"Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
Call Number: FICTION Vreeland
This luminous story begins in the present day, when a professor invites a colleague to his home to see a painting that he has kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer—but why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold in a series of events that trace the 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, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in multiple lives. Susan Vreeland’s characters remind us, through their love of this mysterious painting, how beauty transforms and why we reach for it, what lasts and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable.

The Painting as a Character: The painting of the girl in hyacinth blue serves as a central motif throughout the novel. How does the painting evolve as a character in its own right, changing meaning and significance with each new owner and time period?
Interconnected Stories: The novel is structured as a series of interconnected stories, each centered around the painting's owners and their experiences. How does this narrative structure contribute to the overall themes of interconnectedness, memory, and the passage of time?
The Power of Art: Explore the theme of art's transformative power in the novel. How does the painting affect each character who encounters it, and what does it reveal about the nature of art and its ability to evoke emotion, provoke thought, and transcend time?
Memory and Remembrance: Memory plays a significant role in the novel, as characters reflect on past events and their connection to the painting. How does memory shape the characters' perceptions of themselves and their relationships with others? Discuss the ways in which the past informs the present in the novel.
Identity and Self-Discovery: Many characters in the novel undergo journeys of self-discovery and exploration of identity. How does the painting serve as a catalyst for these journeys, prompting characters to confront their own desires, fears, and truths?
Historical Context: The novel spans several centuries, from the 17th century Dutch Golden Age to the present day. How does each historical period influence the characters' lives and interactions with the painting? Discuss the ways in which historical events shape individual experiences and perspectives.
Loss and Longing: Loss and longing are recurring themes in the novel, as characters grapple with feelings of grief, regret, and unfulfilled desires. How do these emotions manifest in the characters' relationships with the painting, and what do they reveal about the human condition?
Perspectives on Art: Different characters in the novel have varying perspectives on art and its value. Some see the painting as a priceless treasure, while others view it as a burden or a symbol of unattainable beauty. Discuss the characters' attitudes toward art and the role it plays in their lives.
Fate and Coincidence: The novel explores themes of fate and coincidence, as characters' lives intersect in unexpected ways through their connection to the painting. How do chance encounters and serendipitous events shape the characters' destinies, and what do they reveal about the interconnectedness of human experience?
Legacy and Impact: Reflect on the legacy of the painting and its impact on future generations. How do characters in the present day interpret and respond to the painting's history, and what significance does it hold for them? Discuss the ways in which the past continues to influence the present in the novel.
Artistic Inspiration: Susan Vreeland's novel was inspired by Johannes Vermeer's famous painting, "Girl with a Pearl Earring." How does "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" explore themes of artistic inspiration, creativity, and the relationship between art and life?
Reader's Response: Reflect on your personal response to the novel. What aspects of the story resonated with you the most, and why? How did the novel deepen your appreciation for art, history, and the interconnectedness of human stories?

Early Life and Education: Susan Vreeland was born on January 20, 1946, in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. She developed a passion for literature and art from a young age, which would later influence her writing career.

Vreeland attended San Diego State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She later pursued graduate studies in education at the University of California, Berkeley.

Teaching Career: After completing her education, Susan Vreeland worked as an English teacher in high schools in San Diego, California. Her experience as an educator provided her with insights into storytelling and the power of literature to inspire and educate.

Literary Career: Susan Vreeland began her literary career as a short story writer before transitioning to writing novels. She gained recognition for her historical fiction novels inspired by art and artists, which combined meticulous research with vivid storytelling.

Vreeland's debut novel, "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" (1999), explores the provenance of a fictional Vermeer painting and the lives of its various owners throughout history. The novel received critical acclaim for its lyrical prose and richly drawn characters.

She continued to write novels inspired by art, including "The Passion of Artemisia" (2002), which tells the story of Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, and "The Forest Lover" (2004), which explores the life of Canadian painter Emily Carr.

Vreeland's other notable works include "Luncheon of the Boating Party" (2007), based on Pierre-Auguste Renoir's famous painting, and "Clara and Mr. Tiffany" (2011), inspired by the life of American stained glass artist Clara Driscoll.

Personal Life and Legacy: Susan Vreeland resided in San Diego, California, with her husband, Wayne, until her passing in 2017. She left behind a legacy of literary works that celebrate art, creativity, and the human spirit.

Vreeland's novels continue to be beloved by readers for their evocative storytelling, meticulous research, and exploration of the lives of artists throughout history. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have garnered international acclaim.

Susan Vreeland's passion for art and literature shines through in her writing, leaving behind a lasting impact on the world of historical fiction and inspiring readers to appreciate the beauty and depth of art in all its forms.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Call Number: FICTION Chevalier
With precisely 35 canvases to his credit, the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer represents one of the great enigmas of 17th-century art. The meager facts of his biography have been gleaned from a handful of legal documents. Yet Vermeer's extraordinary paintings of domestic life, with their subtle play of light and texture, have come to define the Dutch golden age. His portrait of the anonymous Girl with a Pearl Earring has exerted a particular fascination for centuries—and it is this magnetic painting that lies at the heart of Tracy Chevalier's second novel of the same title.

*ebook on Libby
*audiobook on hoopla
The Center of the World by Thomas Van Essen
Call Number: FICTION ESSEN
Alternating between nineteenth-century England and present-day New York, this is the story of renowned British painter J. M. W. Turner and his circle of patrons and lovers. It is also the story of Henry Leiden, a middle-aged family man with a troubled marriage and a dead-end job, who finds his life transformed by his discovery of Turner's The Center of the World, a mesmerizing and unsettling painting of Helen of Troy that was thought to have been lost forever.
Keeping the World Away by Margaret Forster
Call Number: FICTION Forster
This classic Forster novel with the same satisfying appeal as her bestselling Diary of an Ordinary Woman tells the story of an actual early 20th-century painting and its fictional adventures through the century, describing the women whose lives it touches.
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Call Number: FICTION Kostova
Psychiatrist Andrew Marlow, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlow finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism. Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Theives is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman
Call Number: FICTION Waldman
A spellbinding new novel of contraband masterpieces, tragic love, and the unexpected legacies of forgotten crimes, Ayelet Waldman's Love and Treasure weaves a tale around the fascinating, true history of the Hungarian Gold Train in the Second World War. In 1945 on the outskirts of Salzburg, victorious American soldiers capture a train filled with unspeakable riches: piles of fine gold watches; mountains of fur coats; crates filled with wedding rings, silver picture frames, family heirlooms, and Shabbat candlesticks passed down through generations. Jack Wiseman, a tough, smart New York Jew, is the lieutenant charged with guarding this treasure--a responsibility that grows more complicated when he meets Ilona, a fierce, beautiful Hungarian who has lost everything in the ravages of the Holocaust. Seventy years later, amid the shadowy world of art dealers who profit off the sins of previous generations, Jack gives a necklace to his granddaughter, Natalie Stein, and charges her with searching for an unknown woman--a woman whose portrait and fate come to haunt Natalie, a woman whose secret may help Natalie to understand the guilt her grandfather will take to his grave and to find a way out of the mess she has made of her own life. A story of brilliantly drawn characters--a suave and shady art historian, a delusive and infatuated Freudian, a family of singing circus dwarfs fallen into the clutches of Josef Mengele, and desperate lovers facing choices that will tear them apart-- Love and Treasure is Ayelet Waldman's finest novel to date: a sad, funny, richly detailed work that poses hard questions about the value of precious things in a time when life itself has no value, and about the slenderest of chains that can bind us to the griefs and passions of the past.

Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles: "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland

"Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland

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