Review: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Narrator: Kimberly Farr 
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Series: No 
Copyright: 2011 
Publisher: Random House Audio 
Buy: Amazon Audio or Amazon Book

Summary: from Good Reads
Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary novel, which brings a woman once lost in the shadows into vivid color.

It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.

Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman, which ultimately force her to protest against the company she has worked so hard to cultivate. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces to a strict policy: he does not hire married women, and any who do marry while under his employ must resign immediately. Eventually, like many women, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.

Feelings: 
I listened to the audiobook of Clara and Mr. Tiffany. I really enjoyed the audio version of the story. It was at times a little slow, and I would have liked to see a little more action. However, being based on actual people and events there was less room for invention. I enjoy historical fiction and this was interesting because of the history of leaded glass windows, and how women were involved in the process at Tiffany Studio.

The history included in this novel held my interest because the art history of Tiffany Studio was something I wasn't familiar with even though I was familiar with the art work. 

The end of the novel looked a little more at the history that went into creating the novel and that was really interesting to me.