Girl with a Pearl Earring

Rating:
Summary: I wanted more than this book gave me.
Review: Having read many of the reviews on this site, I wanted much more than this book actually had to offer. I wanted more art history. I wanted a clearer picture of life in Delft at the time the story was set. But most of all, I wanted more story and more character development. This book just didn't grab me. I love the IDEA of a book describing the events that lead up to a painting I am familiar with, but in my opinion the story simply doesn't live up to the idea. . .

Rating:
Summary: Nice Light Read
Review: This is a story about a fictional girl named Griet and her interactions with the factual Johannes Vermeer. Have you ever looked at a painting or a picture and imagined a whole life for the person or people in the scene? That's pretty much what Tracy Chavalier does with this novel. She brings to life the the girl in one Vermeer's paintings.

The character she creates is a beautiful wide-eyed innocent girl who matures into womanhood under the roof of Johannes Vermeer. This girl becomes his assistant and his artistic muse. Chavalier does a great job in describing the sensuality of Griet. There are scenes in the novel that send chills all through me. Chavalier has the talent of turning a simple touch into the most intense experience imaginable.

My only complaint would be that I felt that there were times where Chavalier should have given us more insight into her characters. By her lack of doing this, I didn't find myself as emotionally invested in some of Griet's story altering events.

Overall, it was a good book. I didn't want to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Sweet 'n' Low for the mind
Review: I picked up this book on request from my godmother, and read it over two or three days. Although not bad, it's not extremely memorable either.

This book imagines the story of the anonymous Girl With A Pearl Earring in Vermeer's famous painting of the same name. In the book, the girl is Griet, a newly hired maid in Vermeer's household. Griet is a well-drawn, sympathetic character whose emotions are clearly defined. Her struggles between Vermeer and Pieter, the butcher's son, as well as her more subsumed longing for a better and higher life, are easy to relate to. However, this book does not delve into the many layers of human emotion within Vermeer. Although probably written in partial to demonstrate his enigmatical existence, it is a bit of a letdown.

Overall, this is a nice, simple book that does not require you to think; it merely requires you to lose yourself in 17th-century Holland for a few days.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of holes, and too much unexplained
Review: I did enjoy this book, and really wanted to give it more than an average rating. It is short and quick, so I was able to keep reading... and waiting... and waiting.

I wasn't just waiting for something to happen (as there is movememt and action in the book) but waiting for the characters to actually develop. They just never seemed to make sense, and nothing they did or said felt 100% "right." They are all wholly unsatisfying. Most have the beginnings of getting some depth to them. Catarina, Cornelia, Pieter, Maertage, and even "the Master" ... but we are given no reason or understanding for their actions. I kept reading because I thought, "okay, maybe she'll turn interesting." But no - it's like eating just a salad for dinner- and waiting for the rest of the meal to arrive.

Rating:
Summary: Lost in Time
Review: This book was recommended for our bookclub, I was intrigued by the title, but once I started reading, I was hooked! The story is well woven and connected, with descriptions and imagery that made the reader feel as though they were actually there! I would be very inclined to buy anything this author writes, on the strength of this book

Rating:
Summary: Great idea, but the story's a bit thin
Review: I read a lot of non-fiction and was looking for something lighter. In that respect, "Girl with a Pearl Earring" delivers. It is an extremely quick read - I read it in short stretches over 2-3 days - and it certainly doesn't require your brain to do any heavy lifting.

While this was sort of what I wanted, I wound up disappointed that I didn't get more out of this book. In the end, the concept - historical fiction inspired by the Vermeer painting - is better than the finished product. Although I liked the idea of telling the story from Griet's point of view, I felt like something was missing. Perhaps this was by design. Maybe the author intentionally held back and chose not to delve deeper into the world she invented. I personally would have preferred more rather than less.

That being said, this is an enjoyable, albeit lightweight, diversion. I agree with other reviewers that "Girl with a Pearl Earring" would fit well in the "Young Adult" section.

Rating:
Summary: Don't understand all the buzz.
Review: I read this novel for a contemporary literature class, and wondered the whole way through how it could generate so much exuberant press.

As a historical novel, it succeeds in waving epochal details and Vermeer trivia under our noses; but the fiction Chevalier blends with her fact is lusterless. The plot is predictable, the tone is flaccid, and the novel suffers from strained, often weak metaphors which occasionally seem reliant on vagueness to stand for artistry of phrase or image. Theodore Roethke called these kinds of phrases "loosely evocative utterances."

In addition, I found the narrator's voice affected at times, particularly in the presentations of her "ignorance" and her utterly soul-less journey to artistic understanding. Her "sexual awakening" also seemed weakly conceived and emotionless.

As a student in a contemporary literature class, I'm going to pretend I read this book as a cultural study on how the marketing and hype that surround a book (literally, there is more text on the front and back covers from reviews than from the book itself) has little to do with its literary merit.

For a novel that was inspired by history, but blends fiction and an amazing use of language, try Margaret Atwood's "Alias Grace."

Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: Slow but interesting book. Takes you back in time. Read in one weekend & that is quite a feat w/2 toddlers running around!!!

Rating:
Summary: Words like Brush Strokes
Review: Tracy Chevalier does a beautiful job bringing the main character to life, to such an extent that by the end of the book, you can almost see Griet stepping down out of the painting in full, vibrant, three dimensionality. While telling a rich and detailed story, Chevalier weaves in complex social issues that create a commen thread between Griet and today's women. Just like the time-intensive oil portraits which are painstakingly created layer by layer, Chevalier has created, word by word, a sensitive and touching picture of a girl with heart, morals, and determination. Don't pick this book up if you crave action packed excitement. But if you want to immerse your senses in a world long-past, Chavalier will captivate you.

Rating:
Summary: Light ~informative read
Review: I enjoyed this book and it's easy style. It put me in touch with the world of Vermeer and the times and trials of living in his day. It is the story of a maid hired by the family for the purpose of cleaning the artist's studio. She is already an artist in her head because of family ties. It clearly shows the place of women in that society and the limits they were bound by. Enjoy!