Meg Pomeroy has dreamt of Florence, Italy, since she was a child. Through her nonna’s eyes, she can see the sunlight glimmering on the ancient city and feel the breath of its artistic legacy. Florence has always felt like home to her. Meg knows the Renaissance masters, the names of the cathedrals and museums, and even some of its current residents. But she has never been there. Her nonna died before the much-anticipated trip to Florence could become a reality, and though her father promised to take her, the trip remained nothing more than a fantasy. Even after growing up and becoming a travel book editor, Meg still has her hand outstretched toward Florence, the dream that is always just beyond her reach. This is the place that might heal the wounds of her parents’ divorce and give her the elusive sense of belonging for which she aches.

"THE GIRL IN THE GLASS is more than a novel --- it is a soul-searching journey for the reader as much as it is for Meg.... Read this book, share it, give it as a gift. It will lovingly linger in your heart for years to come."

Thirty-year-old Meg is house-sitting for a friend who’s off on a three-year sailing adventure, and finally healing from the pain of hurting the man she was supposed to marry. Her life is going well, but everything about it lacks permanency. Nothing feels like home, except talking with Lorenzo, the male half of the brother-sister team who combine their writing and photography skills to co-author travel books. But Lorenzo is in Florence, and seeing each other on Skype is as close as they get. Meg knows she is perfectly capable of visiting Florence on her own. After all, Lorenzo and his sister, Renata, would happily show her the city, and she’s traveled abroad without having any connections at all. But Florence is different --- an unfulfilled promise made by her father 18 years ago to console her when Nonna died.

When her father stops by for a brief visit, he leaves Meg with an unsettled feeling that something is wrong. But the “something wrong” takes a backseat to his declaration that he’s taking her to Florence very soon. Days later, when a messenger delivers an envelope with a plane ticket for that night, along with a credit card, Meg is shocked, but packs her bags and arrives in Florence the next day. Another surprise: her father is not there. And the icing on the cake: his second wife doesn’t know where he is either; only that he disappeared with most of her money.

Lorenzo and Renata are not in their apartment when Meg arrives, but there’s someone else --- someone Meg knows only through the beautiful pages of her mysterious memoir. Sofia Borelli, Lorenzo’s neighbor, claims to be a Medici descendent and believes she hears the whispers of Nora Orsini, a long-dead Medici princess who communicates with her through the unsurpassed artwork of the great Renaissance masters. When Sofia invites Meg to stay with her, she swipes the first brushstroke in a painting that will blend the intricate colors of all three women, but it will take God’s hand to artfully form those colors into a living masterpiece.    

THE GIRL IN THE GLASS is more than a novel --- it is a soul-searching journey for the reader as much as it is for Meg. Author Susan Meissner breathes life into the timeless splendor of Florence and its exquisite sculptures, paintings, cathedrals and museums. But beautifully crafted imagery and real-life characters are just part of what makes this novel stand out in the written world. She captures the spirit of Italy and her readers’ hearts with a story of love, heartache and the power in each of us to shape our future, despite anything that’s happened in the past. Read this book, share it, give it as a gift. It will lovingly linger in your heart for years to come.