I'd like to begin with an apology. I have a feeling I will review this book with less enthusiasm than it deserves not because I hated it (one of the best books I've read this year!) but because at the moment, the words don't come to me as fluidly as in any other time. Maybe I'm just tired.

Spoilers ahead.

First of all, I was fascinated by the fact that many of the characters in this book were in fact real people. The painter himself and van Leeuwehoek (he had something to do with the creation of the microscope) to mention a few. It's also nice that I enjoyed all but three characters: the obvious seven-year-old antagonist, her mother and the family's biggest patron.

I think though that the persona I liked best was Pieter the son. I don't really know why. Maybe because he fancied Griet so, or because he was patient with her when she became tongue-tied or sharp, or because in the end he trusted her very much.

The painter kind of reminds me of my dad. :( But I liked him too, because I generally like characters that don't talk much and keep to themselves. It's as though there's a natural feeling of respect towards people like that. And I like the way Chevalier rendered his liking towards Griet: never explicitly mentioned, but you can tell by the way he is towards others, and how others speak of him, that somehow his feelings towards her and her towards him, although maybe not of the same intensity, are mutual.

The thing with Griet and keeping her hair hidden was a very beautiful touch to the story. Although kind of Islamic in symbolism (and to think there was a stark religious disparity and a look at it from another angle that was new to me), I liked the way she perceived herself with her hair down as some other, less honorable Griet. And how the intensity of intimacy in the fact that the painter saw her with her hair down is to her equivalent to that of surrendering herself to her suitor. It's a sad contrast between the way she sees the two men in that part of her life.

The religious point of view used in the story got me disoriented. I was raised in a community of Catholics, and to read into a book where the Catholics are the minority, where they are merely "tolerated," was alien to me. But it was a welcome perspective. In fact, I liked it. It made the book even more real, and kept me constantly aware of the setting and the historical place of the story.

Finally, I liked the ending. I am happy that Griet married Pieter the son, although the author made sure to leave me questioning in the end if she really loves him. Maybe that is what makes the ending bittersweet. I was relieved about their marriage but something kept tugging at my gut still, even after I'd closed the book. Pieter would joke to Griet that the money the Vermeers owed them was his payment for getting her. But it said that she never laughed at that joke. And the last line: the maid came free, means that she took the joke seriously, as though she didn't want to be priced.

Anyway, whatever. As a whole, I was amazed by how Chevalier was able to transform from a painting into such a wonderfully crafted, multidimensional story that brings together real and fictional people, a story that you would really believe and experience. I gladly recommend reading it.

I'm not sure how I can take having Colin Firth as the painter in the movie. I always remembered him in Bridget Jones' Diary. =( And I have a bad feeling that most of the things I really liked in the book will be neglected in the movie.

Nonetheless, I would like to see it and confirm my fears. XD

Thanks Gen for recommending this wonderful book!