An evocative look at life in Delft, Holland in the 1600’s. A quietly gripping tale of what might have been.
The story is a fictionalised account of the circumstances surrounding the painting of Vermeer’s masterpiece ‘Girl with a pearl earring’.
Griet, the central character, is a strong, honourable, modest and likeable character and the events that overtake her, because of the sensibilities of the age, are tense and exciting. The writing is smooth, exact and fluent.
I would often flick to the cover to look at the painting, adding extra life to this great novel.

Um livro muito plástico e impressivo onde nos é aberta a porta da casa e do estúdio de um dos maiores expoentes da arte flamenga do século XVII, Johannes Vermeer. Da casa do pintor situada no Canto dos Papistas, as janelas abertas para a cidade de Delft permitem ao leitor sentir o pulsar de vida de uma típica cidade mercantil holandesa e divisar toda a amálgama social que nela se movimentava. As criadas, os açougueiros, os mercadores ricos, os modestos pintores de azulejos.

E tudo nos chega através do olhar atento e arguto de Griet, a criada dos Vermeer que, não deixando de ser uma mulher do seu tempo com todas as limitações que tal implicava, é impelida a escolher o seu destino.

Em termos simplistas, esta é a história muito bem contada de como um brinco de pérola salvou um quadro e a dignidade de uma mulher.

فضای ارومی داره و انگار داریم توی یک نقاشی امپرسیونیستی اروم اروم قدم میزنیم. نه قراره شوکه بشیم نه چیزی. ولی داستان اونقد قوی هست که مارو دنبال خودش بکشونه. لذت بر انگیز برای لم دادن کنار افتاب و فکر نکردن به هیچ چیز و دنبال کردن این ماجرای جالب!

I am a little biased since the Vermeer painting of the same name captures my attention like few other paintings I have ever seen. My eyes just swim in it. Obviously, I am not alone.

But while I am captivated by the woman’s eyes, the author, Tracey Chevalier, must have been consumed by them. Not surprisingly, the author writes her historical novel like she was there in 1664 Holland, and I can’t give her a better compliment than that.

I am also partial to this novel because the author gives the painted woman life. We know Vermeer's painting and his brilliance, but we don't know anything about the subject he painted nor if he was a good or bad man himself. It’s an intriguing premise. In this novel, the woman is no longer merely an object of desire but a fleshed-out human being, flaws and all. It’s like watching an Instagram Influencer create a beautiful photograph of herself and share the moment on social media. What happens after she puts away the camera? Is she just as happy as she was in the photo? Does her smile fall flat? The same goes for this painting. Does the woman’s look of innocence change once the artist puts down his brush? Because of this novel, one of the most famous unnamed women in history now has a name, Griet, and better yet, a coming of age story.

It begins when 16-year-old Griet has to leave her home when her father gets blinded in an accident and cannot work. Indebted, he pays his debt through his daughter, and she must live in Vermeer’s household as a maid. Vermeer’s sensuous talent naturally attracts the young Griet to his studio. While there, she develops a talent for mixing colour for Vermeer’s paints and soon gains a deeper appreciation of his art. Meanwhile, Vermeer is stuck in an artistic rut, and his household suffers. Art means food on the table, and even though they are aristocratic, they live beyond their means. But Vermeer is only inspired to paint when a licentious patron fixates on Griet, and Vermeer strikes a bargain with the man to paint her as a means to protect her. This temporary fix results in a cost to all. The wife’s cost is having Griet around her husband when she senses her husband wants something more. The cost to Vermeer is to paint for a man he abhors. The cost to Griet, who has no stature in this house, is far worse. Forced to navigate a world of jealousy, pettiness, and regret, she must walk a fine line between suffering and loneliness, contentment and belonging. The choice she makes affects them all. While the pearl earrings she wears in the painting plays a part, it is not what you think. Her eyes tell you more.

Check it out.

A sharp, sensitive and absorbing novel of 17th century Netherlands, combining history art and fiction. The remarkable author Tracey Chevalier fleshes out and embellishes the story who the girl in the painting by Johannes Vermeer could be.

Griet, a 16 year old Dutch girl in the town of Delft from a poor Protestant family is hired out as a housemaid to the wealthy Catholic painter. His household include Vermeer's vain and jealous wife, Katharina, Katharina's cordial and wise mother, Maria Thins, Tanneke, the Vermeers' other older household servant and the Vermeer children.

Griet is wooed by Pieter, the handsome son of the local butcher, while Griet's parents worry she is losing her soul in the ostentatious Vermeer household.
Griet's sister dies of the plague, and things grow more difficult for Griet, in her place of work, and in the circumstances of her family.
which become more desperate.

But the novel reaches its climax when Vermeer coerces Griet into being the model for one of his most ambitious works. Things spin out of control though for Griet there will be happy ending.
Heartwarming, in parts amusing, a fable of self and disparate components, and hope and despair. A sterling piece of literature form a master novelist.

Finished: Excellent writing. Each character was portrayed with depth. I kept thinking that I should quote this line or that, but this was impossible without giving spoilers. You must read the book to get into each of these characters and to submerge yourself into their lives. The book is not only about thes principal characters but also about what motivates an artist to create. Who is an artist? Isn't it someone who simply cannot stop himself from painting, or playing music, or sculpting shapes, or catching just the right image on the film, or simply a dancer who physically CANNOT stop dancing..... There is an urge within that is stronger than everything else. I am so sorry to close the book's covers and leave their world.

Through page 152: I will start with a quote and then explain my thoughts:

"Whatever she saw or understood, she decided it was time to stir the pot once more (sir up trouble). For no particular reason but a vague distrust, she did not like me."

People tend to feel more at ease with some rather than others. All of us tend to like some particular type of person over another. There is nothing strange about that. But my question is why do some people have to cause trouble for those they for some inherent reason simply don't like? The movie was a total failure in its ability to convey the causes of the characters' emotional undercurrents. It is the examination of these undercurrents that makes this story so marvelous. The movie was very pretty, yes, but that's all. I remember specifically leaving more confused and empty after seeing the movie. Sort of with the question: what was that all about on my lips?! The book has enticed me to go to Delft and see the city where Vermeer worked. It is only 1.5hr from here. This is a "must-do" now. I love the book. I wonder what I will find out. And OMG some people are yucks!

Through page 106: What is the relationship between Vermeer and the maid Griet? THAT is the primary question underlieing this book. This is made clear in the foreword. It arises b/c the painter has managed to make the expression of Griet so intriguing - is she sad, thoughtful, enticing or laughing. Look at the painting and you can see several emotions. So what is going on between the master and the model - some relationship must exist, but what exactly is the nature of that relationship? Known historical facts are lacking. We can only hypotehsize and make conjectures, but thinking about the possibilities is the impetus that caused Tracy Chevalier to write this book.

Here follows a quote:

"Sleeping in the attic made it easier for me to work there(near the studio), but I still had little time to do so.I could get up earlier and go to bed later, but sometimes he gave me so much work that I had to find a way to go up in the afternoons, when normally I sat by the fire and sewed. I began to complain of my not being able to see my stitchinging the dim kitchen, and needing the light of my bright attic room. .....I began to get use to lying."

"Once he suggested that I sleep in the attic, he left it to me to arrange my duties so I could work for him. He never helped by lying for me, or asking me if I had time to spare for him. He gave me instructions in the morning and expected them to be done the next day."

"The colors themselves made up for the troubles I had hiding what I was doing. I came to love grinding the things he brought from the apothecary....I learned that the finer the materials were ground, the deeper the color....Making it and the other colors was magical."

From this quote you taste the simplicity, the calmness of the language. You see the love and interest Griet had for the paints and their colors. Questions arise about Vermeer - how could he fail to understand that his additional work demands pushed Griet into an awkward position and even jeopardized her employment in the household?

Through page 36: You are right there, in Delft, Holland , mid-1600s. You smell it - the food cooking, the linseed oil in the painting room; you feel the fabrics, the air on your skin; you hear the sound of washing and ironing and cooking pots boiling and children playing and you see all the details you've seen when looking at paintings of this time period. Absolutely marvelous depiction of all the household items, market squares and canals and the paintings hung in every room of Vermeer's house. You feel Griet's fear of the paintings depicting Catholic beliefs - she is Protestant and there remain few Catholics in Delft after the Spanish were defeated.

You know I was putting off reading this b/c I was scared that I would be disappointed. Everybody praises this book and as long as I didn't read it I could stick to the belief that I would probably like it too. I didn't want to loose that hope, so I put it off! Dumb huh?! Well, I am not at all disappointed. Make sure you read the deluxe paperback version; it has beautiful pictures and an excellent foreword by the author.

I’ve never understood the fascination with this painting (nor the Mona Lisa). I wanted to understand and hoped this book would help, but it didn’t. It’s a story that probably couldn’t be verified other than some basic facts (like whether Vermeer had employed a girl with this name, but even that feels unlikely, unless the content of his will could be confirmed).

Easy read but nothing uplifting, inspiring, illuminating, or otherwise noteworthy.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier was an interesting historical fiction concept!

It was extremely cleverly how the author created Griet as the protagonist, maid and model for the famous painting 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'. No one knows who the models were for any of Vermeer's paintings. So, I applaud this author's imaginative use of creating a story around the Master Painter's exquisite painting.

Forced by her parents to become a maid to the Vermeer household, Griet is saddened to learn of the assignment. Hearing the news that she will reside with them and only be allowed to return home to her own family on Sunday's is heart wrenching for her. Regardless of her feelings, she diligently begins preforming her assigned duties of boiling, scrubbing, wringing, hanging and ironing the unmanageable heaps of laundry from this large and growing family. While the enormous pots of water are set on the fire to boil to begin the tedious laundering process, Griet often gets an early start on other assigned duties so no time is wasted during her long and exhausting days.

However, Griet's most important duty as a maid in this household is the privilege of cleaning Vermeer's upstairs studio. To enter the artist's studio is considered an honor bestowed on few as the painter does not even allow his wife, Catharina, the freedom to enter. In cleaning the studio Griet is instructed that it is to remain exactly as the artist left it the previous day. If an item is touched to dust under it, it must be returned exactly as it was found. Failure to follow the rules set by the painter concerning his studio will cause her to be dismissed and sent away.

Because Griet is allowed to enter Vermeer's studio, Catharina shows an immediate and obvious dislike for her. Her dislike transitions to jealousy and mistrust when the maid is asked by the painter to assist him in his studio attic for the process of grinding stones to create the colors for paints he plans to use. There seems to be an unspoken language, understanding and respect that develop between the painter and his maid concerning how they see light, color and the use of balance necessary for a finished painting.

Griet is the planned model for a promised painting to one of Vermeer's older patrons who openly lusts after the young and innocent maid. As the painter nears the completion of the painting, he insists Griet wear Catharina's pearl earrings to add needed reflection of light to the painting. Although she agrees the painting needs the reflective light, Griet is hesitant to comply fearing the backlash from Catharina for wearing her earring. Griet finally relents but boldly insists Vermeer place the earring on her lobe. He does so with a sensual tenderness, touching her lobe, inserting the wire and pushing it through. Griet speaks of what takes place next:

"He did not remove his hand. His fingers brushed against my neck and along my jaw. He traced the side of my face up to my cheek, then blotted the tears that spilled from my eyes with his thumb. He ran his thumb over my lower lip. I licked it and tasted salt.”

When Vermeer places the earring on Griet's lobe, she can only think of his fingers on her afterwards. It is clear she is infatuated by the quiet mystique of this painter. Perhaps he was also taken by her, discovering her ability to see the array of colors and light he sees in all things. Perhaps it was a longing of what could happen with the unleashing of forbidden desire. Vermeer chooses to move back to his easel and palette to finish the painting.

A historical fiction novel, built around a famous painting, brought to life by the rich colorful written words from this author's palette. It is beautifully simple, where the unspoken, eye-holding looks that pass between Griet and Vermeer are suspended in air and left to the imagination of the reader. There is so much between the lines in this book one does not discover until many days after finishing. As I write this review, I continue to flip through the chapters and discover more and more that I missed on my initial reading.

This is a masterpiece I will continue to savor forever!

در ویدیو بلاگ صفحه ۷۷ در یک پرونده‌ی دو قسمتی به سراغ بررسی این کتاب و نویسنده‌ی آن، آثار نقاشی یان ورمیر و فیلم‌هایی که براساس تابلوهای او ساخته شده است رفتم:
تماشای قسمت اول
تماشای قسمت دوم

اهمیت تابلوی «دختری با گوشواره مروارید» از لحاظ هنری مانند مونالیزای داوینچی است حتی برخی این تابلو را برترین اثر هنری تاریخ می‌دانند. نقاش این اثر «یوهانسن ورمیر» هلندی است که در قرن ۱۷ میلادی در شهر دلفت زندگی می‌کرده است. ورمیر در نقاشی‌هایش زندگی روزمره را به تصویر کشیده است،‌ زنی در حال شیر ریختن، دختری در حال یادگیری موسیقی، دختری در حال خواندن نامه، مردی پشت میز و… او این برش‌های کوتاه از زندگی روزانه‌ی مردم آن دوران را با فاصله‌ای مشخص از سوژه‌ها نقاشی کرده است. نحوه‌ی چیدمان صحنه‌ و محاسبه‌ی مکان قرارگیری هر جزء نقاشی و چشمان تیزبینش در کشیدن رد نور روی اجسام نشان‌دهنده‌ی نبوغ هنری اوست. تابلوی دختری با گوشواره مروارید بر خلاف دیگر تابلوهای این نقاش از فاصله‌ای نزدیک، بدون هیچ جزییات و وسایلی در صحنه‌ی نقاشی ترسیم شده است. از طرف دیگر از آنجایی که هیچ سند و مدرک تاریخی‌ای در مورد زندگی هنری این نقاش و سوژ‌ه‌های او وجود ندارد، این تابلو را به یکی از مرموزترین آثار هنری تاریخ تبدیل کرده است. تریسی شوالیه در این کتاب با کنار هم قرار دادن ۸ نقاشی از این نقاش کتابی بی‌نظیر نوشته است.

در این مورد در وبلاگ صفحه ۷۷ بیشتر نوشتم:
دختری با گوشواره مروارید، نگاهی ماندگار از قرن ۱۷

n  صفحه۷۷n
n  page77tvn

ریویویی که سال ۲۰۱۴ نوشتم:
شاید بعد از سال ها دوباره کتابی خوندم که با تمام وجود حِسِش کردم و از تک تکِ کلمات و جملات لذت بردم.. کتابی که بعد از خوندنش فهمیدم در واقع بیوگرافی ای از زندگی یه نقاش بزرگ بوده و دوباره خوندمش.. تک تکِ جزئیاتِ این کتاب برای همیشه در من جاری و لذتی که از خواندن چنین کتابی داشتم قطعا تکرار نشدنی خواهد بود..

Quite enjoyable novel . I wish the author had more descriptive writing of the geography and less of the maid tasks . Also I felt it was a fast read . I wish it were longer and more detailed .

La historia no me ha llamado mucho la atención si bien es cierto que está bien escrito y se lee con fluidez.
La historia trata sobre la suposición de como llegó a gestarse el cuadro de Veermer "la joven de la perla" que aparece en la portada del libro.
Nos cuenta como la protagosnista llegó a la casa de este pintor como criada y sus visicitudes con dicha familia baptista en Delf (el paises bajos).
# 38. Un libro sobre arte o un artista. Reto popsugar 2021
5/10

Excellent work of imagination; evocative and pictorial.