The Glass Harmonica: A Novel (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Marley's genre-crossing tale of music and healing is built, literally, around the human bones found beneath Benjamin Franklin's London abode. Eilish Eam, an Irish orphan from Seven Dials, is saved from a life of squalor when Franklin hears her playing musical glasses on the street. Eilish is taken into Franklin's household to help tune, and then to play, his latest invention--the glass harmonica. But though Eilish is enamored of the instrument, enjoys the comfort of Franklin's house, and delights in a friendship with renowned harpsichordist Marianne Davies, she cannot divorce herself from her past or the handicapped child, Mackie, whom she left behind.

Complementing Eilish's tale is that of Erin Rushton. Erin is a musical prodigy, the greatest contemporary player of the glass harmonica--an instrument that, in 2018, has become fashionable again due to the wave of nostalgia sweeping the country. Erin's America is the product of civility laws run amok. Cities have been "reclaimed"--and very nearly turned into theme parks of the past--while the unsightly poor have been removed to vast tent cities.

Erin has recently been troubled by an apparition, first seen when she plays Franklin's original harmonica in Boston. To add to her stress, Erin's twin brother, stricken by a neurological disorder and wheelchair-bound since childhood, has recently begun an experimental and potentially dangerous therapy under the direction of Gene Berrick, a young doctor struggling to overcome the taint of his tent-city upbringing.

As the tale progresses, Eilish and Erin glimpse each other more frequently, at first fearfully, and later affectionately, as they help each other understand the healing properties of their instrument.

It's been said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, but Marley's background as an opera singer informs the rehearsal and concert scenes with great vitality.

Marley has packed The Glass Harmonica with enough ideas for several novels. She has intriguing things to say about the relationships between music, emotion, and health, and about the seemingly unbridgeable gap between privilege and poverty; but these parts somehow fail to make up a satisfying whole, and leave many questions--particularly about Erin's world--unanswered. --Eddy Avery

Product Description

Eilish Eam is an orphan and street musician, living in 1761, London. She survives on pennies and applause, and nothing more. Until the night Benjamin Franklin stops to listen, awe-struck by her gift-and with plans for her future...

Erin Rushton is a classical musician living in 2018, Seattle. She stands in the orchestra, consumed by the music-and haunted by visions of a young girl from a different time, who needs her help...

"Marley makes her writing sing."-Everett Herald

"Louise Marley's knowledge of music and story make for a stunning combination of talent."-Greg Bear

"Marley shows a real feel for the elements that make fantasy (and science fiction) popular."-Locus

"Louise Marley deftly creates a detailed world full of complex characters so believable that they make you feel all their emotions with them: rage, powerlessness, rebellion, terror, determination, and hope."-Sharon Shinn, author of Archangel

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade; 2nd edition (September 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441007295
• ISBN-13: 978-0441007295
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #610,846 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent new work by the unsung hero of sci-fi/fantasy, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This book is an excellent, dreamy science fantasy work by a great author. She weaves two parallel story lines across two and a half centuries and creates each world wonderfully. She also integrates historical figures, such as Ben Franklin and Mozart, into the storyline deftly. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction or fantasy, and anyone who enjoys this book should enjoy all of her previous works.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, but slight., January 11, 2003

By	C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Glass Harmonica (Paperback)

I would really give this three or three-and-a-half stars, but I am inclined to be generous because it is clearly well-researched and also well-written.

Marley has written a knowledgeable and sensitive book about two musicians living 250 years apart. Eilish Eam is an orphaned street player who attracts the attentions of Benjamin Franklin while Erin Rushton is a famous glass harmonica player based in Seattle of the early 20th century. Their presence somehow comforts each other across the ages and Erin learns an important lesson about her own life and the purpose of her art.

The problem with the novel is that there simply is not enough there there. While Eam's world is incredibly detailed, Erin's is only hinted at. It is obviously quite different from our world in 2003, but exactly how is never made clear. I realize that the focus was meant to be on Eam. However, since Marley chose to structure the plot around Erin, I felt that she should have also given Erin more focus. The key decisions in the book rested on Erin, but I knew very little about her motivations. As a result, the ending felt a little unearned.

That said, the book was good enough that it made me want to try other books that Marley wrote. She writes about 18th century London in a way that felt both sharp and real. I also enjoyed reading it-- it kept me going and interested. Promising signs pointing towards a writer whose other works I might enjoy more.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Harmony: Future and Past, December 14, 2000

By A Customer

Louise Marley has proven herself again! An author who has established herself in the genres of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Marley has now added a touch of historical fiction to the mix. The Glass Harmonica combines an expertise in music and medicine with future and past worlds that are meticulously developed. The two characters, Eilish and Erin, are compelling...and the addition of real historical characters such as Ben Franklin and Mozart makes this a convincing and insistant read. Brava!