--- product_id: 8289805 title: "The Glass Room: A Novel" price: "9.40 OMR" currency: OMR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/8289805-the-glass-room-a-novel store_origin: OM region: Oman --- # NYT Best-Seller status Set in vibrant 1920s-30s Europe 2,600+ reader reviews The Glass Room: A Novel **Price:** 9.40 OMR **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > πŸ“– Unlock the past, live the story β€” The Glass Room is your next unforgettable read! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Glass Room: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** 9.40 OMR with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.om](https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/8289805-the-glass-room-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Rich Historical Tapestry:** Experience the dramatic intersection of art, love, and history through the Landauer House saga. - β€’ **Award-Winning Storytelling:** Join thousands of readers who rated this book 4.2 stars for its emotional depth and narrative power. - β€’ **Culturally Resonant Themes:** Explore themes of identity, resilience, and transformation that resonate with today’s global mindset. - β€’ **Timeless Literary Masterpiece:** Dive into a critically acclaimed novel that captures the cultural pulse of 1920s Europe. - β€’ **Collector’s Choice - Used but Pristine:** Own a well-preserved copy of a modern classic that’s both a conversation starter and a bookshelf gem. ## Overview The Glass Room is a New York Times Best-Selling novel set in 1920s-30s Europe, weaving a rich narrative around the Landauer family and their iconic modernist home. Praised for its vivid historical detail and emotional complexity, this used copy is in good condition and has garnered over 2,600 reviews with a 4.2-star average, making it a must-have for lovers of literary fiction and Jewish historical narratives. ## Description A New York Times Best-Seller Honeymooners Viktor and Liesel Landauer are filled with the optimism and cultural vibrancy of central Europe of the 1920s when they meet modernist architect Rainer von Abt. He builds for them a home to embody their exuberant faith in the future, and the Landauer House becomes an instant masterpiece. Viktor and Liesel, a rich Jewish mogul married to a thoughtful, modern gentile, pour all of their hopes for their marriage and budding family into their stunning new home, filling it with children, friends, and a generation of artists and thinkers eager to abandon old-world European style in favor of the new and the avant-garde. But as life intervenes, their new home also brings out their most passionate desires and darkest secrets. As Viktor searches for a warmer, less challenging comfort in the arms of another woman, and Liesel turns to her wild, mischievous friend Hana for excitement, the marriage begins to show signs of strain. The radiant honesty and idealism of 1930 quickly evaporate beneath the storm clouds of World War II. As Nazi troops enter the country, the family must leave their old life behind and attempt to escape to America before Viktor's Jewish roots draw Nazi attention, and before the family itself dissolves. As the Landauers struggle for survival abroad, their home slips from hand to hand, from Czech to Nazi to Soviet possession and finally back to the Czechoslovak state, with new inhabitants always falling under the fervent and unrelenting influence of the Glass Room. Its crystalline perfection exerts a gravitational pull on those who know it, inspiring them, freeing them, calling them back, until the Landauers themselves are finally drawn home to where their story began. Brimming with barely contained passion and cruelty, the precision of science, the wild variance of lust, the catharsis of confession, and the fear of failure - the Glass Room contains it all. Review: Left Me Overwhelmed - 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. Review: An Ironic Icon - I often read runners-up for the Man Booker Prize for the fun of second-guessing the judges. Simon Mawer's THE GLASS ROOM, which (like AS Byatt's THE CHILDREN'S BOOK ) lost out to Hilary Mantel's WOLF HALL in 2009, is a case in point. As an engrossing tale by an accomplished storyteller (author of THE FALL ), covering a significant swath of modern European history, and set against one of the icons of modernist architecture, it is easy to see why it might attract the attention of the judges. But it is also easy to see why it didn't win; the actual story is over-romanticized, at times even verging on the pornographic. Some may see the contrast between the pristine purity of the building and the unruly lives of those that inhabit as deliberate irony. Perhaps approaching it with the wrong mindset, I saw it only in trivializing its setting. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Tugendhat House in the Czech Republic was to be the architect's last major work in Europe. Built for a wealthy Jewish couple in 1930 on a hillside overlooking the city of Brno, its principal feature is a huge living room, suspended below the rest of the house, surrounded by wall-to-ceiling windows of plate glass, broken only by slim columns of gleaming chrome and a screen of translucent onyx. Something of its power, luxury, and simplicity can be seen in the customer images uploaded to this page. It represents not only a building but also a way of life, surrounded by light, unfettered by history or national trappings, a perfect setting for an enlightened couple of mixed parentage (German, Czech, Jewish) starting a life together in the newly-founded Czech Republic. Simon Mawer does full justice to the qualities of the house itself, and his idea of using the glass building as a symbol for the fragility of hope in the 1930s is brilliant. The story, which begins around 1928, reaches its climax with the outbreak of the Second World War, then passes through the Soviet takeover, through the brief Prague Spring of 1968, to end shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The house changes function, but remains standing in its various guises, and the view of history from its hillside makes fascinating reading. While Simon Mawer admits that his novel was inspired by a real house in a real city, the actual names are fictionalized. As well they might be, for his treatment of his new patrons, Viktor and Liesl Landauer, verges on the scandalous. Hardly have they moved into the new house than their lives are changed by his adultery and her relationship with another woman. By the time they are forced to flee the approaching Nazis, the conflicting passions in that pristine house are not at all what one would want to be glimpsed behind glass walls. But the Landauers are interesting, and the story inevitably loses steam once they leave center stage. Mawer does introduce several vital new characters in the later eras, but relies increasingly on the physical and olfactory details of sex to sustain the interest. The book opens, actually, with Liesl's return to the house in 1968, but Mawer makes nothing of the illusory pathos of that false dawn. When the book finally ends in 1990, it becomes little more than a case of "Whatever happened to old so-and-so?". By this time, I must admit, I was reading along easily and almost automatically. But I also felt that I was slumming, and that triviality -- the one thing that Mies most detested -- had won the day. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #668,045 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #311 in Jewish Historical Fiction #580 in Jewish Literature & Fiction #14,807 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,649 Reviews | ## Images ![The Glass Room: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71d5K98P5cL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Left Me Overwhelmed *by B***Y on April 19, 2013* 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Ironic Icon *by R***E on November 17, 2009* I often read runners-up for the Man Booker Prize for the fun of second-guessing the judges. Simon Mawer's THE GLASS ROOM, which (like AS Byatt's THE CHILDREN'S BOOK ) lost out to Hilary Mantel's WOLF HALL in 2009, is a case in point. As an engrossing tale by an accomplished storyteller (author of THE FALL ), covering a significant swath of modern European history, and set against one of the icons of modernist architecture, it is easy to see why it might attract the attention of the judges. But it is also easy to see why it didn't win; the actual story is over-romanticized, at times even verging on the pornographic. Some may see the contrast between the pristine purity of the building and the unruly lives of those that inhabit as deliberate irony. Perhaps approaching it with the wrong mindset, I saw it only in trivializing its setting. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Tugendhat House in the Czech Republic was to be the architect's last major work in Europe. Built for a wealthy Jewish couple in 1930 on a hillside overlooking the city of Brno, its principal feature is a huge living room, suspended below the rest of the house, surrounded by wall-to-ceiling windows of plate glass, broken only by slim columns of gleaming chrome and a screen of translucent onyx. Something of its power, luxury, and simplicity can be seen in the customer images uploaded to this page. It represents not only a building but also a way of life, surrounded by light, unfettered by history or national trappings, a perfect setting for an enlightened couple of mixed parentage (German, Czech, Jewish) starting a life together in the newly-founded Czech Republic. Simon Mawer does full justice to the qualities of the house itself, and his idea of using the glass building as a symbol for the fragility of hope in the 1930s is brilliant. The story, which begins around 1928, reaches its climax with the outbreak of the Second World War, then passes through the Soviet takeover, through the brief Prague Spring of 1968, to end shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The house changes function, but remains standing in its various guises, and the view of history from its hillside makes fascinating reading. While Simon Mawer admits that his novel was inspired by a real house in a real city, the actual names are fictionalized. As well they might be, for his treatment of his new patrons, Viktor and Liesl Landauer, verges on the scandalous. Hardly have they moved into the new house than their lives are changed by his adultery and her relationship with another woman. By the time they are forced to flee the approaching Nazis, the conflicting passions in that pristine house are not at all what one would want to be glimpsed behind glass walls. But the Landauers are interesting, and the story inevitably loses steam once they leave center stage. Mawer does introduce several vital new characters in the later eras, but relies increasingly on the physical and olfactory details of sex to sustain the interest. The book opens, actually, with Liesl's return to the house in 1968, but Mawer makes nothing of the illusory pathos of that false dawn. When the book finally ends in 1990, it becomes little more than a case of "Whatever happened to old so-and-so?". By this time, I must admit, I was reading along easily and almost automatically. But I also felt that I was slumming, and that triviality -- the one thing that Mies most detested -- had won the day. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved this book and the author! *by S***3 on October 13, 2014* 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! ## Frequently Bought Together - The Glass Room: A Novel - Trapeze: A Novel - Tightrope: A Novel --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/8289805-the-glass-room-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/8289805-the-glass-room-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Oman* *Store origin: OM* *Last updated: 2026-11-06*