Rating: 
Summary: As a Driven leaf
Review: This is an excellent portrayal of a rabbi in ancient Israel who has a crisis of faith and searches for proof of god in secular studies. It is an easy read. Many of the hero's thoughts can be applied to agnostics today. What made this rabbi's crisis so difficult was that he was one of the most esteemed rabbi's in Israel. Many of the conflicts which occur in this book can be applied to the tensions between today's secular and reformed jews and the orthodox and fundamentalist jews. It sheds some light on the reason fundamentalist jews fear and forbid secular studies among their members. They are afraid that those who study secular subjects will desert the fundamentalist movement. This notion is particularly understandable today because studies in modern secular sciences etc. are likely to defeat even the most sacred traditions among the orthodox such as keeping kosher. Students who study modern science,medicine, and technology are likely to desert the orthodox and fundamentalist movements and so sadly such studies are discouraged in favor of torah study etc. The rabbi in this tale returns to his belief in god but he is shunned because of his exploration. His situation at the end of his quest is one of horrific conflict and anguish. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone of any religion,because it is an engaging and well written story.
Rating: 
Summary: What a long book!
Review: I read Girl in Hyacinth blue and I really did not enjoy it at all. first I thought it would be verey suspensful and very mysterious. but as I got into it more I realized that it was very confusing. it kept switching plots and that was so confusing. I thought that the author could of made it more simple and would have more of a surprising ending. I would reccomend this novel to someone who is a complex reader. but it had a very good plot.
Rating: 
Summary: I'll Definitely Recommend in my Library
Review: I am a reader's advisory librarian and am putting this book on my recommended list right now. This book is a compilation of eight short stories that all come together because of the character's fascination with one painting. Unlike some other reviewers, rather than the issue of "If It's a Vermeer," I truly feel that the heart of this novel comes in understanding that though we are all different, we can each be affected in the same way by art. It's a beautiful message that I feel is especially poignant in this time where we often seem to look for differences more often than similarities in our fellow human beings. This book is an easy read (I read it in one evening) and should appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction as well as art.
Rating:
Summary: A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy Forever
Review: Susan Vreeland has magically grouped a series of short stories and takes the reader from the present day owner of a Vermeer painting back in time to 17th century Amsterdam and the young girl who was the artist's subject. Along the way, the reader is treated to magnificent insights into the effects paintings have on those who view them, the bonds people make with art, and the joy and hope that a painting can give to even the most destitute. The story of Vermeer's rendering of a young girl gazing out the window begins at a posh boys' academy. The current owner, a professor, is considering destroying the work to make amends for his Nazi father's sins. The future of the painting remains in doubt, but its history unfolds in a remarkable series of vignettes. Most notable to me was the story of a young farm wife who, in the midst of trying to survive a great flood, finds the painting with an abandoned baby boy in a boat. An attached note says "Sell the painting. Feed the child." The reader is also treated to other stories including that of a young Jewish girl, a middle-aged man who remembers his first love that he lost, a couple whose marriage dissolves---all these events and more witnessed silently by the young girl in the painting. If you enjoy period pieces and revel in being part of the poignant moments in the lives of people, you will enjoy this remarkable little story.
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: I always love stories that go back in time,especially ones which revolve around a particular object or location.This is a story about a fictional painting which was looted by a nazi soldier during the clearance of the Jews from Holland in WW2.The soldier goes on to lead a decent life in the U.S. after the war,but can never quite absolve himself from his guilt at the theft and all the horrors that surrounded it.The story unfolds like the peeling of an onion--layer by layer until we come to the life of the artist who painted the picture of an innocent young girl.I found it to be a moving book,easy to read and with great descriptions of the details of everyday life.
Rating:
Summary: The Tale of a Painting
Review: This is an excellent and unusual novel which chapter by chapter and layer by layer exposes the history of a fictional Vermeer. Each layer of the story is unique and interesting and keeps the reader guessing as to both the authenticity and origin of the painting as it is passed from owner to owner. The languge of the book is fluid and the concept a refreshing change of pace.
Rating:
Summary: 3.5 stars
Review: I liked the way this book felt in the hand while reading it.
It's printed on fine quality paper, and has a beautiful cover,
which makes it inviting to want to read. I always judge books
by their covers. The quality of the story is often reflected
in the amount of effort the publisher went to to present the
book. The best part of this book was the perspective it gave
on past periods of history, as it traced the provenance of
a purported Vermeer painting. I don't know how accurate the author was but at least the reader can get a sense of being
placed into a world not of one's own immediate surrounding,
which most good fiction does. On the other hand, the sense of
timelessness was stunted by that all-too-common contemporary
politically correct characterization (female writers seem to
find this irresistible) which dictates that all the virtuous
characters be women. Once again, most of the men are
foolish, misguided, or clumsy. I'm glad I read it nevertheless.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely photo album, but...
Review: The novel was a beautiful idea, tracing a fictitious painting back in time. Unfortunately, the execution was not as lovely. Though each chapter is a beautiful snapshot (the farm family in the flood and the youth losing his "witch" love were especially moving) the passage between chapters was choppy and not nearly as elegant as each chapter itself. It was difficult to keep pace as the novel moves so abruptly through time. Where did the slave-traders' wife get the painting? How did it come into the hands of the older farming couple? These and many questions come up but are not answered. The novel is a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts.
Rating:
Summary: worth a look
Review: What is the role of art in life? To anyone who loves Vermeer and can identify with the magic of his paintings, this book will touch a chord. but, even if you don't know Vermeer, the book is touching in how it focuses on how art, a single painting can transform even an "ordinary" person's life. I saw the Vermeer exhibit in Washington, D.C. a few years ago and I came away tremendously moved by his ability to capture a single, private moment on canvas and let the viewer share in that moment. I can see how some might be bored or impatient with this book. The stories are uneven, I probably would have given it 3.5 stars. It is a quiet book. It raises some thoughtful, important issues.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, Lyrical Journey to the Center of Creation
Review: I had read Tracy Chevalier's GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, which I absolutely loved, so it was with trepidation that I began to read GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE - I was worried it wouldn't be as good. Shame on me. The two books are extraordinary in their own right, and deserve not to compared. GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE is a marvelous reverse pentimento of a little known Vermeer painting - starting with a completed work of art, and tracing its byzantine provenance back to the moment of its creation. The interweaving threads of human tragedy and joy surrounding the painting make for a rich and emotionally charged tale. I went out and immediately bought a book of Vermeer's paintings after reading this, imagining the utter absorption and family chaos that surrounded his life and work - a life and work that Susan Vreeland brings to glorious life in this lovely, lyrical book. Don't miss it!
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