Book: The Girl with a Pearl EarringAuthor: Tracy Chevalier
Page: 256 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Art
I have not seen the movie yet, so I was unblemished by expectation.
I felt along with the maid Griet, meanwhile pulling myself away knowing that was the way life was. She did not seem to fit on either end of life: Rich or Poor. However, that didn't keep you from wanting better for her. I love that she had a smart mouth... even knowing that it needed to be kept closed at times! Griet was also very observant, it seems like she catches small little tidbits that normal people wouldn't even give a second thought to.
It was a off the wall book, taking the concept of a painter and one of
the paintings to create a story. It really worked. I enjoyed how they talked about the painting process. The set-up had to be perfect every time, which is understandable. The book's painter is about Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). It was enjoyable to also read about how they prepared the paints, techniques that I only briefly heard about like crushing. Tracy did her homework before she wrote, props for her. The descriptions were beautifully written.During the summer of 2009 I was lucky enough to spend a few days roaming around NYC. It was a fantastic few days. I am a museum person. I hit several. Here are my personal pictures of the Vermeer's work. These paintings are held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
Other Books I read by Tracy Chevalier - Falling Angels
Rating:
5 Kisses: It was so amazing I kissed and licked every inch of the book 
