Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Book Review: Appallingly written rip-off
Summary: 1 Stars
In fairness, this is not really a rip-off of a better-known book about a Vermeer painting (Tracy Chevalier's lovely Girl with a Pearl Earring.) It's simply a dreadful book. Vreeland's prose is loose and sloppy, and some of the "facts" she presents in her stories are simply incorrect. However, what really makes this book a loser is that her stories are just dull, dull, dull. Every time I put this book down I had to *force* myself to pick it up again. Do yourself a favour and don't waste your time.Book Review: Art and Literature
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've ever held and antique in your hand, and wondered about all the tales it could tell, this book is for you. I understand each chapter was written as a stand alone short story, but put together, Vreeland weaves an incredible tale about one of Vermeer's paintings. If you've ever loved the light of Vermeer's paintings, you'll be even more enchanted by this fictional "story telling" of the life of a painting.Book Review: Art as an obsession.
Summary: 4 Stars
Susan Vreeland `s Girl in Hyacinth Blue is a most unusual novel. Positing the existence of a 36th Vermeer painting, the book explores the power that art can exert upon us to the point of obsession.The book is essentially 8 different yet interrelated short stories about the circumstances of the historical owners of the painting in question, the Girl in Hyacinth Blue. The transition between stories is accomplished through a series of interlocutory vignettes concerning the circumstances of Vermeer's life and the actual creation of the painting. Although I actually like Vermeer's work, I knew next to nothing about his personal life and found these passages quite interesting.
On the whole I found the stories quite compelling as well, though there were a few that would have benefited from a bit more development and a more thorough presentation.
However, on the whole I found the book quite riveting and entertaining. In the end I was left wishing the painting did in fact exist-even without knowing what it actually looked like--the cover illustration aside-I felt a bit obsessed with it myself. That Vreeland could evoke such a feeling says a lot about the quality of her book.
Book Review: As a Driven leaf
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an excellent portrayal of a rabbi in ancient Israel who has a crisis of faith and searches for proof of god in secular studies. It is an easy read. Many of the hero's thoughts can be applied to agnostics today. What made this rabbi's crisis so difficult was that he was one of the most esteemed rabbi's in Israel. Many of the conflicts which occur in this book can be applied to the tensions between today's secular and reformed jews and the orthodox and fundamentalist jews. It sheds some light on the reason fundamentalist jews fear and forbid secular studies among their members. They are afraid that those who study secular subjects will desert the fundamentalist movement. This notion is particularly understandable today because studies in modern secular sciences etc. are likely to defeat even the most sacred traditions among the orthodox such as keeping kosher. Students who study modern science,medicine, and technology are likely to desert the orthodox and fundamentalist movements and so sadly such studies are discouraged in favor of torah study etc. The rabbi in this tale returns to his belief in god but he is shunned because of his exploration. His situation at the end of his quest is one of horrific conflict and anguish. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone of any religion,because it is an engaging and well written story.Book Review: As a Driven leaf
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an excellent portrayal of a rabbi in ancient Israel who has a crisis of faith and searches for proof of god in secular studies. It is an easy read. Many of the hero's thoughts can be applied to agnostics today. What made this rabbi's crisis so difficult was that he was one of the most esteemed rabbi's in Israel. Many of the conflicts which occur in this book can be applied to the tensions between today's secular and reformed jews and the orthodox and fundamentalist jews. It sheds some light on the reason fundamentalist jews fear and forbid secular studies among their members. They are afraid that those who study secular subjects will desert the fundamentalist movement. This notion is particularly understandable today because studies in modern secular sciences etc. are likely to defeat even the most sacred traditions among the orthodox such as keeping kosher. Students who study modern science,medicine, and technology are likely to desert the orthodox and fundamentalist movements and so sadly such studies are discouraged in favor of torah study etc. The rabbi in this tale returns to his belief in god but he is shunned because of his exploration. His situation at the end of his quest is one of horrific conflict and anguish. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone of any religion,because it is an engaging and well written story.