The Glassblower’s Children is a brave book.įifty years ago, Swedish storyteller Maria Gripe set down a curious and somewhat disconcerting fairy tale about a benevolent carpet-weaving witch named Flutter Mildweather her one-eyed raven companion, who can see only the good in the world and two small kidnapped children. Lesley Croome, The Times Literary Supplementīeautiful and terrifying by turns. This is a book to be read and returned to: it touches one deeply before the full pattern of meaning becomes clear, but, when it does, every detail is seen to have its place. Gripe polishes each separate scene to fine perfection.
In The Glassblower’s Children Maria Gripe has drawn on fairy tales and Norse myths to tell a thrilling story with a very modern sensibility. At the fair the family meets Flutter Mildweather, a weaver of magical rugs that foretell the future, and Klas and Klara come the attention of the splendid Lord and Lady of All Wishes Town, who have everything they want except for one: children.įull of curious and vivid characters-like the one-eyed raven Wise Wit, who can only see the bright side of life, and the monstrous governess Nana, whose piercing song can shatter glass- The Glassblower’s Children also ponders such serious matters as what it means to find meaningful work and the difference between what you want and what you need. Every year Albert goes to the fair to try to sell his wares, and sometimes Sofia and the children go too. Albert makes the most beautiful glass bowls and vases (unfortunately they are so impractical that no one will buy them), while Sofia supports the family by working in the fields. In The Glassblower's Children Maria Gripe has drawn on fairy tales and Norse myths to tell a thrilling story with a very modern sensibility.Albert the glassblower and Sofia are the loving parents of little Klas and Klara.
At the fair the family meets Flutter Mildweather, a weaver of magical rugs that foretell the future, and Klas and Klara come the attention of the splendid Lord and Lady of All Wishes Town, who have everything they want except for one: children.įull of curious and vivid characters-like the one-eyed raven Wise Wit, who can only see the bright side of life, and the monstrous governess Nana, whose piercing song can shatter glass-The Glassblower's Children also ponders such serious matters as what it means to find meaningful work and the difference between what you want and what you need.
By the Winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Children's LiteratureĪlbert the glassblower and Sofia are the loving parents of little Klas and Klara.
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