I'm not much of a fan of short stories. But in this case they don't seem like short stories because all these people are linked by the painting. I read it because we had chosen "Girl with a Pearl Earring" for our book club (being set in the Netherlands) and somebody suggested this would be a good addition. So, some of us read both the books. I'm glad I did. I guess, if you liked "Girl with a Pearl Earring", you will like this one, as well.
Again, the main subject of the novel is a painting, however, in this case the life of the fictitious painting by Vermeer is described, starting with the last owner. A lot of interesting stories, every important timeframe is included and the change of owner is almost every time highly dramatic.
The painting has a different effect on every owner and through this we can understand a painting better.
I loved this book, it shows history in its best form, through the people who lived it.
We discussed this in our book club in December 2001.
From the back cover:
"A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to view a painting he has kept secret for decades in Susan Vreeland's powerful historical novel, Girl in Hyacinth Blue. The professor swears it's a Vermeer -- but why exactly has he kept it hidden so long? The reasons unfold in a gripping sequence of stories that trace ownership of the work back to Amsterdam during World War II and still further to the moment of the painting's inception."
See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2022.
See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2022.
This was a fun read for me. I enjoyed it too. Have you read any other books by Susan Vreeland? I have not, but I do have Clara and Mr. Tiffany in my 'tbr' stack.
ReplyDeleteNo, I have not. I always wanted to but somehow ... I just checked what else she wrote and discovered that she died three years ago. RIP Susan Vreeland.
DeleteSad new about her death!!
DeleteDefinitely sad.
DeleteSounds very good!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you ever watched the documentary Tim's Vermeer? So so good, about Tim reproducing the way Vermeer managed to have this presence of light in his paintings. Absolutely fascinating
Thanks, Emma. No, I haven't even heard of that. But then, I usually scroll over anything that involves either Penn or Teller, let alone the two of them together. Their kind of humour just isn't mine. So, I'm not going to buy their DVD but I will watch it if I come across it on TV or Netflix. Promise.
Delete