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A review by helen
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
3.0
I was fascinated by 17th century painting processes, and I liked comparing the descriptions of Vermeer's in-progress paintings with the finished products, but the rest of the story left me cold.
The author says in her note that she wrote the book the way Vermeer paints - spare, focussed, stripped down to the essentials. I appreciated that it was relatively short, but the lack of any lingering on emotion or atmosphere meant that I wasn't as engaged and invested in Griet's story as I wanted to be.
On the plus side, I liked that Vermeer himself remained mysterious and was seen from Griet's limited point of view. I didn't want to be in the head of a 30-something man who is obsessed with his 17 year old employee.
Content notes: death of sibling from plague, religious prejudice, sexual harassment and assault, death of child (off page), pregnancy and childbirth, on page sex</spoiler
The author says in her note that she wrote the book the way Vermeer paints - spare, focussed, stripped down to the essentials. I appreciated that it was relatively short, but the lack of any lingering on emotion or atmosphere meant that I wasn't as engaged and invested in Griet's story as I wanted to be.
On the plus side, I liked that Vermeer himself remained mysterious and was seen from Griet's limited point of view. I didn't want to be in the head of a 30-something man who is obsessed with his 17 year old employee.
Content notes:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Pregnancy