Girl With a Pearl Earring

Rating:
Summary: Missed the mark.
Review: I loved the historical aspects of the book, and the descriptions of everyday
life. The characters were well fleshed out. However, I felt they were passionless, lacking in wit, kindness, and character. No one in the book has a sense of humor, most of the characters are surly, and they all tip toe around each others' emotions. Also, I did not care for the sexist treatment of the main character, and her acceptance of this as what she deserved. In all, the book left me as warm as a Dutch sky in January.

Rating:
Summary: Another of the best!
Review: This book was one I really enjoyed. It is historical fiction set in 16th century Holland. The main character is sent by her family to work for the Vermeer Household as a maid, because her father can no longer work. Vermeer (whom by the way was a real artist) hires her to clean his studio without moving anything from its proper place. I had a wonderful experience in my art History class, and really enjoyed learning more about how things truly were, even though this book is partially fictional. It tells of Greit's life story and has a truly wonderful ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys art, or just a good read; however, some parts were a bit risque. But that did not affect the reading at all. This was truly a wonderful book. I hope my review has helped you!

Rating:
Summary: A visit to 17th c. Netherlands
Review: If you were ever curious to find out how people lived in the Netherlands of the 17th century, this book will be a great introduction. Tracy Chevalier's detailed description of common folk of that time is superb! And it did feel as if we were entering into the scenes depicted by Vermeer or his Delft colleagues Pieter de Hooch, Gerard Ter Borch, Gabriel Metsu. Despite the narrow focus of the narrative, Chevalier was able to keep me involved with greater and greater interest to the end. Here, the ordinary worries of a young woman, who finds herself pushed down in the rigid social scale, moving from an artesan's class to the servant class, are described with sympathy. The tone, to Chevalier's benefit, is unjudgmental and adds to the sense of a true portrait of the era. Definitely a great read, charming in all aspects; a jewel, worth re-reading!

Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: A nice read. Short, simple story and yet one that will likely almost haunt you a bit after you have read it.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: It is not a coincidence that I read this touching novel while abroad in Holland. I felt it would've added much to the story, being in the country of it's setting. And so it did! I couldn't put the book down as much I tried. (So much for sleep!) The story revolves around 14-year-old Griet, the daughter of a tile maker in 17th century Holland. When her father is blinded and no longer able to care for his family's needs, Griet must find work to support the family. She obtains employment as a servant in the Vermeer household, with the famous Dutch artist Johanne Vermeer as her employer. The story is beautifully written, as seen through Griet's eyes - the complex family she is thrust into the midst of, the society of the small town of Delft, and life with an obsessive artistic genius. Griet loves being drawn into Vermeer's abstract life and ultimately becomes one of his models - as the "girl with a pearl earring." A fascinating novel that I would highly recommend to history-related fiction buffs, or anyone who is just plain interested in a personal and touching tale.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but a slow start...
Review: I found this book to be hard to get into at first, I'm not sure why. However, after, I felt the author really took us into the life of Griet, who goes to be a maid in the artist Vermeer's household, and what life was like in 1660s Holland. We see Griet grow from a wide-eyed innocent into a woman who learns who handle Vermeer's wife, his children (including one who is always out to get her), his mother-in-law, and the other maid in the house, along with attention from men! I found the descriptions of the paintings by Griet, someone who was not supposed to be used to viewing such fine pieces of art, to be extremely pleasing.

Rating:
Summary: As lovely as the painting
Review: I loved this book. It intertwines art and relationships. I enjoyed the story of the young girl and how she was enamored with the great VerMeer. It explained how some of the paints were made and how important every aspect of a room is to the mood being set in a painting. I thought it was written as the picture looks - simple yet as you look closer, very intricate. Very enjoyable to read.

Rating:
Summary: Girl With A Pearl Earring
Review: Her gaze is mysterious. Many have wondered where the painting of the Girl With A Pearl Earring came from. What's the history behind it? Why did Vermeer paint a painting that was so atypical for him? Tracy Chevalier paints a picture of what her imagination sees when she looks at this mysterious girl of almost 4 and one half centuries ago.
Griet is a poor girl in the town of Delft in the Netherlands. Her father was an expert ceramic tile painter until his sight was taken by a horrible explosion. Now, to help support her family, Griet was sent to be a maid for the Vermeers. Griet is forced into the real world. She has to deal with a mistress that is somewhat less than desirable and a child of the mistress that seems out to get her at every corner.

Rating:
Summary: Maids Dont Wear Pearls
Review: In The Girl With the Pearl Earring, the author uses a unique style to engage the reader. Tracy Chevalier's descriptive passages bring to life the small town of Delft in the 1600s. Griet, a new maid at the Vermeer's household paints a picture of the daily activities with an inside view into the life and times of the painter Vermeer. The relationships that Griet has to those around her show the character of a poor family trying to make ends meet, and the importance of ones station in life. Griet must choose between listening to her heart or to her duty as a daughter and a maid.
Griet grew up in a small family where her father was a tile painter, until an accident in the factory took away his sight. Because of his inability to support his family, Griet must go and make money so her family can survive. She leaves the protestant section of town she has always known, and goes to work and live in the catholic part of the town.
The Painter Vermeer's family is growing and they need someone to help with the household duties. His wife, Catharina, is constantly pregnant, and very difficult for Griet to handle. One of the daughters, Cornelia, is always stirring up trouble "When [Cornelia] appeared between the hanging clothes and looked down at me with a cruel smirk on her face, I wanted to slap her as I had that first day I had come to work at the house" (Chevalier 212). She tries her hardest to get Griet in trouble, so Catharina is always watching her with a suspicious eye. Griet must tread carefully so as not to anger anyone.
Vermeer is a quiet man, who has to deal with his families increasing size and the debt that comes with it. For his family, it seems that he cannot paint fast enough. He needs to finish paintings quickly to make money. For himself, he cannot paint faster and still be satisfied with his handiwork. He takes his time, to the disappointment of his wife. Vermeer spends all of his time in his studio, creating his own world, and few are privileged enough to share in it. Griet would have to try hard not to get caught up in his distorted world of paintings.
Along with the new life as a maid, Griet must deal with growing older, and the expectations that come with adulthood. The increasing interest that is shown by Pieter the butcher's son, and how she should react to him as well as his advances. She knows the advantages marriage would have to her family- it would mean that they always had meat on the table. Since they don't make very much money, they have been eating poorly, and if she married the butcher's son, this wouldn't be a problem.
There are many parts in the story when Griet goes to the center of the town square and stands on an eight-pointed star in the center of the square. Standing on this star, looking in all the directions it points her, Griet makes some very important choices, she must choose between security in marriage, and the uncertain life as a maid, where she could be cast out on a whim. She misses her family, and could go back to them, or she could choose a completely different option. As she stands in the middle of the square, she makes her decision; "When I made my choice, the choice I knew I had to make, I set my feet carefully along the edge of the point and went the way it told me, walking steadily" (Chevalier 216).

Rating:
Summary: Ten times better than reading a text book
Review: Historical fiction is at its best in Tracy Chevalier's novel Girl with a Pearl Earring. Although, the title itself does not disclose much in regards to the complexity of the plot; within the first fifteen pages of the book it is clear that the story's core is a fascinating blend of mystery, desire, and distrust.
These elements captivate readers just as Griet's peculiar vegetable artistry is able to entrance Vermeer in their initial meeting. After witnessing Griet's appreciation of color and her attention to fine details, Vermeer hires this 16-year-old girl to be a maid in his household. Griet must leave everything she knows: her caring mother, strong father, younger sister, her modest home, and even her Protestant neighborhood. However, the change is a matter of necessity; her family needs the income. Ever since Griet's father lost his sight in an accident at the tiling factory, money has been scarce. In the 17th century, the only viable option remaining was to rely upon a capable child.
Griet enters into the Vermeer household and learns the ropes quickly. Tanneke, a cantankerous maid who has been with the family for years, guides her. Griet is assigned the most tedious and disliked chores. However, one such daily task enables Griet to meet a young man who expresses special interest in her, even if Griet's feelings for him aren't always as clear.
A second challenge exists among Griet's relationship with the numerous family members residing in the house itself. Johannes Vermeer's wife, Catherina, is leery of Griet from the very beginning and her feelings of insecurity only intensify as time passes. Maria Thins, the domineering elderly relative, speaks harshly to Griet one minute and allies her in the next. Cornelia, one of the middle children, acts upon an inborn wild streak and succeeds in stirring up trouble on a daily basis. Thankfully, the other five children are relatively well mannered.
Lastly, but most importantly, there is the relationship between Vermeer himself and Griet. Vermeer is perfectly systematic as a painter, but completely unpredictable in all other aspects of his life. This characteristic leaves Griet with many questions. She feels the need to walk on eggshells whenever she is in his presence. One day, while cleaning Vermeer's workroom Griet is disturbed by the sense that something essential is missing in Vermeer's painting-in-progress. Boldly, she rearranges the folds of the blue cloth portrayed in the painting. When Vermeer inquires about the unapproved change, Griet replies, "There needs to be some disorder in the scene, to contrast with her tranquility. Something to tease the eye. And yet it must be something pleasing to the eye as well, and it is, because the cloth and her arm are in a similar position." This response is tremendously gutsy for Griet. After all, her role in the home is supposed to be that of a maid, not an assistant to the acclaimed artist. Nevertheless, within months this is precisely the role Vermeer secretly promotes Griet to. The more time Vermeer and Griet spend working together the more complicated their relationship becomes and consequently household tension escalates exponentially.
Reading this book is bound to spark your curiosity in Vermeer and you'll feel compelled to learn more about his actual life. This is true even for those who typically show no interest in art history; honestly, the book is that good! Tracy Chevalier has created a novel which infuses accurate details with a page-turning fictional plot.
Even after much searching and hypothesizing, nobody has been able to positively identify who the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" was, but reading this novel makes it difficult to believe she was anyone other than Griet, the young maid who left her mark on society.