1. Books of Late
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Girl With a Pearl Earring
Tracy Chevalier. Plume: 2001 (paperback). ISBN: 0452282152. 233 pages.
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About the Author
One morning, Chevalier looked at the poster of Girl With a Pearl Earring hanging on her wall and asked herself some
questions about the girl in the painting: “Is she happy? Is she feeling seductive? Is she sad? What’s going on here? I
wonder what Vermeer did or said to her to make her look like that?” And then Chevalier thought, “Well, there’s a story.”
All in the Family
Since Chevalier’s novel takes its name from a painting by Johannes Vermeer, we take a brief look at the life and times of
this famous Dutch painter and at other classic and contemporary works of fiction feature Vermeer’s paintings in interesting
ways.
Character Tree
There aren’t too many characters to keep track of in Chevalier’s novel—we list the members of the Tiler and Vermeer
households and their sometimes complicated connections to one another.
Streams of Themes
Girl With a Pearl Earring is full of beautifully rendered themes that inspire creative interpretation, and resting
as the foundation under all of them is that grandest theme of all: art vs. life.
Talk Back to the Critics
Most critics discuss Griet’s authentic narrative voice, with one reviewer claiming that “As the first-person narrator,
Griet has a deceptively simple way of putting things that comes across eventually as the mark of a measured mind, one that
must make its way cautiously through a world so tightly wrapped.”
Doorways to Discussion
There’s lots to discuss in Girl With a Pearl Earring, and here are a few examples of the 43 questions featured in
this section: “What happens when Vermeer sees Griet’s hair? How does this moment influence Griet’s subsequent behavior?
Does it influence the way that Vermeer paints Griet?”
Taste Test
If you’d like to read more great historical fiction, other novels about the complexities of family, other coming-of-age
novels, or if you’re now hooked on Vermeer, we’ve included lots of books we think you’ll enjoy!
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In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez. Penguin USA: 1995 (paperback). ISBN: 0452274427. 321 pages.
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About the Author
Alvarez’s own family was persecuted by Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic dictator whose reign of terror turned the four Mirabal sisters into the Butterflies. For more on the interesting parallels between Alvarez’s life and her fiction, see this section.
All in the Family
In order to appreciate all the literary traditions and historical realities that lie behind Alvarez’s creation, you’ll want to turn to this section to learn about the genres of Latin American, political, and domestic fiction, as well as to read our concise summary describing the terrible period of Trujillo’s dictatorship of the Dominican Republic.
Character Tree
In the Time of the Butterflies is a relatively short book, but it is packed with action and with important characters—both partly and purely fictional—each who play a significant part in the pattern of events that give rise to las Mariposas. Flip to this section to review the expansive cast of characters who make a difference in this novel.
Streams of Themes
How do you cope with being the caretaker of one of your country’s most important legends? That’s a quandary that both Alvarez and her fictional character Dede Mirabal must face in this novel. Go to this section to find a discussion of this and the other important thematic concerns of In the Time of the Butterflies
Talk Back to the Critics
While most critics were impressed by Alvarez’s fictional representation of four real national heroines, not all were completely satisfied that Alvarez had rendered them as complex and believable as possible. In order to get a complete picture of the critical response, take a look at this section.
Doorways to Discussion
Consider the literary device of the gringa Americana as the force that “unleashes” the Mirabal sisters’ story. Are we meant to think that this character is Alvarez herself? If so, what repercussions do that have for Alvarez’s success or lack thereof? For a complete list of 42 thought-provoking questions on this novel, move to this section.
Taste Test
In the mood to read another great Latin American novel, or another intense family story set against a larger social/political concerns? Check out this section for some ideas.
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The Group
Mary McCarthy. Harvest Books: 2001 (reissue edition, paperback). ISBN: 0156372088. 487 pages.
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About the Author
McCarthy’s unconventional life, uncompromising personality, and scathing satiric wit have inspired critics and fans alike
to call her many—not so complimentary—things. Poet Randell Jarrell once said of her, “Torn animals were removed at sunset
from that smile.”
All in the Family
When The Group’s third chapter (you remember the one, about Dottie and her pessary) was first published in The Partisan
Review, critics and readers were, to say the least, rather shocked—especially the real-life Vassar graduates of ’33 who
recognized themselves and didn’t like what they saw.
Character Tree
You’ll read about each fascinating member of “the group” and about the people who surround her.
Streams of Themes
The Group is full of powerful themes that make for great discussion, and each one reminds us of that
famous Bob Dylan song—“and the times, they are a-changin.’”
Talk Back to the Critics
We think you’ll have great fun comparing the 1963 reviews of The Group with reviews following its 1991 reissue.
Here’s a sneak peek at how things have changed: a 1963 review— “There may be disagreement about the final value of
The Group, about whether it is truly funny or only tasteless”; a 2000 review—“Because [McCarthy] went on at
such length about clothes, furniture, food and pessaries, the tendency has been to Tom Wolfe or Judith Krantz her.
But she was a nineteenth-century novelist, wanting always to know how things worked, where the money came from, who
did what to whom.”
Doorways to Discussion
You’ll have plenty to talk about in The Group, and here’s an example of the 44 questions featured in this
section: “How would you describe McCarthy’s attitude towards these incredibly privileged women? Would you say that
the narrative voice is sympathetic to the specific problems of the upper middle class?”
Taste Test
If you admired McCarthy’s clever use of multiple perspectives, her intense cultural and social analysis,
and her complex female characters, we’ve included lots of books we think you’ll enjoy!
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