Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland ISBN: 0-14-029628-X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.01 (157 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Nine Gifts in One
Comment: Susan Vreeland has given us nine gifts wrapped in one book in Girl In Hyacinth Blue. Each of the 8 stories is in itself a wonderful gift - a story complete and rich and thoughtful. The the ninth gift is the book itself. The total of these stories is greater sum of its parts. Together they weave a fascninating recounting of the ownership of the painting. Give yourself nine gifts in one!
Rating: 5
Summary: The "provenance" of a great painting
Comment: Susan Vreeland's novel begins on a simple note: an art teacher is invited into the home of a colleague, and is shown a breathtaking painting of a young girl staring out a window, her sewing forever arrested in oil on her lap. The colleague claims the painting is an original Vermeer. The art teacher cannot quite accept this as truth, despite the erudite proof of the colleague, because the painting has no provenance, or line of succession, to prove its origins. Its existence is undocumented and therefore suspect. Thus the novel is launched. Vreeland takes her readers back in time to each of the painting's owners and their heartbreaking stories that lead to their surrendering it. The line leads back to Vermeer himself, with the girl who posed for the painting having the final word.
I read this brief novel in one sitting and yet felt completely satisfied upon its finish. The comparison to Tracey Chevalier's GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING is inevitable given the subject matter, though in my opinion, Vreeland's book has greater depth and is told more skillfully. Because she weaves a history of the Netherlands into her tale, one gets the feeling of the sweeping changes that accompanied the eternally wistful expression of the young girl with "an eye like a blue pearl."
I highly recommend this book for general readers, particular those interested in fine writing, art, and historical fiction.
Rating: 4
Summary: Sometimes Life is Wonderful; Sometimes Life is Hyacinth Blue
Comment: This bittersweer yet vibrant novel has many highlights that reward the reader throughout. Author Vreeland paints an amazing history of a mysterious and hidden work of art, making character after character come to life as she describes their various ownerships of this painting. The journey of the painting throughout the text will fascinate readers with an appreciation for classical art or art history. Vividly depicted scenes demonstrate the heart-felt desire for artistic beauty felt by many, despite social class standing or unbringing. As with any commodity, art and art collecting is deeply intertwined with monetary considerations, fashion and power. All these factors influence the owners, and the history of the picture.
Written originally as several related, but separate short stories, each chapter takes you back to another tale of the painting and its possessor. Supplimental naratives were written to fill in historical gaps; each story remains a complete tale in itself. Put together in reverse chronological order, this literary device works to stunning effect in this novel. The mystery of whether or not this painting was actually created by a famous old master, and how it began its long, fascinating journey are kept under wraps until the final chapter, when all the pieces and emotions rendered throughout come to a sad and realistic climax.
This is not necessarily a happy work. The focus is frequently on sadness and loss, but always realistically portrayed. Sometimes life is wonderful, but sometimes life is something else. The author was fighting a potentially terminal illness at the time of writing, admitting later that it heavily influenced her style during the writing process. Like Newton's Law of Action and Opposite Reaction, she really connects with the fact that most times, where there is a gain by one person, there is a loss by another. Or to get something, or keep something that you need, you have to give up something else with tremendous value. That's life.
This book is highly recommended for its originality and honesty, the exceptional use of reverse chronological order, and a beautiful and fluid story. There is an interview with the author at the end of the book, as well as a brief reader's group guide with discussion questions. Girl in Hyacinth Blue is most accurately rated at 4.33 out of 5.00 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.
 |
Title: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0452282152 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 08 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland ISBN: 0142001821 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0452283205 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 24 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0452284449 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 24 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0525947671 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 29 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
