Girl in Hyacinth Blue

Susan Vreeland

A lovely novel which traces a painting believed to be a lost masterpiece by Vermeer from its present day owner all the way back to the painting's inception and creation. Vreeland sets the novel up as a series of short stories, each about the painting's respective owners and the spiritual/emotional impact it has on each of their lives. She succeeds in letting each story flow naturally, with imagination and gentle creativity, plucking out a moment in time in the life of each owner and allowing the reader to experience fully the circumstances of their lives, the circumstances within which the painting has comes into their possession, and the direct impact the painting has within that context. It's a daring piece of writing for a relatively inexperienced author (I believe this is her second book) and, to her credit, she handles it quite well, even if some of the vignettes are stronger and more passionate than others.