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Interviews | May 7, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Gideon Lewis-Kraus: The Powells.com Interview

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Gideon Lewis-KrausI started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it... Continue »
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Girl with a Pearl Earring

by Tracy Chevalier

Girl with a Pearl Earring Cover

ISBN13: 9780452282155
ISBN10: 0452282152
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

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.

Review:

"Outstanding." USA Today

Review:

"The richest, most rewarding novel I have read this year." The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Review:

"Tracy Chevalier has so vividly imagined the life of the painter and his subject that you say to yourself: This is the way it must have been." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Review:

"A jewel of a novel." The Miami Herald

Review:

"[A] completely absorbing story with enough historical authenticity and artistic intuition to mark Chevalier as a talented newcomer to the literary scene." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"A vibrant, sumptuous novel...triumphant...a beautifully written tale that mirrors the elegance of the painting that inspired it." The Wall Street Journal

Review:

"Absorbing....Chevalier's writing skill and her knowledge of seventeenth-century Delft are such that she creates a world reminiscent of a Vermeer interior: suspended in a particular moment, it transcends its time and place." The New Yorker

Review:

"Another small and Vermeer-inspired treasure." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Girl With a Pearl Earring is an engaging fictionalization.....The reader thinks, Yes, Chevalier got it right — that was the story hidden behind those eyes, silent for centuries." The San Francisco Chronicle

Review:

"Chevalier's imagination adds life to an already brilliant painting in this elegantely developed and beautifully written novel." Denise Kersten, USA Today

Review:

"Tracey Chevalier has written a vibrant, sumptuous novel about the enigmatic subject of a painting....It is a beautifully written tale that mirrors the elegance of the painting that inspired it." Katie Flatley, The Wall Street Journal

Review:

"With wonderfilly effective restraint, Chevalier captures the glances and brief comments that gradually lead Griet into her master's studio, his painting, and finally his heart." Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor
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About the Author

Raised in Washington, D.C., Tracy Chevalier moved to England in 1984, and in 1994 graduated from the M.A. course in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel, The Virgin Blue, was chosen by W. H. Smith for its Fresh Talent promotion in 1997. She lives in London with her husband and son.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 7 comments:
Alessandrina, January 20, 2012 (view all comments by Alessandrina)
Enjoyable and imaginative read. A fictional story about Griet, the girl of the painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" recommended to any art lover of Vermeer's work.
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emmejo, June 26, 2010 (view all comments by emmejo)
Young Griet is a maid working in Vermeer's household. Although she begins only doing menial tasks and cleaning Vermeer's studio, in time she starts to work secretly as his assistant, culminating with her modeling for his painting Girl With a Pearl Earring.

This popular book is one person's imagining who the girl in this painting was and her connection to Vermeer. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I had heard so many singing this book's praises, but I don't think it was all that special. It is certainly well-written and the characters are interesting, but for me it lacked the special *spark* that makes a great book different from one that is just very good. I didn't feel much of an attachment to any of the characters, and that made it difficult to care overly much about what was happening to them.

This book was enjoyable and entertaining, but not perfect.
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so77lo, January 4, 2010 (view all comments by so77lo)
This is one of the better literary works I've read in a long time. The story is compelling and the writing is excellent.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780452282155
Author:
Chevalier, Tracy
Publisher:
Plume Books
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Historical
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Historical fiction
Subject:
Netherlands
Subject:
17th century
Subject:
Women domestics
Subject:
Artists' models
Subject:
Biographical fiction
Subject:
Delft
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2001
Edition Description:
Mass Market
Series Volume:
no. 41
Publication Date:
January 8, 2001
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Pages:
240
Dimensions:
7.74x5.20x.65 in. .46 lbs.
Age Level:
from 18
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z

Girl with a Pearl Earring Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$2.50 In Stock
Product details 240 pages Plume Books - English 9780452282155 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Outstanding."
"Review" by , "The richest, most rewarding novel I have read this year."
"Review" by , "Tracy Chevalier has so vividly imagined the life of the painter and his subject that you say to yourself: This is the way it must have been."
"Review" by , "A jewel of a novel."
"Review" by , "[A] completely absorbing story with enough historical authenticity and artistic intuition to mark Chevalier as a talented newcomer to the literary scene."
"Review" by , "A vibrant, sumptuous novel...triumphant...a beautifully written tale that mirrors the elegance of the painting that inspired it."
"Review" by , "Absorbing....Chevalier's writing skill and her knowledge of seventeenth-century Delft are such that she creates a world reminiscent of a Vermeer interior: suspended in a particular moment, it transcends its time and place."
"Review" by , "Another small and Vermeer-inspired treasure."
"Review" by , "Girl With a Pearl Earring is an engaging fictionalization.....The reader thinks, Yes, Chevalier got it right — that was the story hidden behind those eyes, silent for centuries."
"Review" by , "Chevalier's imagination adds life to an already brilliant painting in this elegantely developed and beautifully written novel."
"Review" by , "Tracey Chevalier has written a vibrant, sumptuous novel about the enigmatic subject of a painting....It is a beautifully written tale that mirrors the elegance of the painting that inspired it."
"Review" by , "With wonderfilly effective restraint, Chevalier captures the glances and brief comments that gradually lead Griet into her master's studio, his painting, and finally his heart."
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