The Glass Room: A Novel

One of the first things I noticed about this book was that the writing style reminded me of other books I had read that were translated from a language other than English, but this book was written in English, not translated. That Simon Mawer's style mimicked a novel in translation, yet was really tremendously well controlled is just one of the aspects that make this book stand out from other historical novels. For The Glass Room is an historical novel and both the sometimes subtle presence and sometimes ironic impact of historical context is integral to the story. The story starts simply enough, a Czech couple, the Landauers, on their honeymoon journey to Italy, but before they arrive there they visit the grave of the Bride's brother who died in the Great War. In just a few pages we already have some of the themes: history, endings and beginnings, death and life. But this novel is just as much about the new house that is yet to be built on a plot of land that was a present from the bride's parents. It is this house, designed by the great modern architect Rainer von Abt, that will have as its centerpiece the "Glass Room" of the title, and at the center of the room an onyx wall that is magnificent in its simplicity. The story spans the rest of the twentieth century and involves living, loving, parting, tragedy, and more than one metamorphosis for the "Glass Room" at the heart of the story. While the writing is controlled -- this can be over done and, in our book group discussion, there developed a consensus among the group that there were at least moments in the novel when the style was too controlled, where the irony was too heavy, and where the literary references were too forced. I would compare it too a film where the director is too heavy-handed resulting in the feeling that he is interfering with rather than directing the film. However, this did little to diminish my enjoyment of this novel nor did it deter our book group from unanimous praise of Mawer's literary creation. In addition to the smooth almost glass-like writing style I was impressed by the structure of the book as the story gathers speed, develops the central characters, provides suspense and deftly links the various subplots. Early in the novel the architect, Rainer von Abt, tells the Landauers that: "'I am a poet of space and form. Of light' -- it seemed to be no difficulty at all to drag another quality into his aesthetic -- 'of light and space and form. Architects are people who build walls and floors and roofs. I capture and enclose the space within.'"(p 16) The author is also a poet whose aesthetic provides similar form for this story. Yes, this is the exciting era of modern architecture, of the new era represented by artists like Mondrian and others who were establishing "de stijl". The world is constantly changing and the artists, the architects, and musicians like Janacek and Kapralova are leading the way. The political world of the story is in turmoil with changes, including another war and its aftermath, lead the Landauers to new ventures, places, and loves as the plot unfolds. However, the key to the story remains the haunting spirit of the"Glass Room".

While on their honeymoon in Venice, Czech citizens Viktor and Liesl Landauer meet architect Rainer von Abt and see display models of the dramatically different buildings he has been creating. Afterward, von Abt extols "the virtues of glass and steel and concrete, and decrie[s] the millstones of brick and stone that hung about people's necks." Viktor is enthralled, suggesting von Abt might built a house for them. Ultimately, the architect agrees, "But form without ornament is all I can give you...Here, in the most ornamental city in the whole world [Venice], I am offering you the very opposite." After he arrives in Czechoslovakia and surveys the site, with its slope down into a garden, he indicates that he wants to work f"rom the foundations to the interior, the windows, the doorways, the furnishings, the fabric of the place as well as the structure." And so begins an enthralling tale in which the building of a spectacular and unusual house becomes the framework for a story about the social and political changes which occur in Eastern Europe between the two world wars, all of them affecting the fate of the house and the architect's dream. But it is also a story of the family, Viktor and Liesl Landauer and their children, who build and live in the house. Though Liesl is a gentile, Viktor is Jewish, and when the National Socialists seize power in Austria and begin their campaign to dominate the Sudentenland of Czechoslovakia, Viktor quickly realizes that they must leave the Glasraum they love, and sell his business to Liesl's Christian family, if they are to survive. "If you play with mad dogs, you are going to get bitten," he declares. Author Simon Mauer has always created exciting plots with important thematic overtones, and in this novel he outdoes himself, incorporating the broadest scope of any of his novels so far. Beginning in 1929, the story and the history of the house continue up to the 1990s, exploring the sociopolitical traumas of the era, from National Socialism through the Communist takeover, and the rebellion and eventual liberation of the country. Subplots and many secondary characters repeat throughout, connecting and reconnecting, over the sixty-year time span. The pacing is flawless, keeping the reader completely occupied has he explores the issues of the house and the Landauers' relationship, their friendships (and/or infidelities), and their household staff. He explores several stories of love and betrayal; stories of love sanctioned, illicit, and forbidden; and the fraught history of Czechoslovakia (and peripherally, Austria) between the wars. Mawer's prose is efficient and his style keeps the reader involved, never having to stop to figure out what the author "really" means. Filled with vibrant imagery, both of the external and internal worlds of the characters, the novel has something for everyone. Ultimately, the stories of all the characters are resolved, with only one loose end, and readers who enjoy this novel will want to reread the preface for further insights after completing the novel. A fully-developed and thoughtful novel with a unique focus and point of view. Mary Whipple

This was the first Simon Mawer novel I've read, and I'm very glad to have bee introduced to his work. This book impresses me with its wonderfully three dimensional characters, its compelling plot, and the way it is informed by history--and makes it clear that life is shaped by history, and no one is immune to its forces--without being a simple historical novel. _The Glass Room_ is a work of fiction, but the house at its center is not: it is Tugendhat House by Mies van der Rohe, here called The Landauer House or Der Glasraum by Rainer von Abt. The house is a modernist experiment, with the main living area a glass enclosed open space room. Von Abt aims not to construct a house but to "create a work of art. A work that is the very reverse of sculpture: I wish to enclose a space'" (21). The family who lives in this house is the wealthy Landauer family: Viktor, Liesel, and their children, Ottilie and Martin. Part of what makes this book so compelling is the complexity of the characters. Viktor is a successful businessman, the head of a company that designs and manufacturers Landauer cars. He cares deeply about the latest developments in architecture and the arts, and is pleased to hire von Abt to design a living space for his growing family. At the beginning of the novel, they seem to represent all that is hopeful and modern in The Republic of Czechoslovakia. He is a Jew married to a gentile, and they surround themselves with a group of advanced friends accomplished and interested in the arts and sciences. Yet like their glass enclosed house, and like the political future of their infant nation, their relationship is fragile. Viktor almost thoughtless stumbles in what could have just been a one night stand, but becomes a passionate affair with a Viennese woman, Kata. The novel does not, however, paint him as a villian or a particularly selfish individual, but an imperfect and complex one. Though on the day of his housewarming, Viktor says that their home "says who Liesel and I are....In our wonderful glass house you can see everything" (76), the truth is that Viktor, like all the characters in the novel, has things he would prefer to keep secret. And Viktor's affair is only one of the clouds potentially disturbing their halcyon existence. Storm clouds are also gathering over Europe, as Hitler's reach extends and it becomes increasingly clear to Viktor that they have to leave their modern masterpiece of a home in The Republic of Czechoslovakia (a conclusion his wife and some of their friends resist) for Switzerland, and, eventually, leave Switzerland as well. The novel follows not only the fate of the Landauer family and that of Kata and her daughter Marika, but also that of the house, whose fate during the Nazi occupation takes some perverse twists and turns, becoming a place of ominous scientific experimentation and violence in one incarnation, and of beneficent therapy in another. The book opens with an elderly Liesel Landauer returning to Der Glasraum before flashing back to the early days of her marriage. Watching Mawer unfold the history of this place and this family highlights the beauty, fragility, and complexity of human life, and the impossibility of living a truly transparent existence.

It is a rather gutsy undertaking for a novelist to make the living room of a house (albeit an arguably extraordinary house) as the centerpiece of his novel, but that is the task Simon Mawer put before himself in writing The Glass Room. Considering that this is a house most of his readers will never have heard of or seen (unless they are architects with an interest in Functionalism), this seems a rather implausible concept. If he could make it work, the novelist would have achieved something noteworthy. Somehow, the story and the writing would need to be pretty good, and at least in some aspect extraordinary, to carry the narrative and hold the reader. Does it work for Mawer's book? Well, yes and no. Or, perhaps I should say, in a certain manner, yes. First, in the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I come to Mawer's book with a certain perspective. I live just a few doors down the street from the Tugendhat Villa in Brno, Czech Republic where The Glass Room is fictitiously set. Having lived in Europe (and specifically in Brno and Vienna where most of the action in the novel occurs), I have been almost everywhere that is described or mentioned in the novel (including inside the Villa itself). For me, then, the story is particularly interesting, because places and phenomena continually appear that I know. Obviously, most readers will not have this advantage. So, if one is not an architect and doesn't live in Brno, what motivates that reader? Well, the story, which centers on the people living in or otherwise in contact with the house, is interesting, although not extraordinary. The research of history and places is good, but again not extraordinary. The prose is well executed from a mechanical and stylistic viewpoint. The chapters are many and short and move from one subject to the next. This makes the book a fairly breezy read, which is a plus from my perspective. The book's philosophizing and symbolism of light and openness and truth is all rather strained, and I would say stretched beyond the point of tearing in places. What really carries this novel is sex. Lots of it, evenly dispersed, and variously presented. It would be interesting to see inside the mind of the author, and perhaps the reader does. If Mawer's novel can itself be regarded as a glass room, as exhibiting his mind in a transparent place, open for all to see, then we must observe that this is a mind having a very strong fascination with sex. One might politely say that this is an intellectual curiosity about sexuality. But, by reasonable appearance, that would not be accurate. "Fascination with sex" would seem to state the case more accurately. The vast majority of the several dozen short chapters have some sexual snippet, occasionally quite contrived but generally woven into the story. If The Glass Room is ever made into a film - and I suspect it will be - the filmmakers will be challenged to keep it within the confines of an R rating and still fairly represent the original novel. I would expect, in fact, that the script writers would bring a lot more historical context into the picture while softening the sex, and thus the movie might be better than the book. As I read the book, it struck me that Mawer appears to have made a list of themes relating to sex and then sprinkled these into his novel, checking them off as the writing progressed. After the first few chapters, I began to wonder what would come next. The straightforward themes come first - sexual initiation, infidelity, prostitution... But what about rape and incest, for example? Well, these come later. Various sexual practices get checked off, homosexuality, exhibitionism... (I won't carry on and ruin the story for you.) So, does all of this work? Well, if you like that sort of thing, yes. The reader who prefers a heftier historical fiction and deeper psychological narrative, however, may find The Glass Room a bit too much on the light and airy side.

It took me a while to warm up to The Glass Room but when I finished it I had goose bumps all over. I was overwhelmed. The Glass Room by Siman Mawer is about a glass room in a house and the people who inhabit it over the years. It is about the Landauer family and the architect they hire to build the house, Ranier von Apt, who is loosely based on Mies van der Rohe. This house is to be different from any other - one built from the inside out and with "a living space that changes functions as the inhabitants wish". Viktor and Liesel Landauer are wealthy and privileged. He is a Jew who owns a car company and money is no object to them. When the book opens in Czechoslovakia in 1929, life is carefree and easy for them. However, Viktor shortly begins an affair with a woman named Kata and this continues for several years. The times remind me of the 1960's. Sex is loose and free and people are curious about art, their bodies, and the world at large. Hana, Liesel's best friend, is a very open and curious woman who appears to have no bounds to her sexuality and curiosity. The main character in this exalting book is the glass room. It appears to have different meanings to those who inhabit it: " "a place that is at once of nature and quite aside from nature"; "an idea developing into a work of art"; "the house was both the work of art and the atelier in which it was being created"; "Beauty made manifest"; life lived in it be a work of art as well"; "transparent and full of light"; "a place of dreams, a cool box where you can project your fantasies and sit and watch them". We watch as the war comes to Czechoslovakia and we see the horrors of World War II. The Landauers flee to Switzerland and the house is taken over by the Germans. Later the house is resided in by the Soviets. With each resident the house takes on different themes and meanings. The characters are richly described and the drama of their lives gives meaning to the novel. Mawer is a fine historian and appears well versed on the invasion of Europe during the second World War. The impact on the Landauers and Kata is horrifically described and shivers ran up and down my spine as I was reading. This is a book to savor, one that will never leave me. It is powerful, haunting, and brilliant. It grows on you slowly but once in its realm, you are powerless to leave. I will read other books by Mawer but wonder how any book can come up to this masterpiece.

I'd had The Glass Room, recommended by a friend who had escaped from Hungary as a child in 1956, for months because I knew it wasn't going to be an "easy" read due to the primary timeframe (the 1930s and WWII) and the subject matter with its being set mainly in Czechoslavakia. However, I resolved to start it right after the new year, and I did. I read up to where Kata showed up as a refugee with her daughter at Viktor's home, and then I had to put it down. I was rather put off because of this completely unbelievable coincidence, but I was also feeling great trepidation thanks to the closeness of the war. I started to read again last weekend and finished it rather quickly, thanks to the author's masterful command of language. Obviously the "glausraum" is the main character, and I thought what the author did depicting it through all its stages of "life" was genius. I kept envisioning a kind of Falling Water with a light and airy Glass Room but set in the location of the house against the hill in "Loving Frank" instead of in the woods straddling a stream. The onyx wall is obviously symbolic, of something, but at first I didn't see it. The fire that blazed from it when the evening sun was just right evokes a kind of seductive and destructive hellfire erupting from its sleek, lovely blackness. Evil is often quite beautiful, isn't it? At least at first ... Of the characters Hana was the most interesting to me. Liesel wasn't nearly so compelling, but without her, of course, the book couldn't have existed. I did like the symbolism of her weak eyesight and wearing spectacles, and her eventual idiopathic blindness ("no medical reason; reason unknown"). Viktor was most interesting early in the novel when we see not only his actions but also inside his thoughts regarding his feelings for his mistress, Kata. And although the literary trick of bringing all three of them together to live on the same property, more or less, was offputting from a structural perspective, I see now that it was necessary for the author to move the plot forward and illustrate more aspects of the war. Overall, with Lanik and Oskar and Kraus playing their stereotypical roles as the furtive, scheming chameleon who does what is necessary to survive, the innocent Jew who is destroyed, and the sophisticated evil Nazi scientist, the author touched every base - almost to a fault. Too often I felt he added details just to cross every T, frankly, but I tried to suspend that impression and just let the book flow. The story of the doctor and the dancer therapist wasn't very convincing, I thought, and making the dancer Hana's lover in the end so she would have some happiness seemed far too contrived, as did the reappearance of Marika at the very end. But it wasn't their story, really, was it? I thought the theme of the suffering of exiles, even though they were safe and even living in luxury, was quite an interesting point of view. It's the first book of its era that I've read that doesn't focus on the horror of being a Jew in those countries, though of course it was touched on with Hana, briefly, being in the camp and losing her child, and with the descriptions of more and more restrictions on the Jews, a tighter and tighter noose choking the life out of everyday living and the final hell of the camps and massive death. And of course Kata and Marika being pulled from the train as the family left the safety of Switzerland (why???) to go to America was also terrifying, even though they themselves weren't Jews. I found the writing amazing; it kept me going after I picked it up the second time, despite the somewhat overly symbolic characters and the strains of coincidence on plot (Kata showing up when she did, and at the end Marika.) Definitely worth reading

First of all, I rarely give a book five stars but this book was superb! Simon Mawer is an awesome writer - intelligent and ever so gifted. Like Ann Patchett, his words flow freely from his pen in a style that makes you feel you are gliding gracefully down each page unaware of time. It's a book you want to cuddle up with in a big comfy chair savoring every chapter of his delightful imagination. I read over many of the reviews already written and am stymied by many of the remarks. I'm not surprised that some folks (most likely female readers) were put off by the sexual encounters if they themselves have no experience of sexual lust and passion. They were beautifully written, honest and true to life. So often female authors forget the sexual nature of their characters and write the encounters in some kind of romantic fantasy that feels so false. I could recommend this book on its erotica alone because it is so tastefully written. The characters are richly drawn. In fact, these characters felt absolutely real to me as if I were reading non-fiction. It was hard to believe they were only a figment of someone's imagination. Kudos to Mr. Mawer for creating wonderful characters and such an intelligent and beautiful essay on a famous European home. Having just read about architect Eileen Gray's famous villa and her specially designed furniture as well as her friendship with Le Corbusier, this book appealed to me enormously. I was indeed disappointed to come to the last page because I wanted to read more. I will agree with some of the previous reviewers who commented on the ending being a little too contrived. I didn't expect that from such a respected writer and wished his editors had given him better advice. However, I still give this book five stars and recommend it to anyone with an appreciation for architecture, an interest in European history, specifically during the 30s and 40s and to any readers who enjoy suspense. Some scenes were just riveting and so powerfully written. Phrases like "papers please" on a train in 1942 always conjures us frightening responses. I loved this book!

Brief summary and review, no spoilers. This story spans many years, starting in the years after World War I. Our main protagonists are Czech citizens Viktor and Liesel Landauer, who have recently married. Viktor is Jewish and Liesel is not, but neither are religious and in fact consider themselves atheists. Viktor is well-do-do and owns the Landauer car company which is very successful. They have two children - a little girl named Ottilie and a boy named Martin. Viktor and Liesel decide to build their ideal and original house on a piece of property near her parents. They use noted German architect Rainer von Abt who comes up with the idea of a house open and modern with extensive use of glass. It's wildly original and different, and Liesel especially comes to love it with all her heart. We follow this couple as the horrors of the Nazis and World War II arrive at their part of the world. We are often anxious and worried, hoping that they will be able to avoid the horrendous fate that awaiting so many Jews during those terrible terrible years. Other important characters in this novel are Kata and her daughter Marika. Kata is a poor and beautiful Jewish woman who becomes Viktor's mistress, of sorts. She forms a close relationship with both Viktor and Liesel and their children. Also very important is Hana, Liesel's best friend who is also married to a Jewish man named Oskar. Although not a person, the house itself almost becomes a character in this novel - we learn a lot about architecture and history, and though this house we are present to see how the different political regimes and alliances affected the lives of the inhabitants and those nearby. Both house and people are changed. There are many things to recommend about this book. It is truly evocative of the worst of times - the madness and cruelty of the Nazis - and it is through these characters that we understand and feel what those times were like for those unfortunate enough to be there. The book is also an interesting combination of truth and fiction - the architect's name has changed, but he was a real person. And the house exists, and we see drawings of it in this book. Also other real life characters are thrown in - such as screen actress Hedy Lamarr, who makes a brief appearance under her real name, Eva Kiesler. In critique, there were quite a few coincidences in this book that did make for dramatic effect, and the author seems aware of them. At the same time they didn't really bother me so much and I was swept away in the story and curious to see how it would resolve. Recommended.

'THE GLASS ROOM' epitomizes how a house captures a capricious era as if frozen in aspic within it's minimalist glass and onyx walls: a reflection echoed by house of a family that have lived and loved and who's lives they touched from Rainer von Abt's architectual masterpiece, which he created in the late twenties on a perfect hillside plot over a Czech town: A 'Grand Design' of it's day... The journey takes the reader on a roller-coaster trip through the turbulent years of the rise of Nazism in neighboring Austria and Germany - monitoring the ever-increasing threat to the Landauer family: a haunting echo of what was to come - and the devastating impact it would have on the Jews of central Europe. Simon Mawer captures beautifully the contrast of this serene sanctuary set against the backdrop of a terrifying chaotic world about to encroach on the order of this perfect minimalist space. Being a interior designer and an author... I relished Simon Mawer's evocative, and almost sensual narrative describing this cool modernist dream refracting the sensuality of the Landauers within their creation. Eventually with time running-out the family are forced to flee from their beloved house to the safe haven of neutral Switzerland. The modernist space morphs into a nightmarish laboratory for Nazi scientists, experimenting with what they decree are the human characteristics of the (perfect) Aryan - and the horror of their 'Final Solution', craftily revealed (again Mawer instills the reader with the dread of an unfolding reality)... In the meantime the couple are torn by love affairs, and disturbing human emotions no doubt brought to the fore by the dramatic upheaval in their world. Lesbian love, and extra marital affairs eat-away at their relationship... and in the meantime the house is also experiences various different incarnations up until the collapse of Communism (Mawer maintains the integrity of the house throughout though...). Eventually long after the war, and now a widower with her daughter Ottilie, Liesel Landauer returns to 'The Glass Room' with a view on the Czech hill. But now through a strange illness, she is blind: another emotive twist as she can only sense the space she once inhabited in her mind's eye. And she is reunited with the love-of-her-life - her old friend, Hana... Here Mawer evokes a sad finale to a long distant love as Hana now has a new lifetime partner... And you feel the intense vulnerability of poor Liesel, who at least has her beloved daughter by her side as a saving grace... Eventually the house becomes a museum, and is gradually restored rising from the decay of the Soviet era. In the 1990's a final twist is laid bare on a day visit on Ottilie's (return) from America - bringing the story to a complete and full circle of an ending... Brilliant Mr Mawer! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time... it kind of reminded me in a strange way of 'The Time Machine' by H.G.Wells (I wonder if Simon Mawer found inspiration here from this classic). And oh, I think it could make a terrific film too! Highly recommend this book...

I’ve enjoyed reading this book so much! It’s a fascinating story of a villa, family, lovers and also, my homeland; captured masterfully and with deep understanding by a British author. Awesome!

J'ai adoré cette histoire. Récit très bien mené, personnages intéressants, contexte bien rendu. À lire, de préférence en anglais, mais il vient d'être traduit en français.

Der Roman schildert anhand einer Familiengeschichte sehr packend die Zeit 1938 bis 1990.Kein langweiliges Geschichtsbuch,.Ich habe das Buch an 3 Abenden ausgelesen.

I bought this book as one of many novels I've been reading over the last 18 months about the experience of people in Eastern Europe from WWII through the end of the Soviet era. This was by far the most beautiful and moving piece of literature I've read about that era. So much of what politicians did during that period was alleged to be about creating a better life and greater beauty for the peoples involved. The novel--and this one in particular--gracefully lifts the veil on the lives that people lead underneath the political projects that lurched across that era. An intoxicating and ultimately uplifting read.