Girl with a Pearl Earring: A Novel [J0039]

2000 - PB Nice clean condition. The New York Times bestselling novel by the author of A Single Thread and At the Edge of the Orchard Translated into thirty-nine languages and made into an Oscar-nominated film, starring Scarlett Johanson and Colin Firth 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.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "A good historical fiction, that is a fun to read and look at the paintings along side it. Good themes about class, religion, and social constructions of the 1600s. Vermeer himself felt flat but Greit, Maria Thins, and Catarina were well flushed out characters."; "A fascinating peak into the routines, social transactions, and cultural and religious atmosphere of 17th century Delft during the time of Vermeer's life. I found Griet's story not only hard to put down, but filled with insight into the lives of Dutch people during a time of changing religious landscapes and the rise of secular art patronage."; "A beautifully told story about a young house maid that assists a painter by first, grinding material to create his paint and, in time, becoming his muse. A fictional novel based on a real, highly acclaimed painting. I loved the consistent, ambiguous tone throughout all 230+ pages. The dark settings in the house that felt warm but unreachable and the contrast of the market and visiting her family."