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Tracy Chevalier Books in Order

The complete guide to Tracy Chevalier's books, including her bestselling historical fiction, reading order, and where to start.

Last updated: December 18, 2025

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19 books

The Glassmaker

by Tracy Chevalier

2024

Orsola Rosso, a woman born into a glassmaking family on the island of Murano in 1486, defies convention by learning to make glass beads. The novel skips through time, following her ageless life from the Renaissance to the present day.

A Single Thread

by Tracy Chevalier

2019

In 1932, Violet Speedwell, a "surplus woman" grieving her losses from the Great War, seeks independence in Winchester. She joins a group of broderers embroidering kneelers for the cathedral, finding purpose and community in the intricate work.

The Sleep Quilt

by Tracy Chevalier

2017

A book documenting a unique needlework project commissioned by Chevalier and stitched by prisoners in British jails. It features essays and photos exploring the significance of sleep and creativity within the prison system.

New Boy

by Tracy Chevalier

2017

A retelling of Shakespeare's *Othello* set on a Washington, D.C. school playground in the 1970s. When Osei, a diplomat's son and the school's only black student, befriends the popular Dee, a jealous bully orchestrates a playground tragedy.

Reader, I Married Him

by Tracy Chevalier

2016

An anthology of short stories edited by Chevalier to mark the bicentenary of Charlotte Brontë's birth. Each story in the collection is inspired by the famous line from *Jane Eyre*, written by some of the best contemporary female authors.

Dorset Gap

by Tracy Chevalier

2016

A short story originally published in the anthology *Reader, I Married Him*. It follows two students walking through the English countryside whose relationship is tested by a misunderstanding involving *Jane Eyre*.

At the Edge of the Orchard

by Tracy Chevalier

2016

In the swamps of Ohio, the Goodenough family struggles to grow an apple orchard, torn between the father's love for sweet eating apples and the mother's need for hard cider. Years later, their son Robert drifts west to California, seeking escape among the giant redwoods.

The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War

by Tracy Chevalier

2014

An anthology of short stories by various authors, each inspired by a different object from World War I. Chevalier contributes a story to this collection, helping to bring the history of the conflict to life for younger readers.

The Last Runaway

by Tracy Chevalier

2013

Honor Bright, a sheltered English Quaker, emigrates to Ohio in 1850 and finds herself overwhelmed by the harsh frontier. When she gets involved with the Underground Railroad, she must decide whether to follow the law or her conscience.

Remarkable Creatures

by Tracy Chevalier

2009

On the beaches of Lyme Regis, Mary Anning discovers strange fossils that shake the scientific world. Despite the class and gender barriers of 19th-century England, she forms an unlikely but powerful friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, a spinster with her own passion for the natural world.

Burning Bright

by Tracy Chevalier

2007

The Kellaway family moves from rural Dorset to the bustle of 1792 London, settling next door to the radical poet William Blake. Young Jem Kellaway and his streetwise neighbor Maggie navigate the city's dangers while witnessing the poet's unique and often misunderstood genius.

The Lady and the Unicorn

by Tracy Chevalier

2003

In late 15th-century Paris, a nobleman commissions a set of six lavish tapestries. The project brings together a charismatic artist and a family of weavers in Brussels, tangling them in a web of desire, pride, and artistic creation.

Falling Angels

by Tracy Chevalier

2001

Two families, the Waterhouses and the Colemans, meet in a London cemetery in 1901 while visiting their plots. As their daughters become friends, the families navigate the changing social tides of the new century, from the suffocating Victorian mournfulness to the rise of the suffragette movement.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

by Tracy Chevalier

2000

In 17th-century Delft, sixteen-year-old Griet enters the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer as a maid. As she cleans his studio, she becomes quietly entangled in his world of art and light, eventually becoming the subject of his most famous painting.

The Virgin Blue

by Tracy Chevalier

1997

Ella Turner, an American woman moving to France, begins to experience strange dreams associated with the color blue. Her search for answers leads her to Isabelle du Moulin, a woman born four centuries earlier who was tormented for her connection to the Virgin Mary.

Encyclopedia of the Essay

by Tracy Chevalier

1997

A massive reference volume edited by Chevalier that explores the history and development of the essay form. It covers major essayists, specific works, and the evolution of the genre across different cultures.

Contemporary World Writers Edition 2

by Tracy Chevalier

1993

A reference work edited by Chevalier that profiles established and emerging writers from around the globe. The volume includes critical essays and detailed bibliographies for authors working in English and other languages.

Contemporary Poets

by Tracy Chevalier

1990

A comprehensive reference guide edited by Chevalier during her early career in publishing. It provides biographical and bibliographical information on significant poets of the contemporary era.

Twentieth-Century Children's Writers

by Tracy Chevalier

1989

A reference guide edited by Chevalier that surveys the most important writers of fiction, poetry, and drama for children in the 20th century. It serves as a key resource for librarians, teachers, and scholars of children's literature.

Where should I start?

If you want her most famous bestseller:
Girl with a Pearl Earring

If you are interested in science and history:
Remarkable Creatures

If you prefer an American setting:
The Last RunawayAt the Edge of the Orchard

Author bio

Tracy Chevalier started her life in Washington, D.C., born there in October 1962. Growing up, she had a front-row seat to the art of observation. Her father worked as a photographer for The Washington Post for more than thirty years. Watching him work likely taught her the value of looking closely at the world and noticing the small, telling details that others might miss.

She eventually headed to the Midwest to study English at Oberlin College in Ohio. After graduating, she made a decision that would define the rest of her life. In 1984, she moved to London.

The plan wasn't to stay forever. She thought she would be there for a short time, perhaps just for an adventure, before returning to the United States. But she never really left. She eventually put down roots so deep that she became a dual citizen, holding passports for both the United States and the United Kingdom.

In her early years in London, Chevalier worked with words, but not yet as a novelist. She was a reference book editor. She has described this job as a crucial training ground. It taught her two vital skills: how to research effectively and how to fix other people's sentences.

Eventually, however, she decided she was done fixing other people's work. She wanted to fix her own sentences instead.

In 1993, she enrolled in the creative writing MA program at the University of East Anglia. There, she studied under celebrated novelists like Malcolm Bradbury. It was during this course that she began writing what would become her first published novel, The Virgin Blue.

Her career changed forever with the publication of her second book. Finding inspiration in a famous painting by Vermeer, she wrote Girl with a Pearl Earring. The novel became an international bestseller and a genuine cultural phenomenon. It was later adapted into a major film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth.

The massive success of that book allowed her to leave her editing job. She was able to become a full-time writer, which established her reputation for immersive historical fiction.

Chevalier often focuses her lens on the edges of history. She tends to avoid the kings, queens, and generals who usually dominate the history books. Instead, she gives a voice to the silenced or marginalized women who lived through major historical moments but were rarely heard from.

She is also known for a very specific, hands-on style of research. She doesn't just read about the past; she tries to live it. She believes in learning the actual skills her characters practice to understand their daily lives better.

For example, she learned to quilt while writing The Last Runaway. She went fossil hunting to prepare for Remarkable Creatures. She even tried her hand at making glass beads for The Glassmaker. This practical experience adds a layer of realistic texture to her writing, whether she is describing the fossil-strewn beaches of 19th-century Lyme Regis or the apple orchards of the American frontier.

Tracy Chevalier currently lives in London with her husband and son.

She remains deeply involved in the literary world. In addition to writing her novels, she has edited anthologies and worked on projects with major cultural institutions, including the British Library and the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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All 19 Tracy Chevalier Books in Order (Complete List 2026)