Holiday Reads: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

"The background was black, making me appear very much alone, although I was clearly looking at someone. I seemed to be waiting for something I did not think would ever happen. He was right - the painting might satisfy van Ruijven, but something was missing from it."

"...I knew before he did. When I saw what was needed - that point of brightness he had used to catch the eye in other paintings - I shivered..."

"Catharina herself gave him the answer... His eyes were fixed on his wife's pearl earring. As she turned her head to brush more powder on her face the earring swung back and forth, caught in the light from the front windows. It made us all look at her face, and reflected light as her eyes did.

That is it, then, I thought. He has his answer."

I found Girl with a Pearl Earring to be a pleasant read, leaving me with a warm lingering feeling. It is set against the backdrop of 17th century Holland and although we cannot actually buy a plane ticket to travel back in time and visit 17th century Holland, Girl with a Pearl Earring took me on another journey, a journey of discovery.

What I enjoyed the most was how Tracy Chevalier took you on a journey from the conceptualisation to the actualisation of Vermeer’s paintings in a way that made it come alive. The paintings transformed from a mere object that hangs on a wall into one of the characters of the book that also has a voice and a story to tell.

She delicately details the artist’s rationale in creating his masterpieces and the thought processes of why things come to be within the portrait. She expresses how the lives of all the characters influence the creation of the painting and once completed, the painting contains all of life’s secrets waiting for the viewer to discover.

By drawing you into the creation of each work of art, Tracy Chevalier gave each painting a personality and a heartbeat. As you read, you slowly start to form a life-like image of a portrait that consists not only of colours on a canvas but a story and a soul. The painting opens its heart to you and invites you to discover the emotions and stories that hide behind the colours.

Girl with a Pearl Earring allows the beauty of art to reach out and pierce your heart with an unforgettable touch, sending you on a journey of discovery.