Rating: 
Summary: A good book?
Review: I've finished, not being able to put this down. Does that make it a good book? Somehow, there wasn't enough there to make me appreciate Griet, the female lead, as a person. Her outlook struck me as arificial, her decision formalised, like a 'Candide' character, always out to comment, illustrate, educate. It's the narrative voice that annoys me. It's meant to be that of a 16 year old girl in Vermeer's Holland, and, even accounting for having to grow up early in those times, her thinking and tone is too much that of a shrewd, middle aged woman, and it grates on me. It reads like one of those historical 'young adult' novels which try to educate without anybody noticing. I'm enjoying it, though, in a kind of this-may-grate-but-I-don't-want-to-stop-reading-it kind of way. The ending was a disappointment to me, even though it's had its rationale in Griet's previous decisions. I expected more, something less abrupt, some growth into an unusual direction, rather than doing 'the expected'. I wanted to be surprised, pleasantly or unpleasantly, and the conclusion of the story didn't do that. What saved the novel for me were Vermeer's paintings, the beautiful conjecture on their conception, the artists eye through which Chevalier looks at the past.
Rating: 
Summary: A story that sounds so close to true...
Review: ...that you really believe thise eyes on the painting are Griet's eyes, that coy smile is Griet's smile, her shyness, her passion.
First of all, I didn't really know about this book until I saw a movie advertisment, but when I saw that, I knew I HAD to read this. After fighting to find it for weeks, I got my hands on a copy and read it cover to cover in one day. It's an amazing book, is all I can say.
Griet is a 16 year old girl sent into serving from her poor family. She finds herself at the household of the painter Vermeer, and she finds that she's cause of trouble for some reason. (The most trouble we've ever had with a maid, Martha Thins always said.) Griet is a tactful, seemingly shy girl with a quick mind and a quick tongue except around her master, the painter Vermeer. She reverts to the mindset of a shy girl when he sees her, and she never really feels comfortable around him due to her growing attraction to him. Though she denies it, people begin to see the way she looks at him, and it only causes more trouble...and I won't tell any more. ;)
Pros: A beautifully woven storyline. It's very believable, and the characters are complex and well developed.
Cons: The use of pronouns. Sometimes you can't tell who Griet is thinking about because she uses pronouns so much, but that's how humans think, so...
Analysis: Oh, it's worth buying! Don't hesistate!
Rating: 
Summary: PERFECT!!
Review: This is my favorite book of all time! It just doesn't get any better. It has a great storyline and is very well written. It's very easy to read. I could read it over and over. I highly recommend it. I will forever be a Tracy Chevalier fan and so will you.
Rating:
Summary: Writes like a painter
Review: If you liked the movie, you'll love the book. Tracy Chevalier writes like a painter. She's able to create visual moments on the page that hang there and collect together with the inertia of the story, compelling the reader to become part of the world she's creating.
In her imagined backstory to one of the world's most famous paintings, Chevalier takes what might otherwise be a run-of-the-mill bodice-ripper plot and elevates it with a poet's eye for image and understanding of motive into something quite unique and beautiful.
Chevalier is a very talented writer who has produced a tender and intricate tale illuminating the wonder and danger inherent in immersing one's self in the worlds of love and art.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic story of historical fiction
Review: This book was a fantastic read, I did not want to put it down and wished that it would not end. The author takes a subject, the painting for which the book is named, that is surrounded in mystery and creates a story in which it can rest. The painting of the girl is one of intrigue, a young girl who has no name, place or time is engaging the viewer on a very personal level. Chevalier creates an entirely plausible explanation of the identity of the girl using a wonderful blend of fact and fiction that makes it hard to discern between the two. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those with any interest in art history.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I absolutely LOVED this book! It's been a while since I found a book that kept me up till all hours of the night - but this one did it. I read it over the weekend and then went and saw the movie. The movie does not follow the book very well at all - so I din't like it - but deffinately read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Looking at Johannes Vermeer's painting of the anonymous "Girl With a Pearl Earring", you cannot help but wonder: who was she? Did he know her personally? Why did she sit for him? Was it a portrait for her or someone else? What's the signifigance of the headdress? Is the pearl real? Tracy Chevalier has filled in the voids with her own interpretation of what the situation could have been. GWPE opens with the title girl, who's name is Griet, chopping vegetables in her parent's kitchen. She has sectioned off the veg into a pie chart, carefully seperating the onions and the turnips, even though both are white. Her Mother appears, with Johannes Vermeer and his very pregnant wife in tow. Apparently, Griet is to become their maid (which will bring in money for the family since her Father, a tile maker, was blinded after a kiln accident). When Vermeer sees the calculated method Griet has seperated the colors of her veg, he's intrigued. When he asks her why she seperated the whites, she remarks, "The colors fight when they sit side by side, sir". This short interlude provides the basis of the extraordinary relationship Vermeer and Griet are to have. Upon her arrival to the Vermeer household, Griet is not really welcomed with open arms. Clearly, the wife Catharina is jealous and dislikes her. Catharina's Mother, Maria Thins, is indifferent. Maria's maid Tanneke is defensive and threatened when Griet comes on the scene. The daughters of the house are impassive, except for young Cornelia, who does her best to get Griet fired. And then there is the fact that this section of town is Catholic, whereas Griet and her family are Protestant. But she pushes past these barriers and does a better job than anyone else there. When Maria Thins tells her one of her tasks is to clean Vermeer's studio, she is thrilled. Day after day, she observes objects in the room, their reflection in his paintings, and begins to see things through an artist's eyes. From the moment he met her, Vermeer must have sensed a kindred spirit, because he now begins to ask for her help. Her new tasks included grinding colors for him, running trips to the apothocary for supplies, and looking through the "camera obscura" to give him her opinions. But all this must be done in secret, as Catharina is growing more and more suspicious. Eventually, a wealthy friend named van Ruijven (who is the mainstay of the Vermeer's income)wants Vermeer to paint himself with Griet. He takes every opportunity to grope and assure her that he will eventually get what he wants. This is where Griet's life takes a turn for the worse... This is an intriguing novel, an easy and delightful read. The book itself has no chapters, just curlicue designs to seperate one scene from another. This book was so engaging that I didn't even notice it until 3/4 of the way through. I am now very anxious to see how the movie compares to the novel. Excellent writing- Chevalier has a gift for describing the surroundings so that you feel you can effortlessly see in in your mind.
Rating:
Summary: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Review: Girl with a Peral Earring is one of the most well thought of and creative books I have ever read. Although some of these characters are real people they are caught in Mrs. Chevalier's world. Vermeer is described as a mysterious man. He says little, but the descripition of his fierce and gentle glances and looks are better than a thousand words. I think that Griet, the maid, is the most realistic fictional character in reading. If I had heard any other theory about who the lady in the painting was, I would be convinced it was wrong! A defenite must read!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good read, too much left for an imagination
Review: The book is an easy and pleasant read. However, I gave it only 3 stars because in my view the book lacked the much needed eroticism. Chevalier tried to include "heated" scenes through the use of symbolism but the fact that she never went for a more complex psychological state of mind made all the scenes pale and unsatisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating!
Review: If you like stories about women and their experiences throughout history, you will find "Earring" a fasinating glimpse into the past. I liked the how subtle the relationship was between Vermeer and Griet. I loved the underlying issue of her and her hair, as well as the Protestant/Catholic rift of the time. A great, great story!!!
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