Rating: 
Summary: Girl With a Pearl Earring
Review: This book enabled me to do something I have wished to do for nearly thirty years: enter the house and the studio of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer of Delft.All the hopes I had for this book were realized. Ms. Chevalier has made good use of the limited sources available regarding this reticent 17th century artist who has left us little more in the way of information about himself beyond his magnificent and magnificently crafted paintings. Ms. Chevalier has woven a believable and entrancingly charming tale that brings to life the painter himself, his family, and the maid Griet. Vermeer is portrayed much as I always thought he might be, moving quietly in and out of the shadows of narrative -- a consummate craftsman, artist, and enigma. The drama unfolds in such a way as to captivate the reader and make us want to see what will happen next to Griet and what more we might learn about Vermeer, while preserving the quiet, myserious ambiance that imbues those wonderful and simple interior scenes, I have come to love. The story is a simple, domestic one, as befits the tone of much of the artist's work and will appeal most to those who are fascinated by Vermeer's presentation of ordinary people in their domestic environments -- a great departure from the epic religious and historic scenes which were the fare of nearly all artists prior to the seventeenth century. Yet, like the paintings with their subtle symbolic messages, the story Ms. Chevalier tells is universal and important to the human experience. Yet, I must confess that the greatest enjoyment for me in reading this book was re-entering that house and being with those people; seeing the artists studio, "touching" those familar studio props and "meeting" the models I've seen in quiet afternoon poses for so many years. Usually, a book I really like is a book I cannot put down. In this case I made myself put it down periodically in order to prolong the experience. Yet, when I was finished, I found that it still wasn't long enough. However, Ms. Chevalier has my heartfelt gratitude for providing me the time machine I've always wished for in order to enter that "View of Delft" and pass through the door of that wonderful house on the Oude Langendyck.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: I really liked this book. If you'd like a similar read, try I, Juan de Pareja . It's a young adult book that has won the Newberry award, but great for any age. It has the same artist- servant relationship motif.
Rating: 
Summary: A Too Perfect Girl
Review: Although I was quite anxious to get my hands on this book, I must admit I came away disappointed. For me, Griet's perfection rendered her unbelievable. All men found her irresistably attractive; she worked very hard with no resentment and knew every trick doing whatever task she approached perfectly -- her wash was the whitest; she was an ace at bartering for the best cuts of meat; she intuitively understood the psyches of those who surrounded her; she ground the purest colors, and even knew better than Vermeer what a painting needed. It was just too much! Though I very much appreciate the inspiration for this book and the depiction of Delft in the time of Vermeer, his portrait depicts a girl with profound humanity, not the angel genius described in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: why the flesh?
Review: Having taught art for 24 years and being a painter, I was interested in this book about Vermeer. It was well written and insightful but I was continually bothered about the way the author treated the teenaged manin character. She was fondled throughout the book by two men and one eventually became her husband. I have no idea why the author put this insignificant fact in the book. It did not add to the story line and made it cheap. Who cares if she was manhandled? We all use the bathroom too but don't have to elaborate on that! So many of today's novels start off nicely and end up being amorous when they don't even need to be. I would have gladly reocommended this book to younger readers but would never do so now. Yes, we live in a very sex-crazed and sexsarturated age, too bad novelists can't transcend this to make for truly timeless and beautiful writing. Vermeer certainly did in his paintings. That's why they continue to fascinate and astoand us. This book I am afraid will find itself in used booksdtores before too long. It was an O.K. read. I would suggest the essays of E.B.White to really read genius at its best a without a hint of anything that would be embarrassing.
Rating:
Summary: Much Ado About Nothing
Review: I know there's tons of hype about this book, but I thought it was unbelievably slow. It's certainly predictable (you can see one of the character's deaths a hundred miles away). Despite its short length, I could not bring myself to finish each page. If you are interested in this type of genre, try TULIP FEVER instead. I suspect GIRL may be one of those overrated books that people are afraid to admit they don't like.
Rating:
Summary: Very Satisfying
Review: This was one of the most satisfying and imaginative novels I have read in quite some time. While probably not a "classic," it is certainly a book that I'll remember and think about for some time to come. I found myself surfing the web for sites containing pictures of Vermeer's paintings while I was reading Chevalier's fictionalized account of how they came to life. The author has a great eye for the sometimes mundane details of day-to-day life and her dialogue is sparkling. This is one book that is well worth reading!
Rating:
Summary: my review
Review: Very good!very detailed you feelas if you are the girl in the book!
Rating:
Summary: Girl With a Pearl Earring
Review: I enjoyed this book so much! As I read, I was totally engrossed, and I remember that during the process I paused, and tried to analyze just what it was that engrossed me so. The story itself is so simple, but it's a great story, nonetheless. The author's characterization is so much fun. I discovered many dimensions to most of the main characters. You'll love Catharina! The author's mention of several of Vermeer's masterpieces is an added bonus. When my reading session was completed I felt I had discovered some interesting connections to Vermeer's paintings. I later discovered that my mental images were quite different from the examples of the actual work! It was just a really interesting, fun, artsy, quick read. It doesn't get any better than that!
Rating:
Summary: Imaginative and romantic story
Review: In regard to the reviewer who critiqued this book as being "Inconsistent," I don't recall the author ever saying that Griet taught anyone to read and write. I do recall that the mistress Catherina eventually taught her children to read and write though. In any case, I thought the book was very imaginative and romantic. For an author who's writing style is so simple (it's a very easy read), she somehow captured Griet's world beautifully from Griet's perspective. I found myself touched by both Griet's strengths and weaknesses, and her complex love for Vermeer. I also found myself consistently flipping to the front cover of the book to stare at her intriguing portrait. I can see why the author found the mysterious subject worthy of story material.
Rating:
Summary: A view into another century
Review: The author creates a world in which one can feel the cold of Griet's hands and smell the blood in the meat market. This was truly a wonderful story - a simple story that could be read again and again. I'll be looking for the next book by this author.
| 
