Today we will take a look at the novel of another of our esteemed Fraiser judges… Susan Meissner and her book The Girl in the Glass.
Q: Susan, can you tell us a little bit about your book?
A: Sure! Here is a little blurb about the story:
Meg Pomeroy is feeling unlucky in life and love. She’s still smarting from a broken engagement; angry at her irresponsible father; and embarrassed by her mother, who’s dating a younger man. Seeking perspective, she travels toFlorence,Italy, where she meets Sofia, a Medici descendant who claims that Renaissance masterpieces “talk” to her. Will Meg question what’s real—or gain a new vision?
Q: What do you want readers to learn/take away from this story.
A: For our 25th wedding anniversary a few years ago my husband and I took a much-anticipated eight-day Mediterranean cruise. One of the ports of call on theItaly side was close enough toFlorence to hop on a bus and spend the day there. When I stepped onto Florentine pavement I fell head over heels in love. No joke. There is something magical aboutFlorence that I didn’t see inRome, or evenParis if you can believe that. The beauty created by the masters of the Italian Renaissance is jaw-dropping and it meets your eye no matter which direction your turn.Florence is the perfect place to recalibrate and renew your perspective on what really matters in life. That’s Renaissance means: rebirth. I knew just had to set a story there and somehow involve the infamous Medici family.
Here’s the thing. The Medici family both appalls and fascinates me. On the whole they were shrewd, conniving, opportunistic, unfaithful, vengeful, murdering rulers, who of all things, loved art and beauty. Michelangelo, DaVinci, Donatello, and so many other Italian Renaissance artists, wouldn’t have had patrons if it weren’t for the Medici family. They wouldn’t have the financial backing and opportunities to create all that they did. I don’t know if we would have the statue of David or Brunelleschi’s Dome or Botticelli’s Primavera were it not for the Medici family. They made Florence beautiful and yet most of them were addicted to leading un-commendable lives. That is astounding to me. They weren’t — taken as a whole — admirable people, and yet look at the legacy of beauty they made possible. I think that demonstrates there is hope for all of us to be able to see beauty in spite of living with much disappointment. You don’t have to look hard to find ugliness on Earth, but beauty is there. Don’t close your eyes to it.
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Susan Meissner is the multi-published author of The Girl in the Glass as well as The Shape of Mercy, named one of the 100 Best Books in 2008 by Publishers Weekly and the ECPA’s Fiction Book of the Year. She is also a speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism, and the leader of a local writer’s group, a pastor’s wife and the mother of four young adults.