This has been on my wishlist a long time. I requested it from paperbackswap.com. I hope I like it---I love Vermeer's work.

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. Things were a bit confusing at first until I figured out the rhythm of the book. Vreeland is writing on a timeline spanning hundreds of years but she begins at the end and works backwards. I did not like this method at all and was frustrated that there wasn't a clear changing of hands between time periods---it made it hard to see these as connected stories surrounding this one painting. Instead, it seemed like I was reading a disconnected collection of short stories. It also would have been so nice to have dates at the beginning of each chapter to help imagine the setting. Instead, by the time I had the approximate decade figured out, the story was over. I also would have liked to see her interview at the beginning of the book as a forward. This would have explained some things and helped set the tone for an otherwise convoluted bunch of stories. These things made it very difficult to connect with these stories.

I do give Vreeland very high marks for research though. Everything from early 18th century drainage mills to Erasmus to pigeon keeping was described in satisfactory detail.

I did love the last two stories, though the "mystery" she alludes to in her interview was not at all a mystery---it was pretty clear from the beginning of the story who was the true artist.

I'm planning to release this on my trip to Granby, Missouri today.

To the finder of this book:

This book is gift, no strings attached, from me to you. You may keep it forever, pass it along to a friend, or release it into the wild to be found by someone else.

If you are new to BookCrossing, welcome! Enjoy the site, the book, and the BookCrossing community. I hope you'll join us...it's free! If you do, please consider using me, elizardbreath, as your referring member. You can even remain anonymous if you wish!

I hope you'll make a brief journal entry so all the previous and future readers can track this book's journey.

Thanks, and Happy BookCrossing! :)