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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'
Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
10 reviews
phantomgecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I guess I'm a little confused as to why Griet being in the painting was such a big deal. Like... Vermeer mainly paints women, so that's fine. Tanneke, also a maid, sat for a previous painting, so that's apparently fine. Another man is literally paying Vermeer to make the painting specifically of Griet, so it's not like it's just Vermeer having a weird obsession.
I totally appreciate the double standards and victim blaming nature of the whole thing. Vermeer is too cowardly to be honest with anyone, and Griet is punished for doing things her employer asked her to directly do. But I still don't get why everything has to be so secretive.
Why is it scandalous for Griet to help mix paint? Why can't she just straight up say from the very beginning that Vermeer asked her to assist him. I legit for real don't get it.
Again, I understand that Catharina has never liked Griet, and she's jealous that her husband pays her special attention. But why is that Griet's problem? Why did she agree to hire her in the first place if she was going to be aggressively rude? It's just not that good of a reason to justify the behavior of everyone in the house.
There's never an acceptable explanation, and my bafflement prevented me from enjoying the book as I could have.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really liked that the book was told in the first person and the reader sees Griet, Vermeer’s wife’s maid and his model, grow into herself as a young woman. Within the confines of her circumstances, Griet does what she can to have a measure of independence, even if sometimes that independence is only in her unconventional thoughts. She’s a lonely young girl who is on her own when she first arrives at the Vermeer’s and she learns to use that isolation as a shield.
I loved the attention to small quotidian details - taking a pail to the market for the meat or the fish and starching her cap by soaking it with potato peels. I liked the comparison the life of a lower class tile painter vs that of a well-to-do portrait painter. I loved watching Griet as she learned to really see, and her failed attempts to explain the the different colors of white to her father.
This is a wonderful story, well-told, and a fascinating look at mid-17th C Holland.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Classism
lolsno's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
frankieclc's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death and Adult/minor relationship
mme_carton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Grief, Body horror, Medical content, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child death, Classism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Excrement, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
hope_sky321's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Grief, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
sandy_21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
vivireads99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
rchristine11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
prettyfunctional's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
tw: main character lives with the threat of sexual assault by older men