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Girl with a Pearl Earring centers on Vermeer's prosperous Delft household during the 1660s. When Griet, the novel's quietly perceptive heroine, is hired as a servant, turmoil follows. First, the 16-year-old narrator becomes increasingly intimate with her master. Then Vermeer employs her as his assistant--and ultimately has Griet sit for him as a model. Chevalier vividly evokes the complex domestic tensions of the household, ruled over by the painter's jealous, eternally pregnant wife and his taciturn mother-in-law. At times the relationship between servant and master seems a little anachronistic. Still, Girl with a Pearl Earring does contain a final delicious twist.
Throughout, Chevalier cultivates a limpid, painstakingly observed style, whose exactitude is an effective homage to the painter himself. Even Griet's most humdrum duties take on a high if unobtrusive gloss:
I came to love grinding the things he brought from the apothecary--bones, white lead, madder, massicot--to see how bright and pure I could get the colors. I learned that the finer the materials were ground, the deeper the color. From rough, dull grains madder became a fine bright red powder and, mixed with linseed oil, a sparkling paint. Making it and the other colors was magical.In assembling such quotidian particulars, the author acknowledges her debt to Simon Schama's classic study The Embarrassment of Riches. Her novel also joins a crop of recent, painterly fictions, including Deborah Moggach's Tulip Fever and Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Can novelists extract much more from the Dutch golden age? The question is an open one--but in the meantime, Girl with a Pearl Earring remains a fascinating piece of speculative historical fiction, and an appealingly new take on an old master. --Jerry Brotton
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Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780007232161
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. OVER FIVE MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDEA phenomenon Jessie BurtonDazzling Daily MailTruly magical' Guardian Those eyes are fixed on someone. But who? What is she thinking as she stares out from one of the worlds best-loved paintings?Johannes Vermeer can spot exceptional beauty. When servant girl Griet catches his eye, she soon becomes both student and muse. But then he gives her his wifes pearl earrings to wear for a portrait, and a scandal erupts that could threaten Griets futureVivid and captivating, this timeless modern classic has become a successful film and an international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold around the world; now with a new introduction by the author.A veritable work of art one of those rare novels where all the decisions made by the author appear inevitable and right Rose TremainTimeless, delicate and as exquisitely measured as one of Vermeer's paintings. Tense yet perfectly-paced and filled with the beauty of life's colours, Girl with the Pearl Earring is a masterpiece in its own right. Just a phenomenon. I will hold this novel close for the rest of my life Jessie Burton, author of The MinaturistIf ever a novel rightly deserves its five millions copies sold achievement, it is this dazzling little masterpiece Absolute magic Daily Mail'A portrait of radianceTracy Chevalier brings the real artist Vermeer and a fictional muse to life in a jewel of a novel' TimeChevalier doesn't put a foot wrong in this triumphant work It is a beautifully written tale that mirrors the elegance of the painting that inspired it Wall Street Journal'A wonderful novel, mysterious, steeped in atmosphere, deeply revealing about the process of paintingtruly magical' GuardianIt is no wonder that this beautifully-written story has sold more than five million copies and been made into a successful film. An absolute triumph Womans Weekly OVER FIVE MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDEA phenomenon Jessie BurtonDazzling Daily MailTruly magical' Guardian Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780007232161
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780007232161
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. An international bestseller with over two million copies sold, this is a story of an artist's desire for beauty and the ultimate corruption of innocence. Seller Inventory # B9780007232161
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Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 4191847-n