Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 1999 historical novel written by Tracy Chevalier. Set in 17th-century Delft, Holland, the novel was inspired by local painter Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. Chevalier presents a fictional account of Vermeer, the model and the painting. The novel was adapted into a 2003 film of the same name and a 2008 play. In May 2020, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a new dramatisation of the novel.
Review of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
In 17th-century Holland, Protestant Griet works as a maid in the strange, Catholic household of a famous painter to support her newly impoverished family. Under the thumb of the lecherous van Reuijen, the struggling household relies on Griet to submit to his wishes, but not to her own temptation.
In 17th-century Holland, Protestant Griet works as a maid in the strange, Catholic household of a famous painter to support her newly impoverished family. Under the thumb of the lecherous van Reuijen, the struggling household relies on Griet to submit to his wishes, but not to her own temptation.
Review of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I stumbled across the movie, with Colin Firth, on a free pay-per-view channel one evening when watching tv. This was quite awhile ago. I enjoyed the movie, but my husband, who was in and out of the room, did not care for it, saying it went like this: "Stare. ... Mumble, mumble, mumble. ... Stare. ... Mumble, mumble, mumble. ... Stare." Oh well.
This book took me a few weeks to read, as I have not had as much reading time as I would have thought and it did take until Griet's portrait was actually being painted for me to have that "want to keep reading, not put it down" feeling.
I liked the spacing, the years listed and then just little tilde's to acknowledge a break. Those breaks were fairly often and made picking up and putting down the book easy in my hectic schedule.
I enjoyed the story β¦
I stumbled across the movie, with Colin Firth, on a free pay-per-view channel one evening when watching tv. This was quite awhile ago. I enjoyed the movie, but my husband, who was in and out of the room, did not care for it, saying it went like this: "Stare. ... Mumble, mumble, mumble. ... Stare. ... Mumble, mumble, mumble. ... Stare." Oh well.
This book took me a few weeks to read, as I have not had as much reading time as I would have thought and it did take until Griet's portrait was actually being painted for me to have that "want to keep reading, not put it down" feeling.
I liked the spacing, the years listed and then just little tilde's to acknowledge a break. Those breaks were fairly often and made picking up and putting down the book easy in my hectic schedule.
I enjoyed the story and it has sparked an interest in Vermeer's work for me. I do not know much about the history of most art, so I do not know how much is known about the history and subjects of each painting, but I found Ms. Chevalier's story-telling interesting. I enjoyed this novel as a nice little read and would recommend it, although not enthusiastically.
I was irritated about the constant religious Catholic/Protestant issue mentioned on nearly every page of the book. I don't think it added to the story a whole lot, and it certainly did not need to be drilled into the reader, although I understand how it was a constant issue for Griet.
As I said before, I've seen the movie, quite awhile ago. Unfortunately, none of the scenes I remember from the movie were in the book. Either I am mis-remembering or the movie really went its own direction.
Review of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Reaction was mixed. Some liked it, and revelled in the visual 'painterliness' of it (chiefly, the sighted), while others viewed it as a Harlequin romance with a bit of history thrown in (chiefly, the blind). We talked about the limitations, and advantages, of a first-person narration, and the difficulties of taking our present-day fixation with romance and marriage for love and inserting it in a time when marriage was a contract for survival, how difficult it is to write convincingly in the voice of a child, and how hard it is to know when, and how, to stop writing.
