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Girl with a Pearl Earring

by Tracy Chevalier

Girl with a Pearl Earring Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The runaway New York Times bestseller with over one million copies sold — now a major motion picture starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth.

In seventeenth-century Delft, there's a strict social order — rich and poor, Catholic and Protestant, master and servant — and all know their place. When Griet becomes a maid in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer, she thinks she knows her role: housework, laundry, and the care of his six children. She even feels able to handle his shrewd mother-in-law; his restless, sensual wife; and their jealous servant. What no one expects is that Griet's quiet manner, quick perceptions, and fascination with her master's paintings will draw her inexorably into his world. Their growing intimacy sparks whispers; and when Vermeer paints her wearing his wife's pearl earrings, the gossip escalates into a full-blown scandal that irrevocably changes Griet's life.

Written with the precision and focus of an Old Master painting, Girl With a Pearl Earring is a vivid portrait of colorful seventeenth-century Delft, as well as the hauntingly poignant story of one young girl's rite of passage.

Review:

"A jewel of a novel." Time

Review:

"Chevalier's exploration into the soul of this complex but naïve young woman is moving, and her depiction of 17th-century Delft is marvelously evocative." New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Outstanding." USA Today

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:

"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:

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

Review:

"[A]bsorbing...Chevalier's writing skills 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:

"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

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:

"The elegant prose evokes contemplation, the pace is slow and cumulative, the drama emotional rather than visceral. Looking at the painting after having read the novel, the reader thinks, Yes, Chevalier got it right..." San Francisco Chronicle

Synopsis:

The runaway New York Times bestseller with over one million copies sold

Now a major motion picture from Lions Gate Films opening November 2003

History and fiction merge seamlessly in Tracy Chevalier's luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Griet, the world of 1660s Holland comes dazzlingly alive in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings.

Synopsis:

History and fiction merge seamlessly in Chevalier's luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Through the eyes of 16-year-old Griet, the world of 1660s Holland comes alive in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
gdreyer3586, November 16, 2009 (view all comments by gdreyer3586)
In my English class, we were given 5 possible books to read. I signed up for girl with a pearl earring and was not disappointed. The vivid imagery and descriptive plot made me want more. I literally couldnt put it down one night and read the whole thing. My whole group loved the book, and my other friends in that class all wish they had signed up for this one. You won't be disappointed!
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
narii, September 24, 2009 (view all comments by narii)
In my opinion, the book is dry and rather boring, the characters annoy me and the dialogues are lifeless.
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(5 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
bakurabi, September 24, 2009 (view all comments by bakurabi)
This book is honestly one of, if not the, worst book I've ever been forced to read for school, and I've read some pretty bad books. The plot, if you could even call it that, was so monotonous, that I often realized that I'd read the same line five times already without noticing. Also, the dialogue is so bland, the book would be better without it. If given the choice, I would have put this book down after the first page or two because there is nothing that would make you want to keep reading.
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(7 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780452284937
Author:
Chevalier, Tracy
Publisher:
Plume Books
Location:
New York, N.Y., U.S.A.
Subject:
General
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Historical fiction
Subject:
Netherlands
Subject:
Women domestics
Subject:
Artists' models
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Biographical fiction
Copyright:
Edition Number:
Movie Tie-in ed.
Series Volume:
no. FDA03-1328C
Publication Date:
October 2003
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
233
Dimensions:
7.80x5.06x.64 in. .50 lbs.

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