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"

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

"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. "

"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."

"A historical fiction romance sooo good!"

"Super fast read, engrossing story set in 17th century Holland which was a refreshing change. Gorgeously descriptive. Afterward it was cool to go look up some of the paintings that were described and see all the little things that were referenced by the book."

"Beautiful and rich"