Rating: 
Summary: Intresting Book with intersting story.
Review: This story is very much like a Cinderella story set in the 1600's. The story line is simple but has a intersting flare to it. Having never know much about Vermeer paintings or a lot about the time the book I was very satsifyed with the book and the story about Griet. The only thing that bothered me with the book was the ending. It seem to short for me and didn't get into what had happen to Griet besides her marrying Pieter and having children.
Rating:
Summary: Girl with Pearl Earring
Review: Chevalier's novel portrays the story of a famous Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The main character, Griet, becomes a maid at Vermeer's house. Unfortunately she is despised by his wife and daughter, Catherina and Cornelia. This story takes a surprising turn when Vermeer decides to paint Griet with a pearl earring secretly taken from his wife. A novel full of so many secrets and issues we are battling with everyday is sure to capture your attention especially young adults.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful painting, pretty story
Review: I read this during visits to European art galleries. It was entertaining. The author has a remarkable way of making every day things elegant signatures for likable characters. I found myself guessing what other stories could be read into European art classics.
Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss about?
Review: I heard well-read friends rave about this book, and I finally got around to reading it. Sheesh...It's nothing but a feather-weight, romance novel type tale of archetypal characters! We already know the cast: The illiterate but wise yet plucky housemaid, the silent and enigmatic lord of the household, the shrewish wife, the jealous co-worker. <yawn> Aside from nice language that describes the painting technique, there's no there there. Maybe it works for people who don't read much? I felt let-down.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely Book!
Review: I read this book very quickly, but found myself (and still do) coming back again and again to re-read bits of it. It's a story that stays with you long after you turn that final page. Don't be fooled by the "simple" writing style. If you think the narrative is simple, I suggest sitting down and trying to write something-- anything!-- in Chevalier's style. It's a lot harder than it looks to convey a wealth of description with a bare minimum of words. That is one of Chevalier's greatest gifts in this book. The other is her simply marvelous characters, and her amazing ability to convey the essence of everyday life in a distant time and place. Enough reviewers have summed up the plot here, so I won't add to their efforts, except to say that all the details fall together very nicely, and the story's conclusion satisfies on many levels. I would imagine that someone will eventually make a movie out of this book; it's the kind of story Merchant-Ivory would probably bring to life brilliantly. My top pick for the role of Griet would be Natalie Portman. Ralph Finnes should play Vermeer, and Tilda Swinton should play Catharina.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Easy Read
Review: I enjoyed this book very much because of the simplicity of the authors writing. It was easy to read, very discriptive and an image of Holland, which is not usually written about. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who are interested in art.
Rating: 
Summary: don't judge a book by its cover
Review: I know many people like this book so I just want to address those potential readers who might think this is a literary read. It's not. There is no depth of character, no attempt to describe what life would have been like in the 17th century for a girl like this, virtually nothing about the Holland of Vermeer's time, to the point where it is clear this was never the concern of the author. Just a nice, simple romance novel dressed up in a upmarket dust jacket. Like another reviewer said, it will make a sumptuous Merchant Ivory film, and that will probably improve it. That cover is very deceptive; there's nothing to "look at" as you read, just the thoughts of a nice girl thinking about love in what could easily be translated to a wealthy bohemian artists' community in suburban America.
Rating:
Summary: RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE
Review: This story focuses on the minutia of everyday chores and
illustrates how attention to detail and thoughtfulness
contribute to both a peaceful household and order in
the world-at-large. Mundane tasks, such as preparing
vegetables for soup, or deciding on meal plans, are written
about in a way which makes the reader rethink the way she
may be carelessly approaching the same subjects, and thus
corollary tasks in her own life. Additionally, interclass
relationships fall under the microscope here and the
trauma caused by inappropriate liaisons becomes clearer
as each page is turned.
If you are looking for a simple book with a clear message for today then this story will definitely help resolve your
search for answers.
Rating:
Summary: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Review: This is a sumptious tale of young girl who was forced by family circumstances to work as a wash up maid in the household of a reclusive perfectionist artist. We are captured by the rich detail and superbly wrought characters in this marvelous 17th century setting in Holland. A fantastic journey full of emotion and adventure touched by the hint of eroticism. Great for the coming cold weather and snuggling up with an occaisional GODIVA chocolate !!! I'm going to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Coming to a middle school near you...
Review: There is a lot that is wrong with this book. The subtleties of language that some speak of when praising this book are imagined. In fact, the writing style is far too simplistic, underdeveloped and unengaging to keep the reader's interest. It's not subtext - it's weak writing. The main character is also rather weak - the heroine, a young girl named Griet, is basically a Dutch Cinderella as the new maid in the house of Vermeer. But everything that she is subjected to, which amounts mostly to the childish and dysfunctional bickerings of other members of the household, isn't greeted with resourcefulness but rather with stone-faced staring and "there was nothing I could do". Too much of the book, even though it is a fast read, is bogged down with this pettiness and the reader is left begging for something interesting to happen. The character confides in almost no one (not even her family, for whom which she's doing all this) which is more a statement about her character defects and inability to trust than it is about the situation she's in. The first time I sympathized with this character is about a third of the way into the book (way too late) when a member of her family dies from plague. But, since there was little interaction between Griet and that character that the reader saw for himself/herself, even that wasn't very convincing. The only characters of interest are Maria Thins (Vermeer's mother-in-law) and Vermeer himself. But we see almost nothing of Vermeer for the first third of the book. Amazon's review contains the phrase "Still, Girl with a Pearl Earring does contain a final delicious twist." Not in my copy - I found the ending very predictable and emotionally unsatisfying. On the plus side, Chevalier does pull off an interesting symbol with the knife that Griet drops in the opening of the book (the one that spins on the kitchen floor). But in a book about an artist, it's not nearly enough, especially contra a deluge of obvious metaphors. Yes, there is the defense that this is the voice of a young girl and the language shouldn't be very developed. But look at a character like Faulkner's Vardaman (As I Lay Dying) - here's a five-year-old in possession of an intellect that is simultaneously advanced and childlike, that weaves childhood thoughts with deep and powerful psychological impact. Nothing of the sort exists in Girl With a Pearl Earring- it's more a book to be read by teenagers than it is one to be read by adults, and will undoubtedly be a favorite in middle-school English classes in the near future.
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