Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

May 8, 2007
Book suggested by Barb, and meeting hosted by Lucia.

We started the night by looking at beautiful photographs and tiles that Missy brought from her travels to Delft. We also learned more about the background of the book by looking at photographs of paintings and reading a forward of a "deluxe" issue of the book.

As in most of our discussions, we had a variety of opinions about this book. Some of us liked it immensely, while others thought it was relatively uneventful. For an historical novel, some of us thought that it was lacking in its integration of historical facts and culture. We were intrigued by the way the author developed the story by studying one of Vermeer's paintings. This book was not as complex as some others we've read, and was easy and quick to read.

We all agreed that the life of women of that time was NOT something any of us would want to live. People, especially women of that day, had few options, and were duty-bound to do what was necessary, rather than what was preferred. We discussed the situation that Griet was in, and could understand that she had little choice but to help provide for her family by working as a maid and marrying the butcher. But we were saddened by the circumstance, her father's accident, that led to that situation. We also felt sorry for all of her family's losses. We were horrified by the scene in the book where Griet lost her virginity, but thought that Pieter was a nice person. We could see the forbidden electricity between Griet and Vermeer, but some of us questioned Vermeer's sincerity. Some of us thought that he may have been interested in her only as an object to paint, and others thought he had some feelings for her, particularly since he gave her the pearls at his death.

When Vermeer refused to assist with the ear-piercing, one of us pointed out a parallel between that and birth control - it's a woman's responsibility. This proved that Griet would do anything for the painter. We talked about the significance of Griet preventing anyone from seeing her hair and thought that her hair kept hidden may have symbolized her private thoughts and the part of her that had to be constantly repressed. We laughed at the way she slapped one of her young charges within minutes of meeting her!

As we read this book, most of us admitted turning to the front cover numerous times to study the painting. The subject's clothes and expression left us guessing as to what emotions she was feeling, and the writer's interpretations of it made this book an interesting read.

Tracy Chevalier's website: http://www.tchevalier.com/