$17.50 (242pp)978-1-878448-90-3, “There was something in this girl he could never grasp, an inner life inscrutable to him. Amsterdam, 1943. Magdalena recalls sitting for the portrait and remembers how she wondered then what she meant to her father. The stories contain exquisite visual descriptions of his artwork and the everyday lives of ordinary women. What Love Sees is a love story of a blind couple who refuse to accept limitations. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. A previously "undiscovered" Vermeer is revealed and the author traces its ownership back in time to its origination. She teachers English literature, creative writing and art in the San Diego public schools. The stories are told from the present to long ago, back in time. Welcome back. Her books have been translated into 26 languag. Book review: Girl in Hyacinth Blue. I'm admittedly voracious in all things and that does not exclude my reading choices. by Penguin Books. Compare and contrast Hannah Vredenburg and Anne Frank. Linda Salisbury Book Review Club: Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland Posted on April 1, 2015 by Linda / Lyndi The March topic for my readers group was The Arts, so I looked through my Kindle app and saw that I had purchased a copy of Vreeland’s Girl in Hyacinth Blue when it was a daily deal. Luckily, you don't have to know art history to enjoy the book. One of my all-time favourite books by one of my all-time favourite authors, GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE tells the story of a painting in a series of interlinked vignettes moving backwards in time. September / October 1999. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Girl in Hyacinth Blue at Amazon.com. How is The Girl in Hyacinth Blue’s plot different from a typical novel, with rising action, a climax, and falling action and a denouement? The author of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. She is known for writing historical fiction on art-related themes, including Girl in Hyacinth Blue, The Passion of Artemisia, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany. If you have I need to draw a picture for each chapter to represent that chapter. The portrait has perhaps the most meaning for Vermeer’s daughter, who appears in the final poignant story, “Magdalena Looking.” In 1696, as a woman with bad teeth, she sees the painting at an auction and yearns to own it again. She is known for writing historical fiction on art-related themes, including Girl in Hyacinth Blue, The Passion of Artemisia, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany. This is the case with, Susan Vreeland is an internationally renowned best-selling author and four-time winner of the Theodor Geisel Award for Fiction, the San Diego Book Award’s highest honor. Girl in Hyacinth Blue tells the story of a painting by the Dutch painter Vermeer, as it passes from one owner to another. Help? Occasionally the stories are linked (the last guy is guilty over his Nazi father's theft of the painting from a Jewish family and the 2nd owner gets it along with a baby whose origins are explained in the next story), but more often than not the current story protagonist simply got the painting at an auction. Try again or cancel this request. Interestingly, the story is told in reverse chronological order, beginning with the math teacher who, at present time, hides the painting in his home, to the girl in the painting and her wishes to become an artist herself. This will subscribe you to all of our newsletters, announcements, and promotional content. share. 100% Upvoted. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Tracing the influence of one extraordinary picture on a succession of human lives, it touches gently yet thoughtfully on such weighty topics as the immortality of a great artwork and the … The Forest Lover follows rebel British Columbia painter Emily Carr in her encounters with native peoples and cultures. Interestingly, the story is told in reverse chronological order, beginning with the math teacher who, at present time, hides the painting in his home, to the girl in the painting and her wishes to become an artist herself. She lives in San Diego, California. I never expected that I was deeply engrossed in the stories most especially Morningshine, From the Personal Papers of Adriaan Kuypers and Still Life. . Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Each chapter also deals with the decision of each character to give up the painting for various reasons. It tells it's journey in reverse starting with it's present day owner who is a Math professor in Philadelphia and working it's way back to it's origins in The Netherlands where the daughter of the painter must relinquish her hold on it when her circumstances are dire. They all find some co. From a proud father regretting his lost love to a compromised French noblewoman, from a hanged girl to Vermeer's own gifted daughter, Susan Vreeland's beautiful and luminous tales link to form an evocative jewel. Start by marking “Girl in Hyacinth Blue” as Want to Read: Error rating book. However, the act of giving up the painting is difficult for all; they struggle with it but know that selling/giving away the painting must be done out of necessity. However, reading The Girl in Hyacinth Blue with Pearl Earring in mind is quite helpful because so much is made of the girl in the book’s painting’s appeal and engagement with the viewer. I also like how a glimpse into each family's lives makes them real and endearing to us. Book Review: Girl in Hyacinth Blue This novel by Susan Vreeland begins with a painting that one instructor shares with another at a private academy in Pennsylvania and ends with the creation of the painting itself, hundreds of years earlier. He admires the work but has never shown it to anyone else, as he inherited it from his father, who had been a Nazi soldier. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in history, particularly fans of Lydia Syson and Elizabeth Wein. See 2 questions about Girl in Hyacinth Blue…, Johannes Vermeer - The Art, Paintings and Life of Jan Vermeer "Van Delft", Johannes Vermeer’s influence and inspiration, A Debut Novelist's 2020 Reading that Mirrors Our Timeline. With 30-Day Free Trial. . Reviews; Girl in Hyacinth Blue; Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Feed the child.” The resolution of this mystery was perfect. Maybe I was tired, but I also had a difficult time tracing the painting's transfer of ownership until it came to the last few. Discover what to read next TIP SHEET. The reader is taken on a journey with the painting, its owners and their lives, back in time to the 17 th Century when Johannes Vermeer is painting his daughter. to the next. Well, basically, this is a collection of sho. To still it for a moment, long enough to paint,... Review of Girl in Hyacinth Blue (9781878448903) — Foreword Reviews ⓒ 2020 Foreword Magazine, Inc.All rights reserved. A little gem of a novel is Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue, a series of short tales about a mysterious painting attributed to the great 17th-century Dutch artist Jan Vermeer and its effect upon the lives of all who come in contact with it. The book centers around a painting by Vermeer of a young girl sitting … Work and a little play and a lot of prayer.”, “If two people love the same thing, she reasoned, then they must love each other, at least a little, even if they never say it.”, Book Sense Book of the Year Award Nominee for Adult (2000). He noticed “her eyes, pale cerulean…[how the] open window reflected her face, and in one pane, the image of her cheek shone luminous as though blended with the dust of crushed pearls.”. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland is a book about artist Johannes Vermeer. Girl in Hyacinth Blue: “There was something in this girl he could never grasp, an inner life inscrutable to him. Review each chapter and then decide on a major action or event … Book Summary and Review, Self-improvement, Summareview Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland, Book Review Have you ever heard about the artist Johannes Vermeer? Synopsis. The Girl in the Blue Coat is a powerful, historical mystery. Girl in Hyacinth Blue is a painting and the author "leads us gently backwards in time with a reverse chronology that reveals the painting's complex history." The fictional portrait, the “Girl in Hyacinth Blue,” becomes the pearl that is not crushed as it is sold, stolen or tenderly given by one owner This was a wonderful book that is not only an excellent work of historical fiction but also presents an intriguing mystery that makes for an enjoyable read. Girl in Hyacinth Blue tells the story of an imaginary painting by Vermeer, and the aspirations and longings of those whose lives it illuminates, and darkens. I haven't read this book, but drawing a picture for each chapter shouldn't be that difficult if you've read it. Occasionally the stories are linked (the last guy is guilty over his Nazi father's theft of the painting from a Jewish family and the 2nd owner gets it along with a baby whose origins are explained in the next story), but more often than not the current story protagonist simply got the painting at an auction. Then I found this while I was sorting box recently. Knowing nothing about art history, this means little to me. usan Vreeland's second novel, ''Girl in Hyacinth Blue,'' may be a book about a painting, but it is never content with surfaces. However, the execution was less than fabulous. Luckily, you don't have to know art history to enjoy the book. I would compare it to Tracy Chevalier's. “Love Enough” relates that its present owner, an American professor, has hidden the painting because it reminds him of the terrible truth about his father’s past. 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