Welcome to Litsy!

“Every artist dips his brush into his soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

The book unfolds in a series of stories that trace ownership of the painting back to World War II and Amsterdam, and still further back to the moment of the work's inspiration. As the painting moves through each owner's hands, we begin to see the power of art through poignant moments in human lives.

#Pantone2024
#ReadAway2024

This short book was a very interesting read. The story unfolds backwards following the provenance of a fictional Vermeer painting. For me, the story started slow, because it took a while to grasp how the author waa telling her story. It got more and more interesting as I continued.

This one has been on my shelves for a long time and finally got its moment as the #bookspin pick of the month. At first I didn‘t think I would like it because it‘s a novel of linked short stories but as the stories follow a lost Vermeer back from the present to its creation, an interesting thing happens. Somehow the stories at the end of the book make the stories that came before more striking. A beautiful take on the power and longevity of art.

Concentrating has not been my forte lately. Time to reread an old favourite. Thankful for my lovely #isolationreadingview

Reminiscent of The People of the Book, Girl in Hyacinth Blue traces the history of a painting of mysterious origin from the current owner back through time from owner to owner until you reach the original artist. I love a book like this.

#GirlintheTitle #bookstagram #bookriot #riotgrams

#Deweys24HourReadathon total. Finished 2 books I‘d already started.

#NextUp for #Deweys24HourReadathon This is just the kind of book I love, tracing an article back through its history.

A professor invites a colleague from the art dept to view his painting, kept secret because he believes it a Vermeer. Broken into short stories, each reveals and traces ownership of the work back to WWII Amsterdam...and before...each story could stand alone but read together it is an insightful history of the ownership of art and its value and meaning to its owners. Insightful and quite original.
Recommended.

My flying under the radar book for the #24in48 30-hour challenge. The main character in this book is a painting. It‘s awesome. I read it forward, and then I read the chapters in reverse order.

Starting this YA today....Short stories!

Another beautiful and whimsical book by Vreeland. While never placing the whole focus on one character, Vreeland still breathes life into the anonymity of art. She deftly picks up on minute details of style and uses them to her advantage, producing vivid imaginings of historical life.

The Girl in Hyacinth Blue tells a wonderfully captivating story of an imaginary painting by the Dutch artist Vermeer. Told in a reverse chronological order, each chapter sized vignette takes you on a journey back in time, portraying the history of the portrait's passage from owner to owner back to the painting's creation, allowing a glimpse of the impact this piece of art had in their life.

An easy read I thoroughly enjoyed

Not my usual read, but I liked it! This book traces the history of a Vermeer painting from person to person, family to family back to its origin. #ProjectKindle #5

An interesting novel retracing the paintings ownership going back in time starting from the present (WWII) to the seventeenth century. Each chapter is its own unique story but all invariably linked due to the pull of the painting and the impact it has on each character. #susanvreeland #girlinhyacinthblue

This book was surprisingly good. It isn't really my usual type of read and I'm not sure why I picked it up but it served as a reminder of why I should read outside of my usual genres.

#readjanuary #girlinthetitle

My favorite #artrelatedbook , and one of my favorite books of all time. #artrelatedbooks

I don't have a lot of #artrelatedbooks, but I swear I've read this. But it was definitely before I was on Goodreads and in the days when I only sporadically tracked my reading. Plus the description only sounds vaguely familiar, so maybe I'm just confused! #seasonsreadings2016

I love me a Vermeer, and a Vermeer inspired story.
Both of these 'Girl' books came out around the same time but I loved how Hyacinth Blue told a fictional story about a lost Vermeer painting starting in modern days and moving backwards in time telling the tales of those who came in contact with it. This has inspired me to put it on the #reread pile because I remember liking it very much.
#artrelatedbooks #seasonsreadings2016

"un romanzo luminoso che resterà a lungo nella mente dei lettori"

#day11 #somethingforsept #shadesofblue Here are a few of my favorite blue books. All of them were really good reads.

First book read, first book finished! #24in48 Chosen at random because I happened to be in Barnes and Noble today and everyone knows I can't leave a bookstore without buying a book. The blurb reminded me of the new Helen Mirren movie (Woman in Gold, I think?) that I've been meaning to see. #readathon

I really like the way Vreeland worked backwards through time to follow the journey of a painting. After seeing a Vermeer in a recent art exhibition, I can understand why she chose his beautiful use of light and color to explore of what art means and why we continue to make it.