Girl with a Pearl Earring

published	December 1st 2003 by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
first published	1999
binding	Paperback
isbn	0007172826 (isbn13: 9780007172825)
pages	308
description	The Dutch painter Vermeer has remained one of the great enigmas of 17th-century Dutch art. While little is known of his personal life, his extraordina...more [close] The Dutch painter Vermeer has remained one of the great enigmas of 17th-century Dutch art. While little is known of his personal life, his extraordinary paintings of natural and domestic life, with their subtle play of light and colour, have come to define the Dutch Golden Age. The mysterious portrait of the anonymous Girl with a Pearl Earring has fascinated art historians for centuries, and it is this magnetic painting that lies at the heart of Tracy Chevalier's second novel of the same title. Girl with a Pearl Earring centres on Vermeer's prosperous household in Delft in the 1660s. The appointment of the quiet, perceptive heroine of the novel, the servant Griet, gradually throws the household into turmoil as Vermeer and Griet become increasingly intimate, an increasingly tense situation that culminates in her working for Vermeer as his assistant, and ultimately sitting for him as a model. Chevalier deliberately cultivates a limpid, painstakingly observed style in homage to Vermeer, and the complex domestic tensions of the Vermeer household are vividly evoked, from the jealous, vain, young wife to the wise, taciturn mother-in-law. At times the relationship between servant and master seems a little anachronistic, but Girl with a Pearl Earring does contain a final delicious twist in its tail. Chevalier acknowledges her debt to Simon Schama's classic study of the Dutch Golden Age, The Embarrassment of Riches, and the novel comes hard on the heels of Deborah Moggach's similar tale of domestic intrigue behind the easel of 17th-century Dutch painting, Tulip Fever. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a fascinating piece of speculative historical fiction, but how much more can novelists extract from the Dutch Golden Age? --Jerry Brotton [close]
date added	12-07-06 edit book

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Kate rated it:

(review of isbn 0452282152)

08/04/07

bookshelves: reviewed

I know almost nothing about art, but even I can tell that Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer is a brilliant painting; 'captivating' is probably the best word to describe it. One presumes that Chevalier agrees with me, and this is what lead her to write a novel about the painting, its subject and its creator. So, is the novel as captivating as the piece that inspired it?

The short answer would be 'no'.

Now for the longer answer...

Chevalier is probably one of the best-known ...more I know almost nothing about art, but even I can tell that Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer is a brilliant painting; 'captivating' is probably the best word to describe it. One presumes that Chevalier agrees with me, and this is what lead her to write a novel about the painting, its subject and its creator. So, is the novel as captivating as the piece that inspired it?

The short answer would be 'no'.

Now for the longer answer...

Chevalier is probably one of the best-known historical novelists of the last ten years, with this book always in the foreground when she is discussed. As far as historical information goes, I think she does okay with it. I had a pretty clear picture of the Netherlands in the seventeenth century by the time I was done with the book (whether or not its accurate or not is another matter), but I felt at times that there wasn't that detail that critics proclaimed about on the cover.

The characters, I feel, are never truly developed. Vermeer himself remains a mystery throughout, even to the protagonist and narrator, Griet, who appears to have some connection with him. Griet meanwhile, is what I would describe as a stock teenage girl character. She is similar to many characters I've read before, and yet she does not really advance on that.

The narrative style is one that I would have adored at 14, but by now find to be pedestrian. This is first person narrative at its simplest (and blandest) and I don't feel that we gain anything from it - the novel may just as well have been in third person and would not have suffered for it. It may even have benefited from it.

The structure is interesting. Split into parts that represent years, rather than having chapter breaks makes it difficult to find a stopping place at times, and it is this more than anything else that makes a page turner of the novel. Meanwhile, the entire thing seems to be building to the inevitable moment when Vermeer will paint Griet. The scenes are handled with less intensity than I had hoped for from the build up, and once the painting is finished, Chevalier seems to want nothing but for the novel to be over too, and closes it down rather too quickly.

Perhaps the fact that little is known about Vermeer's life would imply that a fictional version of it would be easy to tell. Sadly, the gaps in knowledge seem to be too big to fill.

At the end of the novel, I had discovered how this work came about, the girl staring out from it, but still had almost no real idea of the man behind it. It is, in my opinion, a failure in this respect.

However, it is a good read if you're looking for something historical but not too heavy. Or if you like art there are some interesting discussions about colour in there. I can see why many people enjoy this novel, but I cannot fathom why some hold it in such high acclaim. I feel it will be some time before I read anything else by Tracy Chevalier....less

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Ebookwormy rated it:

(review of isbn 0452287022)

06/07/08

bookshelves: 2-enjoyed, 3-caution, fiction

Read in June, 2008

This book was within a stack I picked up from my mom's house; she told me this was a book my brother was required to read in high school. I knew it was a popular book, so I thought i'd give it a try - if only to be conversational.

The style of this book is very subtle and effective. With attention to detail, the reader is methodically introduced to the culture of 17th century Holland. While we learn a little about the city, I think the main achievement is in helping us to understand how peopl...more This book was within a stack I picked up from my mom's house; she told me this was a book my brother was required to read in high school. I knew it was a popular book, so I thought i'd give it a try - if only to be conversational.

The style of this book is very subtle and effective. With attention to detail, the reader is methodically introduced to the culture of 17th century Holland. While we learn a little about the city, I think the main achievement is in helping us to understand how people thought and reacted within a culture very different from current America. I could see how this aspect of the book would make it excellent for discussion with high school students. Questions like: What did you notice was different about how the people interacted? What they cared about/ noticed? Male - Female relationships? Attitudes toward children? Expectations of children? How was a 'successful life' defined in this context? etc.

Other topics that occurred to me for high school students would be: Is it acceptable to marry for any reason other than love? Is it reasonable for parents to expect their children to support them? Is there a sense in which the strong prey on the weak - who are the strong, who are the weak in this portayal of Delft? How are Griet's/ Vermeer's/ Pieter the father/ son's talent, personality (temperament, likes/ dislikes, friends) and character (consideration for others, integrity, faithfulness, etc.) illustrated? At what point did Griet have the ability to stop the events culminating in the story? Why didn't she?

There is also a subtle aspect of sensuality that runs through this work, and it is this I am not sure is appropriate for high school students. Most of it was understated and tactfully done, with the exception of one scene... a significant (very understated) scene preceeds this encounter. Good questions for adults would be: Have you ever taken action with a person based on something entirely unrelated to them?

I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like Griet, but in the end, while she is admirable, she was, to me a fatally flawed woman. She does make the best of difficult and challenging situations. Her respect/ honor/ provision for her parents is admirable. Her honesty is refreshing when people are culturally expected to be dishonest. However, in the end, I found her to be a person who took risks for things that weren't worth it and wasn't wise enough to regret it. A person who was still suppressing parts of herself and her experience, still unable to truly be in full relationship with others, still hiding, still merely existing, instead of living triumphantly. She leaves little to aspire to beyond a general goodness that outweighs the bad. I wanted her to overcome. To be able to live openly and honestly, not in a culturally inappropriate way, but simply... to be free. In the end, it was a good reminder for me that freedom comes only through relationship with Jesus.

One last note: If you can get this deluxe edition, do. If not, I looked up the paintings referenced on-line afterward and that was a great way to think about the story and interact with the excellent artwork which inspired this fictional story....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)