characters were likeable, and the story flowed well. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Italy, art, or the Renaissance.
chelz286's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the descriptions of Florence and the ending, however I didn’t think this was her best book.
dvallee's review against another edition
3.0
It's really 3.5 stars for me. Loved parts of it and other parts were just OK. Made me want to go back to Florence!