17th century Holland. When Griet's father loses his sight in a work accident, he can no longer continue his job, and Griet is placed as a maid in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer. His wife is pregnant again and can use Griet's help. The work is hard, and Griet doesn't have it easy, but she is also fascinated by the painter Vermeer and his works. Only she is allowed to clean his studio. Over time, the painter also becomes aware of Griet...❤️ Although the story is fictional, while rea...

Tracy Chevalier's *Girl with a Pearl Earring* takes Vermeer's iconic painting as a jumping-off point, imagining a unique connection between the artist and Griet, a young and captivating servant in his household. The story hints at a potentially scandalous relationship, suggesting Griet might have been the model for the painting, igniting jealousy in Vermeer's wife and causing quite a stir in 17th-century Delft. While the novel successfully captures the atmosphere of the painter's world and Dutc...

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier was an interesting historical fiction concept!It was extremely clever how the author created Griet as the protagonist, maid, and model for the famous painting 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'. No one knows who the models were for any of Vermeer's paintings. So, I applaud this author's imaginative use of creating a story around the Master Painter's exquisite painting.Forced by her parents to become a maid to the Vermeer household, Griet is saddened to lea...

A reread. 4.5 Stars!Griet hadn't been told she was to become the painter Vermeer's maid; her mother only revealed the job after the Vermeers had already come, inspected Griet, and left. Griet has no say in the matter. Her father was a tile painter before a tragic accident, in which a kiln explosion claimed his eyes and trade. The family, already struggling and treading water, now finds themselves slowly slipping beneath the surface.Her father explains to Griet that she is to be a maid for the fa...

I approached *Girl with a Pearl Earring* by Tracy Chevalier with some trepidation. How could I possibly suspend my disbelief with this book? How could I ever believe such a ridiculous story about Vermeer and one of his most revered paintings? I have to admit that I started reading expecting to absolutely hate the lies it spins. By page two, I realized I was an idiot whose opinions should be completely disregarded. Griet is hired as a maid for the Vermeer family in Delft. This novel imagines that...

“I heard voices outside our front door - a woman's, bright as polished brass, and a man's, low and dark like the wood of the table I was working on. They were the kind of voices we heard rarely in our house. I could hear rich carpets in their voices, books and pearls and fur.” Girl with a Pearl EarringWhen the Vermeers came to visit Griet’s home she had no idea they were there for her. Her parents had decided, given their near destitution, to find Griet a position as a maid with a wealthy fam...

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest I have read this book so many times. And even after re-reading this book so many times, it is and will always remain one of my favourite books, a story that is evergreen and has such an emotional story worth retelling. Tracy Chevalier has been inspired by the artwork of Johannes Vermeer, and his most famous painting, *Girl with a Pearl Earring*, that she decided to write a story of what she believes might have happened behind that painting. ...

Okay, so the parts where Vermeer was actually painting were interesting. Considering I slogged through "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier based on a recommendation from an art class lecture about Vermeer, I was really hoping the art stuff would at least deliver. This "Girl with a Pearl Earring" book review is going to be honest.But it's not a good sign when a book's most compelling moments revolve around two people grinding pigments. And, no: "Grinding pigments" is not a euphemism fo...

I'll admit, I'm no art expert, but even I can see that *Girl with a Pearl Earring* by Johannes Vermeer is a masterpiece; "captivating" is probably the perfect word. I'm guessing Tracy Chevalier felt the same way, which led her to write a novel exploring the painting, its subject, and the artist himself. So, does the novel *Girl with a Pearl Earring* live up to the painting that inspired it? The short answer? No. Now for the longer answer... Chevalier is definitely a well-known name in histori...

My wife recommended this one (I read a lot of books that way). I grabbed it off the bookshelf the night we got back from seeing the *Girl with a Pearl Earring* film with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. I adored the movie—it was just so incredibly lavish—and I was curious about the story in Tracy Chevalier's novel. I knew from experience, and from my wife's constant comments, that the book would be different and more detailed. I was right. Chevalier has earned a spot on my bookshelf and in m...