Tracy Chevalier Books

This is the Spanish text edition of a beautifully written debut novel. Exquisite in its imagery and clarity of language, the author tells two parallel tales. One takes place in sixteenth century France, during the Protestant reformation and religious persecution of the Huguenots (Protestants). The other takes place in present day France. There are historical ties that bind these two stories, as well as a haunting familial legacy that reaches out across time to makes itself felt in the present.

The sixteenth century tale is based around a young woman, Isabelle du Moulin, who marries a boorish lout named Etienne Tournier, the oldest son of one of the more prominent families in their provincial town in France. She is a young woman upon whom the Virgin Mary made a great impression, when she was but a girl. The Tourniers, however, are believers of the new, harsh, Calvinist faith, and so Isabelle must also fully subscribe to it, if she is to survive in her husbands family and in the town in which she lives. When the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurs, in which Huguenots are slain without mercy throughout all of France, Isabelle is forced to flee to safety with what remains of her husband's family. Unhappy in her marriage, she goes on to have an event occur in her life that is so tragic that her pain and sorrow is made palpable in the present, touching one of her ancestors, Ella Turner.

Of course, the parallel tale focuses around Ella Turner, a young, married American woman, who moves to France with her husband Rick, in order to advance his career. Ella agrees to the move, because it will take her to the region in France from which she knows her family originated. Once in France, Emma has some difficulty acclimating to life in the small provincial town to which they have moved, as well as to its denizens. Ella also finds herself having inexplicable nightmares and begins to feel herself somewhat alienated from her husband. To occupy her time, she begins a quest to discover more about her French ancestry. As Ella's story unfolds, alternating with the parallel story of Isabelle, commonalities between the past and present begin to emerge. These parallel stories then converge in a stunning denouement to resolve a tragedy of the past in the present.

The author combines historical fiction, suspense, romance, and touch of the supernatural all in one beautifully realized novel. The author writes with the heart of a poet and the soul of a great storyteller, one whose prose is delicately nuanced as she weaves gossamer threads of a tale well told. This is simply a superlative and stunning debut novel that will keep the reader turning its pages until the very last. Bravo!

In this German text edition of the best selling novel, "Girl with a Pearl Earring", the gifted author weaves a mesmerizing tale around Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's most famous painting, creating an incandescent and luminous work of her own. His painting is a simple, though enigmatic, portrait of a girl with a pearl earring, about which little is known. The author, however, a born storyteller, creates a living, breathing story around it, using a singular, first person narrative. Told in spare, elegant prose, the author leaps into literary renown with this book.

The events in the book are viewed through the eyes of Griet, a sixteen year old Dutch girl, whose changed family circumstances force her into taking a position as a maid in the home of a renowned painter, the taciturn Johannes Vermeer. There, the painter resides with his tempestuous wife, Catharina, their brood of unruly children, his commanding and shrewd mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and their loyal housekeeper and cook, Tanneke. The author lovingly details seventeenth century life in the Dutch city of Delft. It is here that Griet's story unfolds.

Sensitive and perceptive, Griet is attuned to the under currents in the Vermeer household and, at first, takes care not to draw attention to herself. Still, she, the daughter of a tile painter, is curious about Vermeer's artistry and is drawn to his work and his methods. Vermeer, sensing a kindred artistic spirit in Griet, draws her into his world of paint, color, light, and beauty, creating an intimacy of the spirit between the two.

Still, Griet, a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, finds herself confused and breathlessly desiring more than she may have. Her longing for more than a communion of the spirit with Vermeer is palpable. It is, therefore, not surprising that the undercurrents in the Vermeer household should come bubbling to the surface and engulf Griet, much to her consternation.

This is a stunning literary work that fully realizes the promise that the author showed in her debut novel, "The Virgin Blue". She is an author that understands the less is often more, and she makes every word count. Deliberate and spare, her prose is lyrical in its simplicity, weaving a tale that will keep the reader spellbound. This is historical fiction at its finest. Bravo!

This gifted author weaves a mesmerizing tale around Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's most famous painting, creating an incandescent and luminous work of her own. His painting is a simple, though enigmatic, portrait of a girl with a pearl earring, about which little is known. The author, however, a born storyteller, creates a living, breathing story around it, using a singular, first person narrative. Told in spare, elegant prose, the author leaps into literary renown with this book.

The events in the book are viewed through the eyes of Griet, a sixteen year old Dutch girl, whose changed family circumstances force her into taking a position as a maid in the home of a renowned painter, the taciturn Johannes Vermeer. There, the painter resides with his tempestuous wife, Catharina, their brood of unruly children, his commanding and shrewd mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and their loyal housekeeper and cook, Tanneke. The author lovingly details seventeenth century life in the Dutch city of Delft. It is here that Griet's story unfolds.

Sensitive and perceptive, Griet is attuned to the under currents in the Vermeer household and, at first, takes care not to draw attention to herself. Still, she, the daughter of a tile painter, is curious about Vermeer's artistry and is drawn to his work and his methods. Vermeer, sensing a kindred artistic spirit in Griet, draws her into his world of paint, color, light, and beauty, creating an intimacy of the spirit between the two.

Still, Griet, a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, finds herself confused and breathlessly desiring more than she may have. Her longing for more than a communion of the spirit with Vermeer is palpable. It is, therefore, not surprising that the undercurrents in the Vermeer household should come bubbling to the surface and engulf Griet, much to her consternation.

This is a stunning literary work that fully realizes the promise that the author showed in her debut novel, "The Virgin Blue". She is an author that understands the less is often more, and she makes every word count. Deliberate and spare, her prose is lyrical in its simplicity, weaving a tale that will keep the reader spellbound. This is historical fiction at its finest. Bravo!

This gifted author weaves a mesmerizing tale around Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's most famous painting, creating an incandescent and luminous work of her own. His painting is a simple, though enigmatic, portrait of a girl with a pearl earring, about which little is known. The author, however, a born storyteller, creates a living, breathing story around it, using a singular, first person narrative. Told in spare, elegant prose, the author leaps into literary renown with this book.

The events in the book are viewed through the eyes of Griet, a sixteen year old Dutch girl, whose changed family circumstances force her into taking a position as a maid in the home of a renowned painter, the taciturn Johannes Vermeer. There, the painter resides with his tempestuous wife, Catharina, their brood of unruly children, his commanding and shrewd mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and their loyal housekeeper and cook, Tanneke. The author lovingly details seventeenth century life in the Dutch city of Delft. It is here that Griet's story unfolds.

Sensitive and perceptive, Griet is attuned to the under currents in the Vermeer household and, at first, takes care not to draw attention to herself. Still, she, the daughter of a tile painter, is curious about Vermeer's artistry and is drawn to his work and his methods. Vermeer, sensing a kindred artistic spirit in Griet, draws her into his world of paint, color, light, and beauty, creating an intimacy of the spirit between the two.

Still, Griet, a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, finds herself confused and breathlessly desiring more than she may have. Her longing for more than a communion of the spirit with Vermeer is palpable. It is, therefore, not surprising that the undercurrents in the Vermeer household should come bubbling to the surface and engulf Griet, much to her consternation.

This is a stunning literary work that fully realizes the promise that the author showed in her debut novel, "The Virgin Blue". She is an author that understands the less is often more, and she makes every word count. Deliberate and spare, her prose is lyrical in its simplicity, weaving a tale that will keep the reader spellbound. This is historical fiction at its finest. Bravo!

Vermeer's famous portrait of a girl with a pearl earring and her hair covered completely in fabric has always beguiled me. The style of the painting, the expression, the clothes, the earring, the direct stare and longing in the mouth and eyes have always made me want to know more about the model.

Ms. Chevalier's book dealt with those questions quite well, and took my understanding of the subject to new depths that I had not considered before. If I had only gained that increased understanding of the painting, I would have found this to be a worthy book.

The story is also filled with interesting details about the artistic methods of the time and preparation of materials. That information was an unexpected bonus.

Vermeer is known for having produced few works. Ms. Chevalier has provided many intriguing ideas about why that might have been the case.

On top of these artistic questions, Ms. Chevalier has written a lively story of a young woman whose family falls on hard times so that she has to take up work as a maid in Vermeer's household. She finds herself at the bottom of the pecking order and is often treated unfairly. Like Cinderella, her true qualities are eventually appreciated and she finds her Prince Charming. The story also provides many helpful details about town life in Delft during the 1700s.

The Cinderella story was a bit overdeveloped compared to the artistic aspects of the story. Had the two aspects been in better balance I would have found this to be a five star book.

If you normally enjoy historical romances, you will probably like this book better than I did.

Keep smiling!

This gifted author weaves a mesmerizing tale around Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's most famous painting, creating an incandescent and luminous work of her own. His painting is a simple, though enigmatic, portrait of a girl with a pearl earring, about which little is known. The author, however, a born storyteller, creates a living, breathing story around it, using a singular, first person narrative. Told in spare, elegant prose, the author leaps into literary renown with this book.

The events in the book are viewed through the eyes of Griet, a sixteen year old Dutch girl, whose changed family circumstances force her into taking a position as a maid in the home of a renowned painter, the taciturn Johannes Vermeer. There, the painter resides with his tempestuous wife, Catharina, their brood of unruly children, his commanding and shrewd mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and their loyal housekeeper and cook, Tanneke. The author lovingly details seventeenth century life in the Dutch city of Delft. It is here that Griet's story unfolds.

Sensitive and perceptive, Griet is attuned to the under currents in the Vermeer household and, at first, takes care not to draw attention to herself. Still, she, the daughter of a tile painter, is curious about Vermeer's artistry and is drawn to his work and his methods. Vermeer, sensing a kindred artistic spirit in Griet, draws her into his world of paint, color, light, and beauty, creating an intimacy of the spirit between the two.

Still, Griet, a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, finds herself confused and breathlessly desiring more than she may have. Her longing for more than a communion of the spirit with Vermeer is palpable. It is, therefore, not surprising that the undercurrents in the Vermeer household should come bubbling to the surface and engulf Griet, much to her consternation.

This is a stunning literary work that fully realizes the promise that the author showed in her debut novel, "The Virgin Blue". She is an author that understands the less is often more, and she makes every word count. Deliberate and spare, her prose is lyrical in its simplicity, weaving a tale that will keep the reader spellbound. This is historical fiction at its finest. Bravo!

I read "La Jeune Fille a la Perle" ("Girl With a Pearl Earring") because I was so enthralled by the 2003 film adaptation directed by Peter Webber from a script by Olivia Hetreed. When I saw the movie I was impressed by its visual elements but now that I have real Tracy Chevalier's novel I am really impressed by Hetreed's screenplay. Usually when I am inspired to read a novel after I see a film it is to get more of the story, thinking that less than half of what is in the book has made it to the screen. That is most decidedly not the case with "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Johannes Vermeer's 1665 oil on canvas painting, which hangs in The Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis in The Hague, is considered one of his masterworks. It is a portrait of a young girl, wearing a turban and a pearl earring, looking over her shoulder, her lips parted slightly, set against a black background. But if you are familiar with Vermeer's body of work, most of which represented the corner of his studio in which he worked, then clearly "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is an atypical work. This painting has raised a series of questions ever since it was rediscovered in 1882: Was the pearl real? What is she wearing a turban? Was the painting intended to be a portrait? Nothing is known about whom Vermeer used as his model, so the biggest question of all is Who was the girl in the painting?

Chevalier answers all of these questions, and more, by creating a young girl named Griet. After her father, a tile maker, is blinded in a kiln accident Griet is sent to work cleaning in the house of Vermeer in the Dutch city of Delft. She is Protestant and the Vermeers are Catholic, which adds another element of strangeness to the young girl when she moves into the house. Vermeer's wife, Catharina, is about to deliver another baby, and Griet is to help with the household work. But she is also given the job of cleaning the master's studio, where she faces the daunting task of cleaning the objects on display without moving them from their position.

Griet is a smart girl, which for some may well be the Achilles heel in the conceit spun by Chevalier since they may well conclude that neither Greit's education nor her experiences would allow her to come up with the deep thoughts she has at critical points in the narrative. But that intelligence is necessary to the story Chevalier wants to tell and the foundation for everything that follows is Griet's common sense conclusion that cleaning the widow's in Vermeer's studio will change the light that falls on his subjects.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" is about the art of painting and we learn, through Griet's eyes, something of Vermeer's technique, especially with his use of the camera obscura. But it is also something of a love story, in that Griet cannot help but be smitten with the man who ends up painting her portrait, even if the thought that something might actually happen between them never really enters her mind. For a time, in Chevalier's story, Griet serves as a muse of inspiration for a great painter who produced a true masterpiece.

This is not a true story. Most of the characters really lived and you can travel to the Netherlands and see the actual painting, but Chevalier's answer to all of the questions swirling around Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" are only creative speculations. Yet in the final analysis Chevalier achieves the ultimate level that author's aspire to when they tell such tales in that we wish that this was indeed a true story. Chevalier makes Griet as memorable as the painting she inspires in this 2000 novel.

On the back of the my copy of this novel author Deborah Moggach, author of "Tulip Fever," says that she read Chevalier's story with a book of Vermeer's paintings beside me. I read "Girl with a Pearl Earring" after not only seeing the movie but after checking out all of Vermeer's paintings online, so that when Chevalier talks about the paintings "Woman with a Pearl Necklace" and "The Concert" I was able to visualize them. I wish that reproductions of those paintings had been included in this novel as well as the cover picture of the titular artwork, the same way I wish that I could see the paintings and architecture that matter in Dan Brown's novels. Since you can easily find a couple of excellent websites with Vermeer's artwork I would strong recommend that even if you have also seen the movie, that you be able to have the same advantage as Griet and be able to study these great paintings.

In this Spanish text edition, this gifted author weaves a mesmerizing tale around Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's most famous painting, creating an incandescent and luminous work of her own. His painting is a simple, though enigmatic, portrait of a girl with a pearl earring, about which little is known. The author, however, a born storyteller, creates a living, breathing story around it, using a singular, first person narrative. Told in spare, elegant prose, the author leaps into literary renown with this book.

The events in the book are viewed through the eyes of Griet, a sixteen year old Dutch girl, whose changed family circumstances force her into taking a position as a maid in the home of a renowned painter, the taciturn Johannes Vermeer. There, the painter resides with his tempestuous wife, Catharina, their brood of unruly children, his commanding and shrewd mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and their loyal housekeeper and cook, Tanneke. The author lovingly details seventeenth century life in the Dutch city of Delft. It is here that Griet's story unfolds.

Sensitive and perceptive, Griet is attuned to the under currents in the Vermeer household and, at first, takes care not to draw attention to herself. Still, she, the daughter of a tile painter, is curious about Vermeer's artistry and is drawn to his work and his methods. Vermeer, sensing a kindred artistic spirit in Griet, draws her into his world of paint, color, light, and beauty, creating an intimacy of the spirit between the two.

Still, Griet, a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, finds herself confused and breathlessly desiring more than she may have. Her longing for more than a communion of the spirit with Vermeer is palpable. It is, therefore, not surprising that the undercurrents in the Vermeer household should come bubbling to the surface and engulf Griet, much to her consternation.

This is a stunning literary work that fully realizes the promise that the author showed in her debut novel, "The Virgin Blue". She is an author that understands the less is often more, and she makes every word count. Deliberate and spare, her prose is lyrical in its simplicity, weaving a tale that will keep the reader spellbound. This is historical fiction at its finest. Bravo!

Vermeer's famous portrait of a girl with a pearl earring and her hair covered completely in fabric has always beguiled me. The style of the painting, the expression, the clothes, the earring, the direct stare and longing in the mouth and eyes have always made me want to know more about the model.

Ms. Chevalier's book dealt with those questions quite well, and took my understanding of the subject to new depths that I had not considered before. If I had only gained that increased understanding of the painting, I would have found this to be a worthy book.

The story is also filled with interesting details about the artistic methods of the time and preparation of materials. That information was an unexpected bonus.

Vermeer is known for having produced few works. Ms. Chevalier has provided many intriguing ideas about why that might have been the case.

On top of these artistic questions, Ms. Chevalier has written a lively story of a young woman whose family falls on hard times so that she has to take up work as a maid in Vermeer's household. She finds herself at the bottom of the pecking order and is often treated unfairly. Like Cinderella, her true qualities are eventually appreciated and she finds her Prince Charming. The story also provides many helpful details about town life in Delft during the 1700s.

The Cinderella story was a bit overdeveloped compared to the artistic aspects of the story. Had the two aspects been in better balance I would have found this to be a five star book.

If you normally enjoy historical romances, you will probably like this book better than I did.

Keep smiling!

A friend recommended this book to me and I completely loved it. The movie adaptation was completely beautiful, adding a visual aspect to the story, but the book, as usual, managed to carry more depth to the story; a sense of how very hard the girl had to work, the kinds of pressure she was under and how very dangerous it was for her to pose for the painting.
Unforgettable.

we read this in English class. So good... easy words, but created a great sense of romance and mystery

This good book took me back to times long ago when life was so very different. It had a very good story line. However, toward the end it got off track and the plot was lost for a while. Because of the ending I gave the book a 4 star rating. Pity really as with a little more care at the end the author could have had a classic on her hands.

I will confess that I watched the film before reading the book, and I will also admit that I did enjoy the film version a bit more. I am a fan of the artist Vermeer, and was more interested in his character in "Girl With a Pearl Earring," than I was with the character of Griet. Not a bad read, though. The back drop of 1600s Holland saved the chick-lit plot line of the book. I will recommend this book to those who like fairy tale stories. Griet is a kind of Dutch Cinderella who goes from simple servant, to muse, to wife.

Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier is a haunting story about the woman who is seen in Johannes Vermeer's painting of the same name. It is about more than just the history behind the painting though, it tells the story of a teenage girl who becomes a woman, in the most realistic way possible. Though the story is set in 17th century Holland its themes transcend time and are still relevant in today's world. The author's objective to show not only the story behind the famous painting, but also the life of a developing woman who is falling in love for the first time, from the inside out is clearly seen. The author argues that love does not have to be physically acted out to be felt and understood. She also shows that strength that one does not know that they have can be found in the most unexpected of circumstances.
A brief summarization of the plot is that Griet, a lower class peasant girl in 17th century Holland is placed as a maid in the well to do household of Johannes Vermeer. She soon discovers that her place among the family is to neither be seen nor heard, her only escape is cleaning the studio of the painter. It is here that she falls into a fantasy world of colors and paintings. Vermeer takes notice of the girl and asks her to be his assistant. The two began to understand each other on a higher level and Griet falls in love with him. She secretly assists him on a daily basis, in time the mistress of the house finds out but allows it to continue because she feels that the family will benefit from it. Eventually he paints a picture of her to acquiesce to an affluent friend's wish, he asks her to wear his wife's pearl earrings for the painting and in doing so Griet seals her fate in the household. The climax of the story occurs when Vermeer's wife sees the painting and becomes livid. Griet leaves the home and marries a butcher who had been courting her, though she never forgets Vermeer. At the end of the story she is summoned back to the home after Vermeer's death and revives the earrings that she wore in the picture because he left them to her in his will.
Chevalier uses many things to show her objectives in the book. Such as scenes where Griet is grinding up paint for him carefully or thinking about how she would make his paintings better by changing things. Or by showing the way she deals with the chaos that surrounds her in the household. She holds herself together, never showing the weakness that she feels. She successfully shows the thoughts and feelings of the girl in the most simplistic and raw way possible. In support of her argument that love does not need to be physical to be felt there are more blatant scenes where the two are alone together in the studio. The most moving of these is when he is about to begin painting Griet and she tells him that she doesn't want to wear his wife's pearl earrings. This is the first time that she has ever defied him and he is not happy with her because of it. When she is in the storeroom changing and putting on the turban that she uses to cover her hair he walks in behind her and sees her hair for the first time. This is a very intimate moment for them because no one ever sees her hair. They stare at each other and everything is right between them again. It is here that the relationship between the two is reveled, the moment is so private and solemn that you feel intrusive reading it. Though they do not touch, they connect.
The book will definitely change the way that you view Vermeer's painting forever because it is so realistic. When looking into the mystery girls eyes you can't help but see Griet and her story. Chevalier is very persuasive in telling the story. The story transports you to a different time and place, it is amazingly engaging. My only criticism is that halfway through the book you know how it will end. But this does not make you want to stop reading, because even though you know how it ends, you want to experience it along with Griet. The intended audience for the book is very vast because the story is so timeless. The story is also very historically accurate in regards to the time period and area. I would recommend this to everyone who is not only interested in Vermeer or history, but who has ever loved and lost.

I thoroughly enjoyed Girl but this book left me asking "why?". It was depressing and a waste of time. It gave me bad dreams the night that I finished the book. Disfunction, neglect, infidelity, need I go on?

I love the way this book is written. Each chapter is from alternating characters' points of view (very much like Poisonwood Bible but not as tedious). The language is succinct but beautiful and quite descriptive of Victorian England, which I adore! I really could not put it down... Brava to Chevalier! The ending is VERY sad though. Be prepared. I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars, but 4 will do.

The story of Maude Coleman, Lavinia Waterhouse and their families is told in the first person by each character involved so it reads very much like a diary. I like how the reader gets to see everyone's perspectives on a situation instead of hearing a story from just one angle. We hear the traditional and modern views of the time...in a changing world where the women's suffrage movement is getting more and more forceful leading (in this story) to the Hyde Park demonstration.

As someone who enjoys walking around old Victorian cemeteries it was lovely to have this one brought to life with the people who visited and worked there. I found the details of mourning etiquette during the Victorian period and the early 1900's fascinating: How long is acceptable to mourn, what to wear and what to do with it after the mourning period is over, and the views of the time on cremation and who should be buried where in the cemetery.

A sensitive and fascinating book.

Boy, a cemetary as the lead character! This was the way our book club handled the discussion of this book. We were able to tag each character with how the cemetary affected their lives. I liked the short bursts of narative in the small chapters. There was much to discuss regarding the customs of the time and the role of women. How the marriages worked out - or not - was quite surprising.
We left the book wanting to know what happened next.

I could not wait till bedtime to pick this book up and read on. It was written so well and kept me wanting to know more. This book was fantastic and I would recommend it to everyone.

call me just an "average Jane" but I like reading stories where at LEAST one character has some redeeming feature that endears the story to me, the reader.

In The Lady And The Unicorn I would have been happy to see every character fall off a cliff. From the horrid, rutting painter, to his vain, selfish "true" love, her miserable and misery making mother and all the rest are only worthy of a long walk off a short pier. The only recommendation worthy parts of the story were about the tapestry weaving, which were interesting and informative.

If your idea of a "a fun evening reading" is to sink five feet in dark, depressing and selfish machinations, then this may be the book for you.

2 stars for making even unicorns cringe worthy.

If I were a fan of shoddily crafted pornos that one might find in the check-out line at CVS, I'd be pissed. ONE measly, grotesque sex scene? And, alright, he feels up a 14-year-old girl as well. How grossly unsatisfying. Having to read this schlock with a critical eye (it was a school assignment) was mildly entertaining, only because it might be one of the worst pieces of writing I have ever encountered. I was overjoyed that the book was a quick read; spending more than two days on this dreck is nothing short of masochistic. With every passing page, rife with overly simple language, inappropriate or anachronistic similes, and the same voice for every character, I found myself less and less engaged with the story. The depth of the characters and plot is that of a puddle. This book was so abysmal that during a trip to Paris soon after reading it, I refused to enter the Cluny, free of admission, to see the tapestries. It shames me to no end knowing that the author and I both grew up in the same place. Money spent on this novel could be put to better use by hurling it off a bridge.

Far raunchier than The Girl with the Pearl Earring...with the key character in the book being a Parisian artist whose main hobby is seducing women (or should that be farming?!) ;-)
Chevalier tells a good story though and I enjoyed the way each character had their own chapters where we heard their take on things.
Chevalier's particular talent is for bringing the sights and smells of her settings alive to the reader, therefore she was the ideal author to describe a tapestry relating to the five senses. I felt I could see and smell the places described, from the fragrant lily of the valley in Aliénor's garden to the early warning smell of Jacques Le Boeuf!!
In addition, the colour plates depicting the tapestry were very useful to refer to throughout the story.

I found this book interesting historically, artistically and in the very human way we conduct our relationships. The author has surely suceeded in making us look at the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries with new eyes and a little romance.

I read this book a few months back and I still think of it, meaning it left an impression.

Like Girl with the Pearl Earring, the prose are absolutely tight and seemless, with very few snags to jar the reading.

Honestly, I find it irritating when a book changes between characters, because I get wrapped up in one. This book was an exception. Each character had a distinct voice and each wove into the others' lives, like, what else? A tapestry.

I felt for all of the characters and, like Girl with the Pearl Earring, this story created in me the feeling that there was some underlying power at work, something bigger than the characters. Nice.

Tracy Chevalier has a solid formula for success--choose a period, populate it with both familiar and fictional characters, and tell a story that mixes historical fact with a fictional narrative that is, nonetheless, meticulously researched (the bibliographies in the backs of her books are extensive). The formula worked beautifully in Girl With a Pearl Earring, and perhaps even better in Falling Angels, but not so well in The Virgin Blue, where you can sort of feel her finding her footing. The Lady and the Unicorn, though, remains my favorite of all of her books. It might not be as heartbreaking as Falling Angels or as subtle as Girl With a Pearl Earring, but it's deliciously naughty, contains rich period detail (who knew 15th century tapestry weaving could be so fascinating?), and is full of complex characters that you can't help rooting for, even when they behave despicably. I still find myself re-reading it occasionally. And, as with the famous painting she based her other book on, I won't ever look at the unicorn tapestries in quite the same way again.

I was fascinated with this book. I also bought the DVD and enjoyed it as well but books add so much more detail and information.

A very interesting and entertaining book. A great compliment to the movie. I had no clue as to who Vermeer was until I saw the movie and heard all about it from my fiance. I bought the book and movie for her for a Christmas gift. She let me leaf through the book and I found the images of his paintings to be breathtaking. The descriptions written about them in the book was very imformative. I would recommend this book accompany any purchase of the movie.

I've gotten two-thirds of the way through this book and I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. "Why," I ask myself, "am I reading this unromantic, pedantic, academic book? Nothing about it works, from the telling of the tale in the first person to the unlikely possibility that Vermeer needed help with his subject matter. Lusterless and Pedestrian.

One of the best books I've read in a long time. The beautifully written novel tells the tale of the real artist Vermeer and a fictional muse, sixteen-year-old Griet, who becomes a maid because of her father's misfortune. Seventeenth-century Holland comes to life with fascinating details, believable characters, and Tracy Chevalier's undeniable talent.

Johannes Vermeer, one of the famous Dutch painting masters from the seventeenth century, in the middle of his career created a portrait of a girl with a pearl earring, in a turban, often called "The Dutch Mona Lisa". The girl from the painting looks at us with mysterious expression, sometimes appears sad, sometimes hiding a smile... What is her story?

Tracy Chevalier created one possible version in her novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring" where some historical facts mix with fiction to create the beautiful story, vivid and colorful, reminiscent of Vermeer's paintings... The atmosphere of the book is incredible, unique, as if it were an account of an eye-witness and not the figment of the author's imagination.

Griet, a sixteen-year old daughter of a glass blower from Delft, disabled after a work-related accident, , from an impoverished, but hard- working family, inherited her father's artistic sensitivity. She starts a job as a servant at Vermeer's house and the painter becomes intrigued seeing her vegetable compositions. When Vermeer notices Griet, her life changes - she becomes his aide and, finally, a model for the famous portrait. She get a chance, but at the same time enters the different world, full of obstacles unfamiliar for her, and she needs to be careful. Their fascination with each other cannot last long...

In Holland of the 1600s the social order is strictly defined. The Protestants are completely separate from Catholics, the poor from the rich, the masters from the servants. This is why Griet and Vermeer do not even think about a romantic relationship, despite their similar view of the world. Johannes has to paint to feed his ever-growing family and satisfy his possessive, jealous wife, Catharina, who except being the mother of his children does not have much in common with him, and his mother-in-law, the greedy and conniving Maria Thinks, who manages very well to get more and more orders for his paintings. The portrait of a servant and the growing, although mainly spiritual, intimacy of the artist with Griet cause tension in the family and after a while Griet's dismissal seems inevitable and many intrigues and repressions from Vermeer's family members and friends make her leave. Such ending is obvious for all involved parties and any regrets remain unspoken... Griet marries Pieter, the cheerful butcher's son, and moves on. Only much later, the surprising gift reminds her of the time at the painter's home.

The characters are full of life: Vermeer, a full-blown artist; Griet, girl who in other reality could change her destiny; Catharina, a woman who does not see beyond her traditional role; Maria Thinks, clever and resourceful; and many other minor protagonists, sketched skillfully and with precision. It is easy to imagine the clothes, simple, ascetic surroundings, streets of Delft - the prose is very descriptive and full of details.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" is an enjoyable book, but it is also one of the rare examples, where the film based on a novel exceeds it - the 2004 screening by Peter Webber with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth is a great movie.