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Tracy Chevalier: Girl With A Pearl Earring

J

jenn

New Member
i finished this last week. having just read the other boleyn girl it was definitly a contrast in writing styles. where tob was very descriptive and would go deep into the thoughts of the protagonist, pearl was the opposite. still it was very good. i came away with a sense that vermeer was a selfish artist. he would sacrifice people to get the painting finished. i felt sorry for griet who is so trapped by her situation, but she is a very strong girl and through out the book only loses her way one time.
i also spent about 4 hours looking at and reading about vermeer and his work. obviously the author took license with his personality, and there was no muse as far as we know. still, now when i look at the painting, can't take my eyes of the pearl earring.
 
"Girl with a Pearl Earring" was very surprising to me. I know a few people who complained it was boring and that nothing much happened and so I hadn't expected to like it. However, I was completely entranced and thought that Tracy Chevalier created a totally believable world where I empathised with Griet's situation. I also thought that maybe the calmness of the narrative mirrors the calmness of the portrait.
 
I liked the way the author referred to Vermeer as 'He' all the time, never by name or title. To me this emphasised Griet's attraction to him, elevating him above the others in the household. But what a mean guy he turned out to be.

Jane
Herts, UK
 
i like what you said clara. it really nails on the head what i was feeling but was having a hard time vocalizing. i also thought the tension she created between griet and vermeer was well done. it wasn't over the top, it was quiet but it was palpable.
 
Hey murraymint and welcome to the forum. I'm originally from Bedfordshire (the poor neighbour of Hertfordshire) but I hope you won't hold it against me!

Jenn, I'll have to get The Other Boleyn Girl and have a read. I'm into Antonia Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots at the moment so am in the right period.
 
murraymint11 said:
I liked the way the author referred to Vermeer as 'He' all the time, never by name or title. To me this emphasised Griet's attraction to him, elevating him above the others in the household. But what a mean guy he turned out to be.

Jane
Herts, UK
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i noticed that as well. i'm not sure how i feel about griet's attraction to him. i wasn't drawn to him, but i loved griet so much that i felt there must be something there i am missing. to me it seemed an attraction based on being invited into a world where no one else is allowed to go. it made her feel special, but she wasn't arrogant about it. i'm still thinking about it.
 
This book was my assesment for Literature last term.
I thought it was very well done. Tracy Chevalier did an amazing job at portraying her themes, the time period and her characters. I love her descriptions and details. Great book.
Lani
 
I almost picked this up yesterday. The problem was that I ruined it already for myself by seeing the movie. (And the books is ALWAYS better ..... well except for "Field of Dreams"). Do those of you that read this, is there still something to get out of the book even after seeing the movie?
 
you know i haven't seen the movie and i love miss scarlett. maybe i will rent it this weekend and get back to you.
 
I am surprised to hear that anyone would find Girl With a Pearl Earring boring, but then I remember that everyone has different tastes. Chevalier's novels are, like Anita Brookner's, intellectually and emotionally demanding.

Some people prefer not to make the effort. IMHO, it is their loss.
 
I got the book from the library and going into it I also thought it might be boring, but I ended up reading it in one sitting. I still can't put my finger on why I devoured it so quickly, I think it might have had something to do with Chevalier's writing and how she drew the reader in to Griet's personality, almost. I became as focused and intent and hardworking as her while I was reading it. And, I really wanted to see how things would turn out with her.
 
This is one of my favourite books, I have read it quite a few times. I love Chevailer's discriptions and as Vermeer is one of my favourite artists it was interesting to read about a fictional discription of his life, as not much is known about him.
 
my AP European History teacher absolutely loves this book.. and has recommended it more than once.. it's based on a specfic painting.. the writer wrote what might've happened behind based on that painting or whatnot
 
If you guys liked this book (as I did) you should try Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. That is historical fiction too, set in Holland around the same time period. It's a re-imagining of the Cinderella story, but without any cheesiness, and it's pretty grounded in reality. Highly recommended. :)
 
GWAPE was one of those books that I picked for its cover and then (fortunately) enjoyed. It certainly did start a cover trend though, didn't it?
 
KristoCat said:
If you guys liked this book (as I did) you should try Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. That is historical fiction too, set in Holland around the same time period. It's a re-imagining of the Cinderella story, but without any cheesiness, and it's pretty grounded in reality. Highly recommended. :)
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Kristo -

I'm going to look into that one. Thank you.

The Prussian :)
 
scooter13 said:
I almost picked this up yesterday. The problem was that I ruined it already for myself by seeing the movie. (And the books is ALWAYS better ..... well except for "Field of Dreams"). Do those of you that read this, is there still something to get out of the book even after seeing the movie?
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YESSS. Definitly. I saw the movie first, and thenr ead the book (after a certain time period...maybe a year and a bit) and i still very much enhoyed the book.

They arent the same, there are a lot of differences, and yer.

Definitly read the book!

Lani
 
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