Rating: 
Summary: Clumsy writing style is no match for Vermeer
Review: I found this novel impossible to finish, mainly because the clumsy, self-conscious style started to grate with me pretty quickly. The narrator is a servant girl; so the author adopts what she thinks is a child-like narrative voice. But this does not stop her indulging in an endless parade of clumsy metaphors. Eyes are 'gray like the sea'; hair 'red like wet brick', her mother's eyes are 'two warnings' (because she has two eyes? Oh dear) - and all this on page 1. The idea, it appears, is that, despite her lack of education, this simple girl is possessed of an artist's eye. But do painters think in endless drab metaphors? I doubt it. Visual art, by definition, is a process that's impossible to evoke in words. And these artless efforts, for me at least, fell woefully short. While there are some carefully researched period details, this doesn't compensate for for an dreary prose style that never feels anything other than late 20th Century.
Rating: 
Summary: okay, but a lot like I, Juan de Pareja
Review: The Girl with a Pearl Earring was an enjoyable read, but as a lover of sophisticated and surprising endings, I thought the book lacked a great conclusion. Up to the resolution, the story was well-written: the characters were vividly described through the eyes of the protagonist, Griet, with clear similes and her private thoughts about them. It was easy to imagine Catharina (Vermeer's wife) with her capricious, selfish ways, strong, level-headed Maria Thins (Catharina's mother) and her business senses, Tanneke ( the other servant)and her fickle-minded mouth, mean-spirited Cornelia and her hatred towards Griet, and Vermeer's quiet, lonely, alienated lifestyle. Almost like an arist herself, Griet leaves no details and events untold in the story, taking the reader through the first encounter with the Vermeers to the harsh life of a maid, and the beginning of a special bond between Griet and Vermeer, always remembering to voice her opinions and thoughts. The ending, though, was lacking, predictably drab, and anticlamatic. It was too realistic and harsh, when in fiction you can idealize and romanticize a bit to make. Still, this is only my opinion. For those down-to-earth, practical people who don't mind some dullness, the Girl with a Pearl Earring will suit you. Also, this novel was a lot like I, Juan de Pareja, which is a story about a slave named Juan working for another big artist, Valezquez. Both books talk about how a painting got to be like it is in the present. Juan, like Griet, narrates the story and uses a lot of details to create intense images, but he later on has a happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: Which "Vermeer book" to read?
Review: Art lovers, and particularly Vermeer lovers, have been so lucky this year to have had two "Vermeer novels" available at the same time! And both of them are wonderful! Some debate has appeared on the Amazon pages for the two books--Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier and Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland--as to which book is "better," a debate likely to continue. Both books are short, both are extremely well written, both involve a hypnotizingly seductive Vermeer painting, and both tell of the influence of the painting on the lives of the main characters. In Girl With A Pearl Earring, author Chevalier focuses her literary microscope on Griet, a maid in the Vermeer household who becomes an assistant to the painter. Griet is a young woman who maintains her integrity despite the turbulence and social pressures to which she is subjected in the household. Life in Delft and in this family during the time of the painting is replete with petty jealousies, economic pressures, class distinctions, religious differences, and political and social uncertainty, and Griet has to navigate her way through this milieu. It is through her character and domestic situation that one comes to know Vermeer and his painting. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, on the other hand, is not a "character novel." Here the author does not zero in on one character or even the painting as an end in itself. Instead, Vreeland takes a broader, more global view, using the history of a hitherto undiscovered Vermeer painting to work backward from the present to the painting's inception in Delft. The "story" here is a careful tracing of themes--the relationship between personal love and responsibility to mankind in general, the role of art in the lives of ordinary people, and what constitutes lasting value both in art and in human interactions. In seven or eight chapters we see how the painting has affected the lives of its various owners. Ultimately, comparing these beautifully wrought novels is like comparing pearl earrings to hyacinths. Both are gorgeous; each is unique.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book, slowly paced, but purposely so...
Review: Don't expect smash up action, betrayal or political intrigue. This book is as placid as a beautiful lake on a sunny day. It helps immensely that you have some knowledge going in about Vermeer's paintings. Without it, you may be going in half-blind. Otherwise, for those of us who have always been fans of this Dutch master, the mysterious one who has so very few paintings to his credit, this book makes the painting come alive in a way that makes sense. I loved this book and recommend it highly if you're looking for a "break" from the horrors of a busy work day.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice weekend read
Review: Once started, Girl With a Pearl Earring is difficult to put down. There are no quirky characters or exciting plot twists, yet you are drawn into Griet's world, and want to know what becomes of her. The book can be easily read in a weekend, and is perfect for a short "escape". While there was little about the book to ponder after putting it aside, it is a wonderful book for anyone curious about art or history.
Rating: 
Summary: Who said you can't tell a book by it's cover?
Review: The story is beautiful, narration poignant, plot moving, characters memorable, style artistic, imagery quiet & nostalgic... This little novel is a masterpiece, just like Vermeer's actual painting of the girl with an earring. Chevalier deftly mingles history and fiction to produce something exquisitely charming. I couldn't help but constantly glance at the painting of "Griet" on the jacket as I devoured the book. This is a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: this book put me off
Review: Our heroine attracts, "the master's" attention by her superior ability to clean his studio. Fifty pages later she summons enough nerve to criticize his artwork by rearranging a cloth. This is one of those books you keep reading because you think that sooner or later something's gonna happen. It never does.
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Summary: Enchanting novel about the Dutch Mona Lisa.
Review: "Girl with a Pearl Earring," by Tracy Chevalier, is a story set in Delft, Holland in the 17th Century. A lovely sixteen-year-old named Griet, whose family has suffered financial setbacks, is sent to be a maidservant in the home of the great Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Griet finds herself drawn to the world of Vermeer--a world of light, color, beauty and perfect composition. Griet shows an aptitude for understanding art and she gradually begins to assist Vermeer in his painting. Griet's involvement in Vermeer's art sets the stage for family conflict. (The title of the novel comes from a Vermeer painting that is known as the Dutch Mona Lisa because of the enigmatic young woman in the portrait.) This novel is a small gem and it is an immensely satisfying work of fiction. Chevalier perfectly captures the life of 17th Century Delft, with its sharp religious and class distinctions, and her nuanced dialogue and descriptive passages are beautifully textured. In fact, "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is like a Vermeer portrait. It is expressive, subtle and meaningful. I highly recommend this book for people who are fascinated by art and who enjoy historical fiction.
Rating:
Summary: I read this in one sitting...
Review: I was on the train from Montana to Illinois, but I just couldn't put down this charming book. It was a wonderful story, wonderfully told from the perspective of the young subject of a Vermeer painting. I had to read this after visiting Amsterdam last year and falling in love, more than any other artist, with Johannes Vermeer. This fictional account of the painting brought me back to Holland, and back in time. I look forward to more books by this talented writer!
Rating:
Summary: Evocative, sensual, I could almost smell the linseed oil
Review: I (literally) did not set this book down once I opened the cover. The mystery of Vermeer, the strangeness of his household, Griet -- capped and uncapped -- I could hardly wait to know what would happen next. One of the most engaging, memorable books I've read in a very long time.
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