Rating: 
Summary: What do people see in this book?
Review: "I was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when I heard voices outside our front door--a woman's, bright as polished brass, and a man's, low and dark like the wood of the table I was working on. They were the kind of voices we heard rarely in our house. I could hear rich carpets in their vioces, books and pearls and fur.
I was glad that earlier I had scrubbed the front steps so hard.
My mother's voice--a cooking pot, a flagon--approached from the front room"Most of the prose is unsophisticated, but might have been fine considering it is written in first person and the protagonist is young teenager, but ridiculous passages like this (from the first page) stand out. The strained metaphors only get worse as you read on. The characters are unsympathetic and worse, unbelieveable, and the plot is paper thin.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I heard this book was good and read it...let me tell ya, it's not what it's cracked up to be! The imagery and descriptions are less than good and the plot line just gets worse...a better read? "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch... so moving. READ IT!
Rating: 
Summary: Delicate and Devastating
Review: Chevalier weaves fiction together with history seamlessly. A beautiful portrait of what could have been. The author truly found the delicate voice of this fictional muse and brought her to life. The heartwarming yet devastating inner life of the central character is a masterpiece of creativity. It is amazing the worlds that canvas painted centuries ago can open.
Rating: 
Summary: Come on people!
Review: This book is excellent. Well writen and described, and yeah, so what, this book might not have been exactly historically accurate... why? ITS FICTION! Give Tracy a break, she slaved over this book, so you could rip it apart. No so she could be praised and paid like the rest of you! I find some of the reviews i've read to be offensive, and rude. This book is great, it kept me intrigued and entertained, by the little quirks that happend to Griet throughout the novel. It was a very quaint read, and I thoughally enjoyed it. Read it, I know you'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Never Look At a Painting the Same Way Again!
Review: I received this gift from an art gallery owner after making the oft-handed remark that the Old Masters were too representational in their art and today would be replaced by cameras. And that modern artists, though rarely having the same technical prowess, nonetheless are interpretive in their work and thus more intellectually challenging and provocative. Well -- ahem -- this book demonstrates the narrative in the work of an Old Master and never have I been so happy to have made too much a sweeping generalization before. Clever, imaginative, believable, insightful and educational ... the adjectives that most novels strive for but few seldom achieve. Chevalier fills in the blanks of a painting who's mystery and allure is second only to the Mona Lisa. Told from the subject's perspective, you'll gather an appreciation for the true soul of a great painting - the human interest stories that go on behind it, as well as the artist's techniques that bring it to life. A great book for yourself and for someone as a gift! It's just about impossible not to be drawn in and engaged by this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun but a little unrealistic
Review: If you're familiar with Vermeer's art and the world of 17th century Holland this is definitely a fun book. I found the main storyline a little hard to believe, but who cares?
Rating:
Summary: sensuous...
Review: I think to truly enjoy this story is to read it through Griet's eyes and heart ... to look at things from the point of view of a teenage girl .. still innocent and inexperienced .. poor and unpriviledged .. She takes you with her on her daily duties as a maid ... she describes the way she looks at her master and the unspoken magic she feels between them ... her description of her mistress ... her feelings towards her Pieter and his bloody nails .. it is the way those wide eyes looked on life and people around them! Chevalier's style is original, simple and stunning! The meaning behind the title... the purity of Griet's emotions... I felt like I lived in that house and could imagine the kitchen , the attic .. even standing infront of the studio's window over looking the New Church... a very sentimental experience! The ending is unexpected and romantic just like when Griet pierced her ear .. I thought he would give her the portrait .. although she says that she would never see it again .. it tells a lot about the way he felt towards her and about the kind of person he is even though he is not fully_exposed as a character.. I believe that Chevalier did this on purpose just to show us Vermeer the artist ... The Griet we see at the end is a mature young woman ...protective of her family ... thankful for her new life! A beautiful story where fact and imagination intertwine to create an atmosphere filled with tension and love, and a better understanding of life!
Rating:
Summary: Pearls of wisdom
Review: Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier is the story of a maid, "Griet," and her work with the vamous painter Vermeer. Her duties as a maid expand to assisting Vermeer -- not "acceptable for a maid" -- and Vermeer's art is not supposed to be of maids. Yet they overcome class differences, and we are brought into a painting which comes to life the minute the first page is read. In the following pages, Chavelier paints a slow, yet careful and beautiful work of art that makes the 17th century timeless. For an artist's eyes and the "wide eyed maid" exchange pearls of wisdom. The story is as beautiful and complete as a tightly strung pearl necklace. Pearls may look white, but looks can be deceiving. The story of this work of art creates an illusion that satisfies the readers' eyes.
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL AND TOUCHING
Review: In 17th century Holland, 16-year-old Griet is involuntary sent to work as a maid due to her father's occupational accident that left him blind and unemployed. Strings were pulled and she went to live in the Vermeer residence. Griet's beauty and grace catches the eye of Mr. Vermeer, the famous painter, and she eventually becomes his assistant against the wishes of her mistress. As the narrative unfolds Griet must balance her work obligations to her mistress and her fascination with her master and his craft. She is successful in her deceit until her master asks her to pose for the infamous painting that is displayed on this book's cover. After the painting is finished Griet's secret becomes common knowledge in the household and she will have to pay the consequences. I remained fully enchanted while reading THE GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. It is written in such a fantastic and splendid manner that I felt drawn into the pages. The life of a maid during these times was very interesting. In addition, I was captivated by the procedure for extracting the colors for painting that Griet assisted in. It's amazing how times have changed! I am giving a copy of this book to my mother as a gift as I'm sure she will enjoy it as much as I have.
Rating:
Summary: Another startlingly inspiring art novel
Review: For anyone who paints or draws, there are certain novels that awake the spirit of the artist, that arouse the passion and inspire the soul. _Girl With A Pearl Earring_ is one of them. Here we are not only introduced to the wonderful character of Griet, but we learn so much about the technique and grueling process of great painting and the life of Vermeer. The novel is gritty, heart-wrenching, and incredibly beautiful and elegant. An extremely classy book that comes highly recommended. I would also recommend that the book be read with some resource to Vermeer's paintings at hand, to understand what's being spoken of in several of the book's descriptions of paintings. I usually write more but it's half past midnight and I ought to go to bed. All I have to say is that the book is a relatively quick read, but that does not effect the way the novel moves the soul, particularly the creative one. It is a beauty of a novel, as rich with texture and eerie realism as the paintings of Vermeer himself.
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