Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and worth while reading
Review: I read this book in 2 days and really had a hard time putting it down. I found the character of Griet interesting. It was a nice insight to the life in Holland in the 1660's. Vermeer was a talented artist and this story takes a look of the possibility behind the identity of the girl in the portrait. However, I did wish more time was actually spent with the artist than in the laundry room. The pregnant wife of Vermeer was nasty and if she was truly like that, I wonder if he would have gotten her pregnant so often. (They had 11 children.) She didn't seem to understand her own husband and the pairing was unbelievable, especially when the story indicated at the underlying attraction between the maid Griet and the artist. It will be interesting to see this book turned into a movie with Colin Firth as Johannes Vermeer. I just hope they give him more screentime than the book indicated.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but no masterpiece
Review: I read this book in two days. While it was appealing to me as a person interested in art and gave me a renewed appreciation of Vermeer, it has little more to offer than that. The writing is cut and dry and the characters are just generic, paper-doll types (the humble maid, her witch of a mistress, the more understanding elderly lady). Chevalier seems afraid to develop too much the character of Jan Vermeer lest her description strays too far from historical accuracy. This is a bland novel with an anticlimatic, yet realistic, ending.
Rating:
Summary: Surpasses the beauty of the painting it was based upon
Review: This book has been popular for years and after seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie, I decided I had to read this book. And I'm glad I did. The story is not a complicated one nor a lengthy one that drags on and on. Instead it is a story of one girl, Griet, who simply works at a maid at the Vermeer house in Delft, and turns the household upside down.
The daughter of a now blind tilemaker, Griet is to work at the Vermeer's to take in money for the household. Every Sunday she may come home. But no one expects the damage that Griet will bring to the Vermeers. Because of her the house is divided. Because of her they are forced to constantly take care of her, A MAID, because of lust-hungry men. Because of her they have to put her before their more skilled maid and keep her secrets safe. And because of her Vermeer painted his most famous peice that entrances people today.
The book, as a whole, was very good. All of the characters came to life. Even each of the many Vermeer children had their characteristics from the mischevious and cruel Cornelia to the more sympathetic and sweet Maertge. Catharina was the huffy wife, always pregnant and always in a bad mood when Griet was around. Maria Thins had two sides to her. At one time she too was cruel and unjust but after she is to keep the secret that Griet is helping Vermeer in his studio with his paintings and mixing his paints, she realizes Griet may be an asset to the household and turns into a more sweet woman. Outside of the Vermeer house there was Griet's family: her mother, father, sister and brother. Her sister was a likeable character, that is until she died of the plague. Her brother on the other hand just seemed like a whiny teenager, overworked and doing things he should not be doing with girls. And then there was Griet's suitor: Pieter (the son), who worked along his father, Pieter (the butcher). I didn't really like either of them. Pieter (the son) would never leave Griet alone and constantly tried to take control of her. He wouldn't let her go and wouldn't stop chasing her. And it wasn't just that but his attitude just wasn't nice at all. His father was similiar, trying to push Griet into marriage with his son.
The story was very well-written. The descriptions of everything from the Meat Hall to even Griet's descriptions of mixing the paints all brought beauty to the story. The dialogue was good and nothing ever dragged on.
But many stories have sad endings. I didn't expect the ending to turn out the way it did but in the last few pages I liked it afterall.
I recommend this book for all. A delightful read.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This historical and fictional book is about a 16 years old Griet who has to face the reality to work for the painter, Vermeer, as a maid after her father turns blind and loses his job as a tile maker. More sorrows and hardships come to Griet as a wind does suddenly without a warning in her family life. The place is set in Holland during the 17th century. While working as a maid and cleaning her master's studio, she becomes more closer and interested in his paintings. She even helps him in making colors and changing some parts of the painting to make it look better. Then, she is faced with Vermeer's wife, Catherina, her children, her mother, and another maid named Tanneke. Catherina is jealous of Griet, and does not act so kindly, but coldly towards her. Vermeer paints Griet with Catherina's pearl earrings, which brings more feelings of hatred that Catherina has about Griet. This book is historical since the painting of Vermeer's work on the cover was actually there. Girl with a Pearl Earring drew me in because of its' speical plot that not a lot of books had. If you want to find more about what happened, you better read it now!!!! It was a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Would she be the same without the pearl?
Review: I am not going to pretend to be an art historian here but in terms of literature and how Chevalier portrayed Griet's emotions, this book is an absolute success. It chronicles the tentative but crackling painter-model 'relationship' between Griet and her master, Griet's relationship with her family and an in-depth view of Griet's emotions laid bare. Positive points: The way Chevalier communicates Griet's thoughts into convincing language makes the book worthwhile, even if it might seem hard to get into. The intense description might seem off-putting but is brilliant in allowing the reader to feel part of 17th century Delft in the Netherlands. Griet's character is a shy and enduring one. I felt my emotions run for her as she developed her love for Vermeer. Negative points: While the relationship between Griet and Vermeer is developed, us hopeless romantics will be disappointed because they connect on an emotional and mental level, not on a physical one. This is the only slight niggle I had. I hope the film lives up to the book
Rating: 
Summary: Girl with a Pearl Earring--Absolutely Disappointing!
Review: First of all, Tracy Chevalier is not a well-konwn artist, if you were to ask anyone about her; but, to argue, the authors I like are not very wel--known themselves, but their writing is self-explanatory in a splash of craft. Tracy Chevalier, however, may not be an author herself, for an author needs craft, and seeing where I am getting to, she has neither craft, wit, or the excellence she may use for that "big break" for herself to be known. The book, is, in fact, as if it were, an empty well, nad if it is filled shall be filled with plague and sleep. The book has no originality, and tired words wherever one turns about. If there ARE outstanding words--a quite few of them ,there are--they are used in the next sentence, making them as regular as clock-work. As for the story, it has no style, lacking as muich characteristics as the author, word-usage, and craft themselves. In conclusion, to which where I must have gotten to had my explanation not been lengthy, this book is very dull, without a bit of common sense, not a trace of excitement in both words and story, missing a completley taking plot, and most of all: lacking self-confidence and excellency.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and completely entertaining
Review: I read this book in one day, which is saying a lot since I am a grad student in the middle of finals. It is a quick read, written at a reading level middle schoolers could understand, but somehow manages to still be grown up. Chevalier was very successful at evoking the Netherlands of the 17th century, I could picture myself surrounded by the canals and markets. The characters in the book were also convincing, if rather flat at times. This book is highly recommended to someone looking for a light and 100 percent enjoyable read, maybe on an airline flight.
Rating:
Summary: high school fiction
Review: I was embarrassed on behalf of Vermeer while reading this book. Definitely aimed at high-school level readers, who may be interested in the pseudo romance and "artist as a flawed regular man" approach. Chevalier's first novel, recently published, suffers from the same sophomoric skill level and just plain goofy storyline.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Concept; Women will "get it" faster than men.
Review: Lanie Schalbe has written an excellent review of Girl with The Pearl Earring. Read that review for a well-considered overview of the book. I would like to add a few points to her review: first, I found the main character, Griet, well developed and likeable. I didn't have any problem "getting into her skin" and seeing things as she did. However, I was amused at the way in which she kept her pursuer Pieter at arms length so long. I think that was a little unbelieveable. In real life, she most likely would have jumped at the chance to become his wife, even with his stained fingernails. It was a matter of eating well and caring for her stricken family. Peripheral characters were not as well-drawn, particularly Griet's brother and sister. When they left, I couldn't sense the pain she must have felt. When I was in The Netherlands, I was enchanted by the architecture and the canals. The architecture of the place captivated me. I wanted more of this backdrop for the scenes of this book, from the perspective of the author's art appreciation background. And street markets are lively and noxious at once. Scenes that occurred in the street market of Delft were fairly sterile in the narrative. But those are minor considerations when stacked against the positive attributes of this book. Although I was familiar with some of the works by Vermeer, I knew little about the man, his time, nor of what it took to create even the colors of his painting (or of all paintings of this era). Just that was well worth spending time with this book. Previously, because of the typical subjects of Vermeer paintings, I did not rank him very high on my list of favorites. The author deftly brings a new appreciation of his art. The life of a maid of the times was thorough and very interesting. The vivid descriptions of family life, and a maid's lot within the family, were the very foundation of the book. The most sublime parts of the book, however, were Griet's coming to understand the genius of the man, and to even subtly assist him in coming to see what she knew he would eventually realize about his own works in progress. I say sublime because the author combines an intelligent young girl with her daily duties of placing and re-placing his settings after cleaning them, along with her history of long talks with her artist father. For me, this is the very essence of the book and explains her attraction to him, as intelligence is attracted to genius. And it, combined with the conventions of 1600's Netherlands, explains and makes acceptable so much of the author's beliefs about her subjects. This is a very good read. Although some have called it a fast read, I believe it called for some relevant thinking about what exactly was happening to Griet, as the author wisely did not spoon-feed the reader her conclusions, but let us discover them on our own.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant.
Review: Tracy Chevalier weaves a terrific fictional story based on the real painting by the real painter, Johannes Vermeer. All 35 of Vermeer's paintings are transcendent and evocative, but the work upon which this book is based is by far his masterpiece. Chevalier's story follows the young maid, Griet, who works for the Vermeer family and is drawn into the reclusive painter's studio. The story is subtle and sweet and heartbreaking and honest. Chevalier's writing is a brilliant example of how a writer can balance a heady story with a rich setting, never sacrificing her story to overindulge herself in her gift for description - and she truly has a gift. The book is like literary chocolate, easy to devour and fondly remembered. If you haven't read it, I heartily recommend it; it's the perfect by-the-fireside book for winter.
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