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Loading... Girl in Hyacinth Blue (original 1999; edition 2000)by Susan Vreeland
Work InformationGirl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (1999)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Beautifully-written historical fiction, told in reverse chronological order through a series of eight interconnected short stories, about the provenance of a fictional painting purported to be by Vermeer. I was impressed by the author’s ability to create the mood of each time-period over the course of approximately three hundred years. I thought the author did an excellent job of showing how each of the painting’s custodians imbued a personal meaning into the artwork and did not part with it lightly, revealing the power of art to impact the life of an individual. Themes include the timelessness of great works of art and how art evokes different, but equally valid, reactions in each person. If you enjoyed [b:Girl with a Pearl Earring|2865|Girl with a Pearl Earring|Tracy Chevalier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327197580s/2865.jpg|3358875] or [b:The Last Painting of Sara de Vos|25664459|The Last Painting of Sara de Vos|Dominic Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494524049s/25664459.jpg|45487238], you will likely appreciate [b:Girl in Hyacinth Blue|321577|Girl in Hyacinth Blue|Susan Vreeland|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1364742503s/321577.jpg|19815]. Recommended to fans of historical fiction or art-related literature. no reviews | add a review
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Eight linked stories tracing the history of a painting by the 17th century Dutch artist, Vermeer. In one, he paints his daughter to pay off debts, a second story describes the loss of the ownership papers, a third takes place on the eve of its theft by the Nazis. By the author of What Love Sees. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I do give Vreeland very high marks for research though. Everything from early 18th century drainage mills to Erasmus to pigeon keeping was described in satisfactory detail.
I did love the last two stories, though the "mystery" she alludes to in her interview was not at all a mystery---it was pretty clear from the beginning of the story who was the true artist. ( )