As in the adult novels Girl with a Pearl Earring
and Girl in Hyacinth Blue, this less-focused work imagines the domestic and artistic life of the 17th-century painter Johannes Vermeer, this time through the perspective of a fictional daughter, Carelina. Shoup (Wish You Were Here) characterizes Carelina as "plain," a spinster-in-the-making who shares her father's passion for art. Readers may balk at the unequivocal assessment of this daughter's looks, especially given the glowing face in the painting on the jacket, billed in the text as the protagonist's portrait. A prologue, set 21 years after Vermeer's death, presents Carelina as she attends an auction of his work; the auction prompts memories of her childhood years when her father embarked on her training as a painter. Shoup contrasts Carelina's domestic drudgery under the rule of her domineering grandmother with the broader attractions of her father's world. "Often, he held forth on the properties of pigments, describing each one with such enthusiasm, making its history and character, its quirky and unpredictable behaviors seem as fascinating as those of a living person," reports Carelina. While she offers some insights into the painter, life in Delft and contemporary philosophies, the author fails to establish compelling connections between characters, and even the central relationship between Vermeer and Carelina lacks sufficient clarity and depth to sustain the audience's attention. Ages 10-14. (July)
