The New York Times bestselling novel by the author of Remarkable Creatures and The Last Runaway Translated into thirty-nine languages and made into an Oscar-nominated film, starring Scarlett Johanson and Colin Firth
Tracy Chevalier transports readers to a bygone time and place in this richly-imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer’s most celebrated paintings.
… inspired one of Vermeer’s most celebrated paintings.
History and fiction merge seamlessly in this luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Girl with a Pearl Earring tells the story of sixteen-year-old Griet, whose life is transformed by her brief encounter with genius . . . even as she herself is immortalized in canvas and oil.
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Tracy Cavalier is a wonderful story teller. I couls visualise Amsterdam of the 1600s, and the plight of artists trying to be successful. The characters were complex and real. This book is in my permanent library.
A beautiful story based on a work of that gave me insight about the painting, as I discovered the story behind it.
Delightful and memorable story to enhance familiar painting.
Story of the Artist Vermeer, Dutch painter, master painter of the Delft painters’ guild and his young housemaid. Set in the 1600’s, he notices her artistic eye in the arrangement of vegetables for his meals, her adjustments to the layout of his paints, the adjustment of window coverings to adjust for the best natural light etc. Also, the development of the latest scientific discoveries of this age. the first microscope, the camera obscura, to develop minutely detailed and beautifully colored paintings with unique light patterns. Highly recommend for all artistic souls.
One of my favorite books
I read it several years ago. The history was interesting, especially the making of the Paint the artists of the time used, and how people of that era lived.
As I am of Dutch heritage, I found this book very interesting. I loved the description of the the class differences and hardships of the lower class. I also found the descriptions of the paintings and the process of making the colors and painting very interesting.
Intriguing, historical.
I’ve read this book several times. It’s worth every read. Historical fiction and the characters are real, but did they really do and say these things? Probably not. Still you get an idea of the art and human condition of that era.
Descriptive
Like this author
A must read!!
History revisited.
One of my all time favourite historical reads. The characters are completely believable. Chevalier transports the reader back to a time of unimaginable hardship where the creation of beauty was coveted and rewarded within a thoroughly corrupt social system. The writing is as beautiful and extraordinary as the paintings it describes. A work of art wrapped within another work of art. Don’t miss this.
This is an entertaining “what if” novel about a real but difficult to explain picture of a girl/young woman in the home of the Dutch artist Vermeer.
I enjoyed this book very much although it is not in my usual areas of interest. An unusual story, it provides fascinating insights into the world of Classical Dutch painting, as well as the everyday life of the rich, the poor, and those in-between. The narrator, a maid, is both powerless and, at the right moment, powerful—an inspirational character. Recommended.
Simply wonderful!!
I really enjoyed this book about the people of the time, and the artist who painted it! Historical and helped me to understand the times.
i read it a while ago, but really enjoyed it. Great story.
Love reading about times and places vastly different from my own life and experience.