New Novel Sheds Light on the Forgotten Women of Tudor England
‘The reader will discover familiar themes of love, loyalty, loss, family and hope in an immersive world which will cause the reader to re-examine their own relationships and world.’
Rev Jason Powell, Greater Manchester
In an age dominated by kings, courtiers and conquest, Woman of Glass turns the spotlight on a young woman whose art and courage defied the expectations of her time. Set amid the turmoil of Henry VIII’s England, Rosa Faceby, a talented window maker’s daughter, finds her craft, conscience and loyalties severely tested by personal loss and the religious tumult of his reign.
On a journey to the pioneering workshops of Venice, Rosa’s heart and mind are awakened to new possibilities by what she sees, and by the erudite company of a charismatic monk. But when she returns home and tragedy strikes, her family is left facing ruin. Pressured to solve their problems by marriage, Rosa is torn between her duty and the craft that defines her. With Henry’s brutal reforms overshadowing the monastery her family has always served, Rosa will need all her skill to survive in a world ruled by men and simmering with rebellion.
Woman of Glass joins a powerful cultural trend of reclaiming women’s voices long hidden from history. Recent studies show women remain strikingly underrepresented in school history lessons, and our understanding of the roles they could play is often a caricature that denies the agency they possessed.[1]
The third novel in Andrea’s Glass Makers series, this is her first to centre a female protagonist. Commenting on her novel, Andrea says, ‘After writing two other novels about a window-maker in the fourteenth century, I became acutely aware of how much a medieval artisan’s heart and energy was put into the beautification of windows to express the Christian faith. Because of the capricious destruction of monasteries, only a very small percentage of these windows remain, and few stories about their makers – especially women.
‘My thoughts became synthesised in the character of Rosa: I wanted to create a woman I could admire for her strength and fortitude – a role model. In the sixteenth century, women, though barred from professions, were important in artisan work. Some guilds, allowed a widow or daughter to legally keep on a business after the death of the husband or father. This would have required a determined woman, and Rosa is one such, especially after discovering a role model herself in St Hilda of Whitby. She then summons even more strength to face the fallout from Henry’s policies, while supporting men who depended on her. I created a woman who I could admire.’
In the midst of motherhood, love and loss, can Rosa keep her family safe? Can Meaux Abbey be saved? And what future can there be for a reform-minded monk and this spirited woman of glass?
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/sep/24/school-history-lessons-minimise-the-role-of-women-report-finds
Woman of Glass by Andrea Sarginson (ISBN: 9781912726950) is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 7th November 2025 from bookshops and online retailers. Fiction, paperback, 304pp, £11.99.