Utter brilliance

This book is beautifully crafted, the author transports you to 17th century Holland into the home of The painter Vermeer. The descriptions are colorful and rich and the story so vivid it fills your imagination. One of the best books I've ever read.

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Loved this book

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book as it’s not the sort of thing I would normally pick up. However I have to say that I absolutely loved it and was gripped by it straight away. I’d highly recommend it.

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Just wonderful

Book beautiful, narration lovely and soothing. only occasionally found myself getting a bit annoyed with how she read the men's parts, but overall I loved it.

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Very enjoyable

Slow to get into but once you do it’s a captivating story, very descriptive and well presented, highly recommend.

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Beautiful story, beautifully read

What made the experience of listening to Girl with a Pearl Earring the most enjoyable?

I particularly loved the slow-paced plot full of wonderful descriptions of Delft, of Vermeer's home and family, and of his paintings. There is also a gradual sexual tension between Griet and Vermeer which adds an interesting dimension to the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I was fascinated by Maria Thins, who was Vermeer's mother-in-law. She seemed to know everything that went on in the house, and worked with Griet to help Vermeer complete his paintings.

Which character – as performed by Hattie Morahan – was your favourite?

Griet was my favourite character. She was beautifully portrayed by Hattie Morahan. Serious, quiet, yet passionate and bright, she is the most fully-developed character in the book.

Any additional comments?

This is a book I would read again - it is full of details of life in Delft at the time of Vermeer, and you almost feel as though you are in one of his paintings.

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4 people found this helpful

Beautiful story, easy to get through. 10/10 💖

Defs give this a listen to. Well worth it and the actor reading has a lovely voice.

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ASMR novel of a painters studio world

Very well narrated with different tones/voice inflections for differentiating each character done well. a lovely tale, very detailed environments lovingly described to place you there, with a clean tightly written prose. no winding monologues or wasted words. it's clean cut and you think about this book long after it's finished. Good for relaxing to in the late evenings and falling asleep to even.

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Nice but too simple.

I had high hopes for this book given the great reviews. The narrater had a soothing voice which made listening a relaxing experience, the story was very well written and the characters were complex and layered but overall the story was far too simple for my taste. I kept hoping for the pace to pick up but in the end I just wanted to get through it so I could move onto something else. If you like a few twists and turns, this probably isn't the book for you.

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I have lost a friend

I enjoyed this so much that I limited how much I listened to it - I didn’t want it to run out. If I didn’t hear a sentence properly, I’d rewind it one minute, to hear it again, with full context and my full attention. I shall miss my time in Griet’s world.

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1 person found this helpful

love love love

Where does Girl with a Pearl Earring rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in the top ten.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Girl with a Pearl Earring?

It was all memorable, I loved the pace and countenance

What does Hattie Morahan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She brings the story alive. Books that have a narrator really lend themselves well to the format.

Any additional comments?

I have seen the film and in comparison to the book It seems clumsy and misses the subtleties of the story. You realise that films flatten such stories as you can't know what people are thinking in the same way. The film misses so much of the point of the relationship that I could hardly bear to watch it.

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15 people found this helpful