Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.68 You Save: $10.32 (74%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Book Review: A good read...
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoyed this book, but had to keep reminding myself that it was written going back in time. I think I would have really enjoyed it more had I read the first story last - I actually went back and re-read it when I finished the book. While I do not believe in hauntings or possession, the painting had a curious effect on the last owner (first owner in book) and I am sure it was as a direct result of his feelings for his father and not the painting itself.
I recommend this book - it is a beautiful story in my opinion.
Kate
Book Review: A great alternative to "Girl With a Pearl Earring"
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful little book! As I was reading this, I couldn't help but make little comparisons between it and Girl with a Pearl Earring, a book which was quite a disappointment to me. Both books tell a (fictionalized) story of a Vermeer painting; Girl in Hyacinth Blue, with its backwards timeline, managed to grab my attention with the first story, and once I started, I ended up finishing the entire book in almost one sitting!
I definately know what I will be recommending that people read, instead of Girl With a Pearl Earring!
Book Review: A literary tapestry
Summary: 5 Stars
A tapestry is a work of art, where pieces of lovely cloth are woven together into something even more beautiful. So it is with Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Vreeland writes stories which are so touching in themselves and then she weaves the stories together to create a wonderful novel. This book evoked such strong images and elegant language that they will stay with me long after the book had been returned to the shelf.Book Review: A little slow
Summary: 2 Stars
I found the first half of this book to be fairly monotonous. While the concept for the novel--following a painting's owners all the way back to the painter--is interesting, Vreeland didn't really get me hooked in the first hundred pages. The stories got more interesting toward the end, but if I were a less voracious reader I might not have made it there.Book Review: A lovely novel
Summary: 4 Stars
A lovely novel which traces a painting believed to be a lost masterpiece by Vermeer from its present day owner all the way back to the painting's inception and creation. Vreeland sets the novel up as a series of short stories, each about the painting's respective owners and the spiritual/emotional impact it has on each of their lives. She succeeds in letting each story flow naturally, with imagination and gentle creativity, plucking out a moment in time in the life of each owner and allowing the reader to experience fully the circumstances of their lives, the circumstances within which the painting has comes into their possession, and the direct impact the painting has within that context. It's a daring piece of writing for a relatively inexperienced author (I believe this is her second book) and, to her credit, she handles it quite well, even if some of the vignettes are stronger and more passionate than others.