The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
on Sheila Ash (India), 17/Oct/2014 04:59, 34 days ago
The Glass RoombySimon MawerThe house in The Glass Room was designed as a futurist, modern work of art by its visionary architect when it is initially conceived and constructed in pre-WW2 Czechoslovakia . Surviving all its occupants, all the political upheavals and chaos the world flings at it, the house outlasts its various functions– home, laboratory, remedial hospital etc. Into its space, the present, that space betwixt the past and the future, various people enter and pass through. Their stories are told with all the coincidences, foibles, and loose ends of real life. The power of any work of art is to impact anyone who comes into contact with it. In this book importance is placed not so much on the book’s human characters as on their occupancy and connection with this particular space i.e. the building in a particular present time as it continues to be over time.ashramblings verdict3* A easy read. A good book club read, especially if a close reading of some passages is undertaken and the book is viewed past its initial story and traditional character based point of view.ashramblings