Girl in Hyacinth Blue

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful book, beautiful cover
Review: You *can* judge a book by its cover. Ms. Vreeland skillfully weaves together through time the stories of the various owners of a Vermeer painting. Interestingly, she chooses to start in the present day and work backward. I was inspired to do more reading about and viewing of Vermeer's work after reading this book. I finished it more than a month ago and still think of it often. I was sorry that the stories of the various characters and the story of the painting had to end. The last vignette-about the "girl" of the painting was one of the most poignant, especially when she has grown old. I concur with one of the other reviewers here that it would make a lovely gift for someone you know who loves art and books.

Rating:
Summary: Dismal
Review: While each of the vignettes suggests a possibly interesting story, none really lives up to the promise of the book. I think we all understand by now that morally unappealing people can and do own and enjoy beautiful works of art. I'm just sorry I had sit through Vreeland's novel to be reminded of it--I kept hoping it would finally get better, or there would be something to bring it all together, but there wasn't. Very disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: The most charming book I've read in a long time
Review: I loved the way the author was able to capture the poignant vignettes in the painting's past--but more than that, she is able to describe what the painting *means* to each of these past owners and viewers of the work. The book can really set you to wondering about the histories of some other famous works of art: Did they ever fall into a river? Did an owner add some details on a whim? What moments of history have they been witness to? I found myself turning to the jacket artwork time and again, wishing I could see this painting and share in the extraordinary experience.

Rating:
Summary: Carefully crafted and affecting
Review: I don't like short stories (I read so quickly that by the time I'm really into one, the story is already over), and in fact, I read this book in about half an hour, but I had a strong feeling of wishing it were longer. Each story is carefully crafted and there are a variety of themes that run through all of them and connect them. The author has a really effective way of describing art without it sounding "artsy", so that even non art buffs can imagine why this painting was so meaningful in the lives of the people who owned it.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story and a great sense of timing.
Review: This is the first work by Vreeland I have read, and I enjoyed it immensely. The progression from the present day backward in time is unique and it works well. A very pretty little package, too, making this a natural choice for a small gift. You won't regret buying it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent link between art and literature
Review: I was very impressed by this book. I admired the author's ability to handle multiple time periods with such fluidity. And to express the full range of human emotions and complexities without hystrionics. There was a touch of restraint throughout, a quietness that mirrored the contemplative nature of the painting. And with every story, the painting was described differently so that I never tired of hearing about it, and the painting meant something different to each protagonist. One of the most important aspects of visual arts is to touch the viewer somehow, and the author brought that out beautifully. She also handled major historical events as well as intimate family relationships, the micro to the macro, with such confidence. I feel this was one of the best books I've read.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read this year
Review: I don't normally submit reviews, but I found this book to be good enough to write one. It is actually a series of stories about a "lost" painting by Vermeer. The author's style is such that she varies the tone of each story to match its flavor, which was refreshing. The painting and the lives of those whose hands it passes through are skillfully depicted in her telling. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting story
Review: I found this story to be enchanting and wonderful. One of those books that was hard to put down and I was sad to reach the ending. Searched for Vermeer's paintings to see which one might be the subject of the book. Would recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Accordian Crimes meets Flanders Panel, lite
Review: The writing is sound, the structure is true: eliptical passages backward in time, following a variety of lives that involve a painting of Vermeer's, right to the painter himself and his subject. Its a little book, though, with little ambitions. Could have been much broader, much more intricate, and much more ambitious. Right now its a little novella turned into a marketable commoditity: the short read in a cute package.

Rating:
Summary: The best book that I have read in years......a must-read!!!!
Review: Girl in Hyacinth Blue",eight short stories of a possible Vermeer masterpiece, is a work of art in itself. Vreeland paints with artful, descriptive thoughts, as her palette and brushes. She takes the reader backward through time on an adventure that gives an inner view of the families that have owned "The Painting"and how it's beauty touched there lives. Her detail makes one think that she must have lived through all of these times. She skillfully renders, the artist who,"Painted Her", and his turbulent struggle of balancing his duty with reality as a father and husband........... and as an artist, struggling to focus at the center of his Art. Vreeland touches that vulnerable part of every artist who feels that they are alone in that same struggle. The feeling at the end of the book is ,"Just one more story...."