: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Fantastic book. The story is a fiction about the life of a 17th Century maid in Delft, Holland, who posed for Vermeer’s famous painting, “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” What I liked about the book — besides the amazing detail of a maid’s life in Delft, the clash of classes and religions, the wonderful character of Griet, the young maid, the glimpse into the mind of a genius painter — is the simplicity of the story. Chevalier wisely allows the character to be story and doesn’t overcomplicate it with irrelevant subplots or flashy distractions. She’s a simple maid and has a simple life. That gives her story strength and makes it all the more remarkable. We relate to her: she’s not some ephemeral angel or distant, unknowable beauty. She’s human, an ordinary person, with an extraordinary spirit. She’s intelligent, kind, and a hard worker who struggles through life just the way we do. It’s a remarkable story and told in such an authentic way you have trouble believing it’s not factual. Amazing writing. The movie’s coming out next month and I can’t wait to see it. It sounds like it’s awesome and does the book justice.
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