"Girl With a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier is historical fiction about Vermeer. Its sense of modesty and restraint, as befitting 1600s Netherlands, makes for a mature counterpoint to modern times. The characters have deeply felt passions but it's all interior and controlled. The story hinges on the transgressive nature of existing in a person's mind as a person, which is much more dangerous than a fleeting moment of wild sex. Society was extremely heirarchical and rigid and many people were treated like subhumans. Whenever I read historical fiction - like The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman -- I always shiver and feel grateful to live today.
I loved the book and I'm interested to see the movie.
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My book club loved this book when we read it several years ago. I really need to see the movie, too. Glad you enjoyed it.
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