Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
One of the best-loved paintings in the world
is a mystery.
Who is the model and why has she been painted? What is she thinking as she
stares out at us? Are her wide eyes and enigmatic half-smile innocent or
seductive? And why is she wearing a pearl earring?
Girl With a Pearl Earring tells the story of
Griet, a 16-year-old Dutch girl who becomes a maid in the house of the painter
Johannes Vermeer. Her calm and perceptive manner not only helps her in her
household duties, but also attracts the painter's attention. Though different
in upbringing, education and social standing, they have a similar way of
looking at things. Vermeer slowly draws her into the world of his paintings -
the still, luminous images of solitary women in domestic settings.
In
contrast to her work in her master's studio, Griet must carve a place for
herself in a chaotic Catholic household run by Vermeer's volatile wife
Catharina, his shrewd mother-in-law Maria Thins, and their fiercely loyal maid
Tanneke. Six children (and counting) fill out the household, dominated by
six-year-old Cornelia, a mischievous girl who sees more than she should.
On
the verge of womanhood, Griet also contends with the growing attentions both
from a local butcher and from Vermeer's patron, the wealthy van Ruijven. And
she has to find her way through this new and strange life outside the loving
Protestant family she grew up in, now fragmented by accident and death.
As
Griet becomes part of her master's work, their growing intimacy spreads
disruption and jealousy within the ordered household and even - as the scandal
seeps out - ripples in the world beyond.
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Oprah Book Club® Selection, November 1996: The Book of
Ruth is a virtuoso performance and that's precisely why it can be
excruciating to read. Author Jane Hamilton leads us through the arid life of
Ruth Grey, who extracts what small pleasures and graces she can from a tiny
Illinois town and the broken people who inhabit it. Ruth's prime tormentor is
her mother May, whose husband died in World War II and took her future with
him. More poor familial luck has given Ruth a brother who is a math prodigy;
Matt sucks up any stray attention like a black hole. Ruth is left to survive on
her own resources, which are meager. She struggles along, subsisting on crumbs
of affection meted out by her Aunt Sid and, later, her screwed-up husband Ruby.
Hamilton has perfect pitch. So perfect that you wince with pain for confused
but fundamentally good Ruth as she walks a dead-end path. The book ends with
the prospect of redemption, thank goodness--but the tale is nevertheless much
more bitter than sweet.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostovia
Breathtakingly suspenseful and
beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged
into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an
inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a
time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The
search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us
from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe - in a
feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled
readers around the world.
The Unbearable Lightness of
Being by
Milan Kundera
In The Unbearable Lightness of Being,
Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between
his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and
her humbly faithful lover. This magnificent novel juxtaposes geographically
distant places; brilliant and playful reflections; and a variety of styles to
take its place as perhaps the major achievement of one of the world’s truly
great writers.
The
Russians: The Crown & The Crucible by Michael Phillips & Judith Pella
A magnificent saga of love and war, of
political conflict and imminent change, of two women-
Against
the vast and formidable backdrop of pre-revolutionary Russia, the lives of two
families become inextricably entwined.
Anna
Yevnovna Burenin, a peasant girl from the tine village of Katyk, must leave the
home she loved to work in a prince's palace in St. Petersburg, bringing her
family's heritage of faith with her.
Anna's
future is altered forever when she is thrust into the presence of the
high-minded, spoiled Princess Katrina. But even as Anna's own life is changed,
her faith exerts a transforming influence over the willful young princess.
But
the life of protected royalty in St. Petersburg cannot be isolated forever from
the forces that buffet the mighty Russian Empire. While grand dukes and their
duchesses celebrate New Year's at the Tsar's legendary Winter Palace,
revolution brews and war in the Balkans seems inevitable. Both peasant and
princess face the prospect of their beloved Russia being torn apart by conflict
within and without.
Caught
in the crosscurrents of history, who will survive?
The
Lady in Gold by
Ann-Maria O’Conner
The
true story that inspired the movie Woman in Gold starring Helen Mirren
and Ryan Reynolds.
Contributor to the Washington Post Anne-Marie O’Connor brilliantly regales us with the galvanizing story of Gustav Klimt’s 1907 masterpiece—the breathtaking portrait of a Viennese Jewish socialite, Adele Bloch-Bauer. The celebrated painting, stolen by Nazis during World War II, subsequently became the subject of a decade-long dispute between her heirs and the Austrian government.
Contributor to the Washington Post Anne-Marie O’Connor brilliantly regales us with the galvanizing story of Gustav Klimt’s 1907 masterpiece—the breathtaking portrait of a Viennese Jewish socialite, Adele Bloch-Bauer. The celebrated painting, stolen by Nazis during World War II, subsequently became the subject of a decade-long dispute between her heirs and the Austrian government.
When
the U.S. Supreme Court became involved in the case, its decision had profound
ramifications in the art world. Expertly researched, masterfully told, The
Lady in Gold is at once a stunning depiction of fin-de siècle Vienna, a
riveting tale of Nazi war crimes, and a fascinating glimpse into the
high-stakes workings of the contemporary art world.
One of
the Best Books of the Year: The Huffington Post, The Christian
Science Monitor.
Winner of the Marfield National Award for Arts Writing. Winner of a California Book Award
Winner of the Marfield National Award for Arts Writing. Winner of a California Book Award
The
Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
When Bruno
returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being
packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move
from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with
and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye
can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
A
Curious Mind : The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian
Grazer
From Academy
Award–winning producer Brian Grazer and acclaimed business journalist Charles
Fishman comes the New York Times bestselling, brilliantly entertaining
peek into the weekly “curiosity conversations” that have inspired Grazer to
create some of America’s favorite and iconic movies and television shows—from 24
to A Beautiful Mind.
For decades, film and TV producer Brian Grazer has scheduled a weekly “curiosity conversation” with an accomplished stranger. From scientists to spies, and adventurers to business leaders, Grazer has met with anyone willing to answer his questions for a few hours. These informal discussions sparked the creative inspiration behind many of Grazer’s movies and TV shows, including Splash, 24, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Arrested Development, 8 Mile, J. Edgar, Empire, and many others.
A Curious Mind is a brilliantly entertaining, fascinating, and inspiring homage to the power of inquisitiveness and the ways in which it deepens and improves us. Whether you’re looking to improve your management style at work or you want to become a better romantic partner, this book—and its lessons on the power of curiosity—can change your life.
For decades, film and TV producer Brian Grazer has scheduled a weekly “curiosity conversation” with an accomplished stranger. From scientists to spies, and adventurers to business leaders, Grazer has met with anyone willing to answer his questions for a few hours. These informal discussions sparked the creative inspiration behind many of Grazer’s movies and TV shows, including Splash, 24, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Arrested Development, 8 Mile, J. Edgar, Empire, and many others.
A Curious Mind is a brilliantly entertaining, fascinating, and inspiring homage to the power of inquisitiveness and the ways in which it deepens and improves us. Whether you’re looking to improve your management style at work or you want to become a better romantic partner, this book—and its lessons on the power of curiosity—can change your life.
