Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier

She has a dream;
She knows it never reachable.
She has a feeling of him,
Not because of love, but for the illusion that
She is in the dream.
For the dream, she is willing to let go what she could have.

A familiar theme? But in the background of the real artist Vermeer and his famous painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring", Chevalier produced a smart story.

Beautifully written by the female writer, it captures extremely well what the girl feels and thinks. At the same time, the direct narrative weakens the story, and the work is a little thin in describing what happens surrounding the girl. In contrast, I like the movie even more; it is the old, wet, and peaceful Holland town that brought me to the book. In the movie, it is the girl's eyes that are telling what she feels and thinks.

Read most of the book on the flight to/from China, and in the sleepless midnight when back from the trip.

Published by Plume, 2003. ISBN 0452284937. Bought the paperback in Santa Monica Library for 1 buck, and later another 1 buck for a hardcover.