Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

The story of a maid for the family of the Dutch painter Vermeer and who becomes the focal point of the quiet tensions of the household. I believe it is the author's idea of who the girl might have been who is the subject of the painting often called Girl with a Pearl Earring.

I picked this up on tape to listen to while driving to my class in Charlotte, and I really enjoyed it. I had read reviews from Powells.com's Review-a-Day service, and it had sounded pretty interesting. It was also nice to listen to while washing dishes and folding laundry, because a maid's life is obviously focused on such domestic tasks.

Griet's careful attenion to detail and awareness of color lead her first to the job of cleaning the artist's studio and eventually to grinding materials for his paints. She has been fascinated with Vermeer since she first meets him. She is willing to do whatever he asks, even when she knows it will disturb the mistress of the house and threaten Griet's position in the family. This all comes to a head when Vermeer paints Griet herself, an intimacy that his wife cannot accept when she finally learns of it. The story is a lovely quiet portrait of a girl who must negotiate the invisible lines of power that surround her while remaining as true to herself as possible.

One source of information about Vermeer and his paintings: Nicholas Pioch's WebMuseum on iBiblio
And more biographical information is available from the National Gallery of Art