Girl with a Pearl Earring

"Creative historical fiction "

"I loved that this novel brought forth an explanation for one of history’s most iconic paintings. Well written and imaginative, but also down to earth and very believable. "

"232 pages"

"Love Dutch and Netherlandish painters and paintings"

"insanely captivating."

"Interesting spin on the story of the painting that kept you intrigued and was a quick read. "

"It had been a long time since i read this so my review is not “fresh”. This was the second book I read by Tracy. The first introduced me to historical fiction and I got hooked into this genre. I was very glad I read this book. "

"I didn’t think I’d like this book but it was actually super interesting "

"Found this at the used bookstore and honestly thought I wouldn't like it. A literary, historical fiction based upon art? I was expecting major pretentious high-brow language that would be a pain to read. This book is remarkably simple and easy to read, though. The prose is sparse and straightforward and you can zip right through it. I found that refreshing. The portrait painted of 1600's Dutch life is intriguing, the characters are interesting, and the powerless role of women portrayed in the novel, particularly those of the servant class, is disturbing to read about. My criticisms would be that some elements of the Dutch life feel a bit too "modern," making me doubt some of the authenticity of the novel. However, having sparse knowledge of Dutch history, I cannot say for certain - maybe they were a culture so advanced in the 1600s. Also some of the symbolism felt forced and contrived, particularly her obsession with blood on the male hands and the correlation of the loss of female innocence. It felt heavyhanded at times and repeated too often as if she was trying to cram the obvious meaning down our throats. All in all, though, a page-turner that kept my attention and actually piqued my interest enough to want to research Vermeer and learn a bit more about Dutch life."

"Chevalier has a way of pulling you into the story. Such a simple setting yet such complex emotions."