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    Girl in Hyacinth Blue
    Girl in Hyacinth Blue
    Girl in Hyacinth Blue
    Audiobook5 hours

    Girl in Hyacinth Blue

    Written by Susan Vreeland

    Narrated by Jennifer Baum, Gigi Bermingham and J.D. Cullum

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Picture this: quot;A most extraordinary painting in which a young girl wearing a short blue smock over a rust-colored skirt sat in profile at a table by an open window.quot; Susan Vreeland imagined just such a humble domestic scene, suggested it was created in 17th-century Holland, and attributed it to Jan Vermeer. Then she wrote a beguiling novel about this canvas, which so closely resembles the 35 extant works of the Dutch master that it might as well be one of his--long, lost, finally found, and as exquisite as ever. The artistic journey Vreeland recounts begins in present-day Pennsylvania, where a schoolteacher claims he owns an authentic Vermeer, a legacy from his late father, who acquired it under heinous circumstances: a Nazi officer, the father had looted it from the home of Dutch Jews.Moving back in time and across the Atlantic, Vreeland traces the treasured painting from owner to owner. In doing so, she demonstrates the enduring power of art in the face of natural disaster, political upheaval, and personal turmoil. Ultimately, she ends the odyssey in Delft, where the painting's haunting subject is identified and tells her own poignant story about the picture's origins.Each of the eight linked chapters has an irresistible painterly quality--finely wrought, artfully illuminated, and subtly executed. Together, they constitute a literary masterpiece, one that the New York Times Book Review praised as quot;intelligent, searching, and unusual... filled with luminous moments; like the painting it describes so well.quot;
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    Release dateSep 18, 2001
    ISBN9781598871098

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    Reviews for Girl in Hyacinth Blue

    3.5/5

    900 ratings54 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I love Vreeland's books. This is not my favorite though.
    • 3/5
      This isn't the story of Vermeer or of any particular character. Rather, it's the story of a painting. Each chapter is a short story about the people in possession of the painting and what they do with it. The book opens in the present, and each chapter then goes back another generation until you reach the end and finally meet Vermeer and his family. The only thing I wanted was a reproduction of the painting, but there aren't any notes in the book to tell you whether it actually exists or not. The cover has only a slice, not the whole thing.
    • 5/5
      A previously "undiscovered" Vermeer is revealed and the author traces its ownership back in time to its origination. Each owner (or custodian) has a slightly different reason for wanting to keep the painting, and different reasons for letting it go. Each time it changes hands, the owner is pained to part with it. And still, for everyone it represents longing and wishes unfulfilled.
    • 1/5
      One of the single most boring books I have ever read. "Girl With A Pearl Earring" this is NOT!!!!
    • 3/5
      Short, easy listen. More a series of short stories with the painting as the constant than a cohesive story. Pleasant enough but nothing outstanding.
    • 4/5
      A series of stories told in reverse chronology relate the history of a fictional painting by Vermeer. These short stories are individually enticing, put together, they have an exceptional result.
    • 2/5
      This book was not what I was expecting. It turned out to be a series of what were essentially vignettes going progessively back in time following the owners of a (supposed) Vermeer painting. Each chapter was therefore completely new characters, with the only commonality being the painting itself. I was hoping for a more traditional novel and this format did not hold my interest. I never felt compelled to move on to the next chapter, and so I just stopped reading it partway through.
    • 4/5
      If you love art and it's history this is a good read, even though she isn't real.
    • 5/5
      2007: Love the story, love the way it's written. When I finished it, I read the chapters backward. Fabulous book.———Re-read 8/21. Read it as written only, not backward.I re-read this before discussing on a podcast. This is just such a good book. It's not super literary, it's not hard to understand, it's just a fabulous example of original storytelling. Completely YA (especially high school) appropriate. Original.
    • 4/5
      Girl in Hyacinth Blue is a novel in short stories. I usually find this kind of thing to be a bit of a bait and switch. When I read a novel, I want it to be a novel. In my middle age, I've developed an appreciation for short stories that has been hard won over a few decades of not caring for them. Nonetheless, I generally don't like to be surprised by short stories hiding inside a novel. Here, though, I'll make an exception because how beautifully they're handled and because of the common thread of the painting around which all of them revolve.Girl in Hyacinth Blue follows a lost, forgotten Vermeer masterpiece from its painting to the study of the son of a Nazi, only it's done in reverse. As we follow the painting back in time, we meet a son tortured by his father's war crimes so dissonant with the man he knows, a Jewish girl making a sacrifice for safety that is hardly guaranteed, a couple troubled by a husband's former love, a philandering wife matched by a philandering husband, a couple who rescues a baby during a flood, and on back to Vermeer himself struggling to make ends meet and wondering if he shouldn't take a proper job to provide for his impoverished family but unable to turn away from the transcendent beauty that draws his eye and his talent always back to painting.Though a slim book, Girl in Hyacinth Blue in its journey through history is filled with the richness of human experience and captures all manner of people who themselves are captured by the beauty of a painting of a girl they will never know and yet feel a kind of kinship with. The idea of following a painting through history is fascinating on its own. Vreeland's execution of it is what is truly sublime.
    • 3/5
      Nice idea to follow a painting over the years but i wished the stories would have been more connected
    • 4/5
      Girl In Hyacinth Blue ????By Susan Vreeland1999Penguin A professor invites a colleague from the art department to view his painting he has kept hidden and secret for years, believing the painting to be one by Vermeer....Broken into short stories, each follows the ownership of the art piece, and its life and significance to that owner. Each story could stand alone, but taken together it gives a rich and unique insight into the world of art, specifically art ownership. It traces the work back to WW II in Amsterdam, when the painting was considered priceless.I loved this original, historical novel. It was excellent. It recommended it.Thanks to Jackie for this book!
    • 4/5
      Told in eight chapters, each was a story of an owner of the painting, which may have been a Vermeer. Caused a lot of discussion at book club.
    • 3/5
      This book bored me at first, but towards the end, it reminded me why I fell in love with Johannes Vermeer's work back when I was studying art history.
    • 4/5
      quick read that stays with you long after you're done - evocative vignettes about the power of art on the people whose lives were touched by a certain piece, and interesting lessons in the techniques and motivations of the artist - especially interesting in that so many of the people interpreted the art differently, even though it was just" a portrait and therefore may not seem to be as subject to interpretation as would abstract art seem to be"
    • 3/5
      I loved Susan Vreeland's "Forest Lover", so I was excited to try another one of her books. Sadly, for me, the book was confusing. It starts at a point, and then travels backwards in progression so that the beginning is at the end. Each chapter is a different set of characters telling their story. I wasn't able to sit down and read all the way through at once, and it was difficult for me to remember who the previous chapter had been about. It was hard for me to stay interested in the book for this reason.
    • 1/5
      Really? In comparison to "Girl With a Pearl Earring" this book was sorely lacking, we never really got to know any of the characters, the first 2/3 was tragic, the characters seemed to be quite secondary to the story Painting itself.... Even the story of the painting's provenance was boring.....
      I read this while taking a break from my cleaning, but I just did not enjoy it, in fact I didn't even care about the characters. The least Vreeland might have done (or the publisher) was to put the painting in question on the cover of the book.... But oh no, I had to Google it....
      I'm seriously thinking that I'll not read another of Vreeland's books, I do not like being disappointed in my reading selections, which is why I've cut back on my cookbook reviews.... I want to read about characters who engage my curiosity, who have redeeming qualities, who are not boring... and I want the books I read to be the same.....
    • 5/5
      I spent much of my childhood in museums. My mother was one of those rather obsessive tourist who thinks she will meet some monstrous fate if she does not see every museum and place where Paul preached. And God bless her for it, well, at least for the museum part. After several of the Pauline sites I finally rebelled and refused to go to Phillipi, instead staying at the hotel and reading Nancy
      Drew. What a little Philistine I was. But the museums! I have been in love with paintings from such a young age that this was a book meant for me.

      Several people have noted that
      the book makes us think about art and its realtionship
      to our lives. Yes it does, and beautifully. But this is not something that I need a book to remind me of. It is that which make this book a comfortable fit. What took my breath away was the reminder to really see
      the people in our lives, appreciate them fully, accept the gifts of who they are whether workaholic, silent girls, tiny foundlings. Cherish them, hold tight in your memory their essence, their look, their .... You get the idea.
      One of my favorite characters, a father and husband
      says it best when watching his daughter in the first throes of
      love, noticing the lovely color of her windburned cheeks
      "Notice. Pay attention. Notice this and never forget it."
      This morning took the time to savor my little girl's hug and the smell of her hair, a sunny warm scent mixed with the scent of the blueberry muffins we had baked for breakfast.

      Vreeland tells the painting's story with simple elegance. Certain parts I wanted never to end, especially the
      story of Saskia and her family. Vreeland paints pictures with her words that are poignant and vivid. She is never heavy-handed, always the perfect delicate touch.
      With seeming artlessness she achieves artistry. Beautiful.

      Incidentally, many people have said this book reminded them
      of The Red Violin* of which I know nothing. However, it
      did remind me of Iain Pears "The Instance of the Fingerpost,"
      a much longer and more unsettling book that I also love. The multiple view points is probably the reason

      *I have since seen The Red Violin, and here is remarkable similarity in theme and plotting. A riveting, lovely movie.
    • 4/5
      This is a story about the importance of art. For some, it has a life-changing impact that touches something in the viewer. For others, the life-changing impact comes from art as an investment. And for others, it is the history behind the art itself that is life-changing. A painting of a girl in hyacinth blue is the centerpiece of these inter-connected stories that trace its provenance back through time to its creation. Well written; a great story.
    • 5/5
      I liked the style using reverse chronology in this book. While it seemed like a series of essays or stories, the common thread of the painting held it all together. I love Vermeer's work, so this book prompted me to get out one of my Vermeer references and review my favorite paintings. It was also fun to look for the ones mentioned in the book.
    • 4/5
      This was a lovely and evocative story. The tale traces the life of a painting by Vermeer, from its present-day hide-a-way as a painful yet beloved reminder of a father's Nazi past, to the love of the daughter who posed for the painting. Although the story and, indeed, the painting itself, is fiction, the vignettes ring true with the cares of everyday life graced by an appreciation of the painting's beauty.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful look at a piece of art and its history. Makes one wonder about the "history" of any particular piece of art or antique. If you enjoy this book, check out the movie "The Red Violin" - another "history". Loved the writing style.
    • 5/5
      I want something fluffy that can stand up to interruptions. This was in the used bookstore and I can leave it for my notstepmother when I leave.

      This might not be as fluffy as I thought.

      Because of their subject and close publication dates I associated this with Girl with a Pearl Earring, which I love, and thought this was the fluffier. Nope. The prose is lovely, the characters alive despite minimal description, the stories true. Love!
    • 3/5
      I bought this book at least four years ago--before I was on Goodreads. This means all I had to go on was the back cover copy, a quick read of the first page, and an excellent visual presentation. I should have read the reviews before beginning the book--it was not a good morning to start off with a story about the holocaust, even if it was well written and short.

      As it turns out, the book is a series of short stories tracing the provenance of a mysterious Vermeer. Questions raised in each story are answered further down the line as the history is traced back to when the painting was done. Some of the stories are better than others, but it was ultimately a quick and enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      Intriguing collection of short stories tied together by a work of art by the talented Dutch painter, Vermeer.
    • 4/5
      A very interesting and unique treatment of the story. I thought the story started a bit slow, but then I was presently surprised after getting past first chapter. The story caught my attention and still left small pieces of the history up to my imagination.
    • 4/5
      I loved this beautiful story following a vemeer painting through time.
    • 4/5
      This collection of short stories begins with the reclusive owner of a beautiful painting, which he believes to be a Vermeer. The seven that follow trace the ownership of the painting back through decades. Some touch on the Holocaust, other delve into Dutch history, all the stories are connected by the common thread of the painting and the effect it has on each of its owners. There are love stories, tales of poor farmers and rich aristocrats, and even one featuring Vermeer himself. I was expecting this to be a boring read (I have no idea why), but I found myself really enjoying each account of the paintings journey through the years. Vreeland gives us a glimpse into eight very different worlds, obviously some of the tales work better than others, but all of them are interesting. She also manages to capture the reader’s attention with the first story and give the collection a sense of resolution with the final one.  
    • 3/5
      This novel is a series of 8 short stories, some first person and others third person, surrounding a Vermeer painting and its owners from present day working back to when the work was created. The painting has a different meaning for each story's protagonist.The stories range through centuries of Dutch historyYou could see the stories as paired. "Love Enough" and "A Night Different From All Other Nights" deal with the Holocaust. "Adagia" and "Hyacinth Blue" are the least connected--both are set in the 19th century and deal with the memories of disappointed love. "Morningshine" and "From the Personal Papers of Adriaan Kuypers" are linked by a foundling. "Still Life" is Vermeer's own story and "Magdalena Looking" features his daughter, the model for the painting. I think the two opening and closing stories are the strongest.The writing style is natural and flows well, but none of the individual stories feels like a standout to me, that contains a twist or evoked sharp emotion, nor do they feel as if they together made up a whole stronger than their parts. I can't help but compare this novel to a film with a very similar theme, The Red Violin, which was much stronger both in its parts and its whole. It's not that this is a bad book--but I don't think it's striking or memorable. It was a short, quick pleasant read though that held me to the end.
    • 4/5
      A fine book. Each chapter a story in itself. Some incredibly sad and I found the Chapter, Hyacinth Blues, hilarious!