Rating: 
Summary: Glows Like a Vermeer Masterpiece
Review: This is a spare, taut novel told with unflinching honesty by the narrator, Griet, the maid and model for Vermeer's singular portrait from which this novel takes its title. I enjoyed this novel far better than another piece of historical fiction that I recently read, The Dress Lodger. While both author's do a good job of evoking a bygone time and place, the lack of sentimentality distinguishes this book from the other. There is a striking parallel between the storyteller's art and Vermeer's exquisitely serene paintings - uncluttered and disarmingly direct but with each object chosen with great care and bursting with iconographic meaning. The highlight of the book for me was when, at the artist's behest, Griet pierces her second ear, the one that will not be visible in the painting, because in Vermeer's words "It is a farce to wear only one." All of Griet's repressed and smoldering attraction to the painter is expressed in this simple, stinging act of obedience. There are other great moments and characters in the book: the slow unveiling and recognition of Vermeer's actual masterpieces as Griet carefully cleans and resets the props of works in progress in her master's studio; the pathos of Griet shunning her sister, Agnes, in the marketplace; the darkly ludicrous scene of Vermeer's wealthy patron, van Ruijven, groping Griet as she hangs the wash; the furtiveness of Griet and Pieter, the butcher's son, in the alley after Griet accidentally unfurls her hair in front of Vermeer; the sense of excitement and anticipation as Vermeer and van Leywenhoek struggle up the narrow stairway with the camera obscura; the quiet desperation of Griet's parent's who see in the Pieter a son-in-law and an end to meatless stews; the happy industry of Griet and Vermeer grinding pigment in the attic; Cornelia, a marvelous rendering of 17th century Delft's answer to the "Bad Seed"; Maria Thins, Vermeer's sharp-eyed, wily mother-in-law, puffing on her pipe; and many, many more. Like the historical Vermeer, this fictive Vermeer remains shadowy and elusive and in the end the author stays true to the essential mystery of Vermeer. He is an artist first and foremost, with eyes "worth a room full of gold...who thinks only of himself and his work." Ms. Chevalier does a masterful job weaving together the few known facts and people associated with the artist's life and crafting a compelling novel that rings true.
Rating:
Summary: RECOMMENDED!
Review: I WAS INTRIGUED BY THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK BUT I WAS NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT. IF YOU WANT A QUICK READ BUT ALSO SOME DEBTH TO A BOOK- THIS IS THE ONE. IT WAS A GREAT BOOK, IT WAS EASY TO READ, I COULD'NT PUT IT DOWN. THE MAIN CHARACTER, GRIET, IS LIKABLE AND SMART, MATURE FOR HER 16 YEARS. I COULD'NT WAIT TO GET TO THE END OF THE STORY TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN HER LIFE. I ALSO FELT LIKE I LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT DUTCH LIFE IN THE 1600'S.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting concept; dry storytelling
Review: While I didn't expect instant insight into the world of Vermeer (this is a work of fiction, after all), I did anticipate a more tightly-wound tale. In sometimes painstakingly straightforward style, Chevalier makes continuous mountains out of molehills. Examples: A "climax" when Griet, the servant girl, moves a bit of cloth to alter Vermeer's portrait? And, in a supposed act of unabashed gaul, Griet opens her mouth for the portrait? I guess I was looking for more. More emotion, besides the much-stated "I could feel his/her anger" or "I knew this was the end of me"...more foresight and hindsight, more description. We are left with an acute idea of how Griet performs her daily chores and how apparently snotty Vermeer's wife is, but there are little answers to the question "Why?" As one review stated, "Art and jealousy mix in the house of Vermeer." Add more spice to this tale and all that jealousy would begin to make sense, providing opportunity to stop and think instead of flipping, and flipping, and flipping pages.
Rating: 
Summary: A quiet, emotive MASTERPIECE
Review: "Soon it became easier to keep my eyes on him. He looked at me as if he were not seeing me, but someone else, or something else - as if he were looking at a painting. He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought, not at my face itself. That is the difference." (p.180) _________________________________ One cannot pretend to be appalled by the fictitious liberties Chevalier takes with Vermeer's lustrous and albeit singular career. His paintings, thous seemingly of "everydays," draw one's eyes back again and again. As does this novel. Why not fantasize about his most enigmatic and beguiling model 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'? The possibilities are endless as Chevalier explores the "paint come to life" saga of a master with justifiable poetic license. So, the story begins with Griet. She is at once real, but unreadable like the canvas counterpart, which is everything she is not - regal, otherworldly. She transforms from maid to apprentice to model to a rendition of her wished-for self that captures her essence. Too, she is the painter's own possible dream taken hold in the every day he made seem holy, intangible, integral with a brush. She is his captured fantasy. Read this one and see how the interpretations abound. I book marked pages with color copies of the paintings (try www.ocaiw.com for a full gallery of his works) - if you stare at them long enough, the motion holds you down and you hear the colors tell the master's secrets. For more obsession over art, try Edgar Allen Poe's "The Oval Portrait". It's only 2 pages, but it packs an eerie punch!
Rating:
Summary: A quiet, emotive MASTERPIECE
Review: "Soon it became easier to keep my eyes on him. He looked at me as if he were not seeing me, but someone else, or something else - as if he were looking at a painting. He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought, not at my face itself. That is the difference." (p.180) ________________________________________________________ One cannot pretend to be appalled by the fictitious liberties Chevalier takes with Vermeer's lustrous and albeit singular career. His paintings, though seemingly mundane and of "everydays," draw one's eyes back again and again. As does this novel. So, why not fantasize about his most enigmatic and beguiling model 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'? The possibilities are endless and Chevalier explores the "paint come to life" saga of a master with justifiable artistic license. So, the story begins with Griet. She is at once real, but unreadable like the canvas couterpart, which is everything she cannot be - regal, other-wordly. She transforms from maid to apprentice to model to a rendition of her wished-for self. She may also be the painter's own dream taken hold in the "everydays" he made seem holy, intangible, integral. His captured fantasy. Read this one and see how interpretations abound. I bookmarked pages with color copies of the paintings (try www.ocaiw.com for a catalogue of his works) - if you stare into them long enough, the emotions hold you down and you hear the colors tell you the master's secrets. For more obsession on art, try Edgar Allen Poe's "The Oval Portrait." It's only 2 pages, but packs an eerie punch!
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Page-Turner for a Sunday Afternoon
Review: Vermeer immortalized the Girl with the Pearl Earring, a face that launched a thousand trips to the museum. For over 300 years, the world has enjoyed the gift he has given this anonymous girl from Delft, one of perpetual beauty and mystery our children's children will surely ponder. The author, Tracy Chavalier, has created a dignified, bittersweet and complementary story for Vermeer's subject. This skilled author kept with the tone of Vermeer's work, respectful and accurate. At the same time, she managed to effectively marry fiction with historical fact; I valued the information I picked up along the way. If you're an art enthusiast, particularly if you're drawn to Vermeer's pristine and refined Dutch world, the one he has romanticized for us 35 times on canvas, then you'll certainly appreciate this book. Who says that judging a book by its cover is wrong? To be honest, I was desperate for a quick and interesting read for a Sunday afternoon - I needed to be swept away to another world. I picked up this book purely based on its attractive front (and, of course, my love for the enigmatic Vermeer). What I then discovered was another portal into his world...from the perspective of charming Griet, the heroine. While I gleaned the feminist undertones, whether intentional or not, they were subtly expressed and in no way did they distract me from the story at hand. Griet: her savvy, her spunk, her limitations, her obligations, her time of service as a maid, her awe and sacrifice for her master, Johannes Vermeer, are what you'll be concerned with. Although I did feel emotionally charged by Griet, she didn't electrocute me. I was aware of the distance of time and culture, and I welcomed it. Chavalier did not waste my time jerking my tears; she merely presented me an enjoyable escape. Read the book. You'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: The novel Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier tells the story of a sixteen-year old Dutch girl named Griet who lives in Delft, Holland during the 17th Century. After financial difficulties in the home she is sent to work as a maid in the Catholic house of the painter Johannes Vermeer. Griet is a hard working employee whose main purpose is to clean Vermeer's art studio. She begins to capture the attention of Vermeer and is later employed as his assistant. She interacts with Vermeer's jealous wife, his cunning mother in law Maria Thins, as well as the couple's six children. Griet also catches the interest of the local butcher and tries to escape from the inappropriate advances made by Van Ruijven one of Vermeer's wealthy clients. Griet learns to find her way through the new and strange life that she has gained outside the familiar loving Protestant family that she grew up in. Chevalier wonderfully portrays Delft in the mid-seventeenth century. She writes of the canals, markets, and churches in the Netherlands in much detailed description while also recounting the endless drudgery of a maidservant's life. Chevalier's use of description in the novel shows the love that Griet begins to posses of the dull chores that she accomplishes. I came to love grinding the things he brought from the apothecary--bones, white l lead, madder, massicot--to see how bright and pure I could get the colors. I learned that the finer the materials were ground the deeper the color. From rough, dull grains madder became a fine bright red powder and, mixed with linseed oil, a sparkling paint. Making it and the other colors was magical. This passage shows the interest that Griet has while she grinds items in the studio. The author shows this interest through the description of the process of making paint. You see the passion that Griet feels about her work in the studio. The only minus of the novel was that occasionally the pace of the book became a bit slow and monotonous at times. Although, I greatly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and art. The novel is refreshing and very well written. It is a short but sweet read, which I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling
Review: Oh, wow, folks, this is a great one. This tale of two families, one of emotional poverty the other merely poor, drew me in as fast as I could read. I chose the book because of its combination of artist and historical atmosphere, but got an engrossing, touching, and well-plotted story as well. It feels as if Chevalier has truthfully captured the sad, proud tale of an anonymous, enigmatic girl painted by Vermeer (the real Painter of Light). Reviwers seem deeply split: yes, it is slow, because scenes and characters are fully developed, not always enviable human beings, and little overt action takes place, in this intimate look at family lives and the ties that bind (as in rub). Who knows what Vermeer's family life was really like? Chevalier imagines a great deal from the details of one painting, and convincingly so in at least the novelistic sense. Appropriately in a story that concerns (but is not exactly about) a great painter, Chevalier wonderfully expresses the play of color and light in her descriptions. Chevalier's writing style is expert, smooth and observant, and produces a richly evocative sense of place and social condition in one corner of Delft, Holland, in 1664. I found far more than I had sought in this memorable novel. A quality paperback, too. The only improvement would be an edition with more vignettes of the paintings mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: Buy,Read,Enjoy!
Review: Girl with a Pearl Earring is an excellent, mysterious novel.It is intriguing and thought provoking.Chevalier's style of writing is excellent, immediately drawing any reader into it. Even though it is a work of fiction, dealing with Vermeer's most famous painting, it still accurately portrays the city of Delft as it was in the late 17th century, at the same time giving an insight into the society of the day. As a sixteen year old Griet, or shall I say the girl with a pearl earring leads reader through the streets of Delft and so into the house of Vermeer, we are confronted with more than just a historical or art historical novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Well Done
Review: The cover of the book, Girl with the Pearl Earring, was what initially caught my eye. I am not one to judge a book by its cover, so I opened it and began to read. The book flows very easily. I enjoyed the concept the author went for; she chose a famous painting by Johannes Vermeer (the cover portrait) and proceded to weave an intriguing and interesting fictional tale about the young woman painted in the portrait and what her life may have been like during that time period. Griet, the featured young woman, leaves home to be a servant for a famous painter after her ailing/aging father is no longer able to make his living with his tile making trade. She is sent to live in the house of a famous painter and his family of formidable characters to act as a servant girl, nurse-maid, and muse. Through a series of overly predictable events, Griet eventually goes back to her parent's home in a (what I believe to be and the book does not detail) disgraced state. Once the decision was made to return to her parent's home, her life and fate take yet another turn. Chevalier almost makes her character, Griet, the poster girl for the limited options girls/women had during that era. The book is an easy read, completely predictable, certainly not profound, but not a complete waste of reading time.
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