Rating: 
Summary: Good, But Not Great
Review: This book got lots of good reviews, but I didn't think that it was all that great. Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring, was a fun read, but i didnt like that lack of emotional involvement. I read it, and i was just begging for more depth and intensity, but it was just too shallow. Griet is a girl hired to work for The Famous Painter Vermeer under the instruction of his wife. She starts cleaning his studio, then eventually she helps him mix colors. Soon she is helping him more with out Catharina's, his jealous wife's knowledge. Whenever the painter Vermeer and Griet were together, you could kind of feel there might be some feelings, but i guess it was too subtle, because i didnt know what was happening with them. This book was a fun read, but nothing to lose yourself in.
Rating: 
Summary: Delighted
Review: Usually when I find myself reading a book, I can't read for more than an hour at a time. When reading Girl with a Pearl Earring, I sat for about four hours striving to finish it. I have been extremely fascinated by artwork ever since I can remember, and this book kept me fastened with historical fiction of Johannes Vermeer being one of its characters.
This book takes place in Delft during the 1600's, and casts a picture perfect imagery in your mind of what the town looks like. Griet, the main character, has become the maid of the painter, Vermeer's family. Griet is to leave her family, change her lifestyle, and be surrounded with a religion she does not find comfort in. She is to clean Vermeer's art studio and help around the house. Not everyone is pleased with the selection of this maid, including Catharina, Vermeer's wife, and Cornelia, a daughter of Vermeer. The book presents a pleasant plot that has different facets and boasts a visual image.
This book gave me a perfect view of what everything looked like. His paintings were delicately described, when I looked them up after reading the book, they were surprisingly similar to my visions. A couple times in the book, Chevalier flashbacked to a time in which was already covered in the book. I found this to be both distracting and confusing. Although, it also brought some edge to the book, which in the end I found to enjoy this twist in format.
I found myself questioning the authenticity of this story. Griet is 16 when she goes to work for the family, but somehow she is more experienced than everyone living there. For example, Griet shows Vermeer how to add a kick to his paintings, a twist to the eye. And at times it seems as if Griet is observing the whole story more than participating in it. Even though there were a couple slips in this book, I still found myself remarkably entertained.
I had never read a book that took place in the 1600's and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. After reading this book, I looked up paintings of Vermeer, and saw the movie, starring Scarlet Johansson. This book helped me to rediscover my love for art.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful story
Review: This was the first novel by Tracy Chevalier I had read and I love her writing. This story about the famous painting is so imaginative and intriging. I have since bought a copy of the portrait and also enjoyed the movie. Her other novel- The Virgin Blue is very good as well. I especially would recommend Falling Angels- the book is by chapters of each character's point of view.
Rating:
Summary: Not my usual cup of tea
Review: I don't usually tend to veer too far off the beaten path when it comes to books. Tending to stick with bestsellers like "Life of Pi" or "Bark of the Dogwood" my choices almost always keep me safe and warm. Well, not always safe, but you get the idea. So I was hesitant to take on "Girl" for fear of it being too "outisde." What I found instead was a riveting piece of work--art really--that melds historical fact with excellent fiction. Kudos to Tracy Chevalier for this remarkable achievement!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Time Trip
Review: Girl with a Pearl Earring is a beautiful tale of a long time ago. This story is realistic and heart driven. Griet, the 17 year old girl who becomes a maid to help support her family, is the focal point of the story and of a painting by her master which causes all kinds of trouble. She works in the house of a famous painter whom she is in love with. Life is not as easy as it would seem when one is a maid and in love with their master. This story is a fast read with details that create a world based in 1664. I would strongly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece in a book
Review: This was an intriguing book that took the reader into the world of a 17th century maid and her artist master. The relationship between Griet, the maid, and the artist Vermeer left the reader in suspense of the characters true feelings. From an artistic point of view the author's description of Vermeer's art captivated the beauty and effort of the painting process. However, at times the book was slow. An example is the emphasis the author put on the gossip in the market. I would recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in 17th Century art.
Rating:
Summary: SOME MAY LAUGH...
Review: ...but I don't think I've read such a good book (poetic prose) since "The Color Purple", and that was a LONG time ago!
Rating:
Summary: alyssa's review of girl with a pearl earring
Review: this is an exciting book that keeps the reader wondering if Catharina will ever discover Griet and the painter, Vermeer's secret. They share a bond and a single piece of jewelerly, a pearl earring. By the time Griet finds out how much she ment to Vermeer, she already has a family and Vermeer had passed away. This book will keep the reader occupied for hours
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment...
Review: I heard a lot about this book, and it was a bestseller, so the reading group I'm in decided to read Girl With a Pearl Earring. We were all pretty disappointed... The young girl Grit becomes a maid in the household of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. We hear about her life and passions, and her family, but she is a very unrealistic character, and you really feel that she is being written by a much older woman. The writer shows none of Grit's emotions, just tells you what they are, in a very unconvincing and detached way.
It seems unlikely, that a girl so young should be as confident, unimpressed by life and manipulating as Grit is! It hardly affects her leave her family, to fall in love or loose her virginity, nothing really surprises her, and she apparently can do everything better than everyone else: this uneducated young maid is even able to tell the master painter how to paint better! Appart from a cliched fascination with her MASTER Vermeer(that seems more like a badly formulated erotic fantasy of the author's than anything realistic) Grit shows no emotion, and the plot is unbalanced and boring. You never develop any sympathy for any of the characters, and the symbolism is MUCH to heavy. The book left me cold an bored. The only reason why it gets 2 stars, is the description and information about Vermeers paintings, which were interesting. Chevalier completely fails to make a credible portrait of a young girl (Grit is more like a 40 year old woman), and the historcal descriptions aren't very good either.
Rating:
Summary: The light always comes from the left
Review: Being an enormous fan of Vermeer for years, I HAD to read this book when it first came out. Now, waiting a while, I read it again, and it holdS up as well the second time as it did the first. Chevalier is a master talent and this is one of the best pieces of literature I've come across in a while. If you're looking for car chases (DA VINCI CODE) or a page turner (BARK OF THE DOGWOOD) this is not the book for you. Instead, it's a well thought out and expertly paced piece of writing.
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