"A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to see a painting that he as kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer-- why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold 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, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in human lives. Vreeland's characters remind us, through their love of the mysterious painting, how beauty transforms us and why we reach for it, what lasts, and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable."

The reason I liked this book is because it makes you think about the importance of art in our lives. It seems to me that a lot of people forget that art can change your life, even if it's a love affair with a single painting.

Going to Zmrzlina. Enjoy!

I've read and heard so much about this book. Will be reading it this summer than releasing into the wild. Thank you VixyPixy!

I started reading this yesterday and I am about 3/4 the way through, and enjoying it after a rather uncertain start. I have a hard time feeling anything but pity for Cornelius, the professor who has the painting at the start of the story, so I didn't really understand the repulsion felt by the art professor who comes to share in Cornelius' secret. It isn't Cornelius' fault his father was a Nazi. I suppose Cornelius could have donated the painting to some worthy cause and then have been done with the connection to it. The art professor's reaction at finding out the secret is a bit too over-the-top for me.

I adore the part that takes place during the flood in the Netherlands. The idea of a life filled with water and using boats as the main form of transportation is so other-worldly to me.

I'll post again when I've finished. And I think I'll RACBK this to someone who has it on a wish list.

All through this book I could feel the author encouraging touch...the caresses the man in the first story lays on the canvas, the touches shared by men, women and children in other stories, the way the painting touches lives. And so strange that the one thing we are always prohibited from doing is to touch a painting.

I enjoyed this book very much. The descriptions of the Netherlands are incredible and all the characters seem so true to life. This author is someone who truly paints with words. In the author interview at the end of the book Vreeland said she had never seen a Vermeer face to face, and had only been to the Netherlands once, a long time ago. All the research is from books.

I am sending this as RABCK to AbbyR. She had it on her wish list and I love to fulfill wishes (which is a theme at the end of this book that resonates, too)

I just received it. Will review when I've read it. THANK YOU so much, Zmrzlina!

I liked it, but it was a little slow for me.