Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Written very nicely and the characters were well fleshed out.

There’s clearly something about the paintings of Johannes Vermeer that inspires novelists; first, Tracy Chevalier’s Girl With a Pearl Earring and now Douglas Bruton’s excellent Woman in Blue. This is the second of Bruton’s books I’ve read, the first being 2021’s Blue Postcards and apart from the shared word in the title (Bruton certainly seems to like the colour blue!) and the shared theme of art and artists, I found this one very different in style and structure.

The novel begins in the present day with our unnamed narrator, referred to only as ‘a man in Amsterdam’, visiting the Rijksmuseum to look at a painting. Just one painting, which he has become so obsessed with that he barely notices any of the others. The painting is Vermeer’s Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and the narrator returns to the museum day after day to study the colours and the composition, but most of all just to spend time in the woman in blue’s company and to imagine the human being who inspired the picture. He’s transfixed by this particular painting for its own sake, but also because the woman reminds him in subtle ways of both his wife and another woman he once loved.

In 17th century Delft, we meet the woman in blue herself – or rather, the young woman who sits for Vermeer as he paints her portrait. Her chapters alternate with the present day ones, slowly building up a history of the woman in blue, her life in Delft and her relationship with the artist. In reality, the true identity of the sitter has never been confirmed (Vermeer’s wife, Catharina Bolnes, has been suggested as a likely candidate, but it seems there’s no actual evidence to prove it), so Bruton has the freedom to create his own fictional story for the woman, whom he names Angelieke.

Although the book is set in two different time periods and narrated by two different characters, the lines dividing the two are blurred. Angelieke is a real woman in 1663, but in the modern day sections, she’s aware that she is a painting in a museum and that the male narrator comes to see her every day. She looks forward to his visits and feels a connection with him, just as he feels one with her. This is not the first novel to give a painting a mind of its own (I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons does the same and I’m sure there must be others) but I really liked the way Bruton handles that element of the story, giving it a dreamlike feel and merging the two narratives so that they don’t feel too separate or disconnected.

With it being a real painting rather than a fictional one, it’s easy to google it so you can refer to the picture itself as you read. The narrator’s observations, made during his repeated viewings, helped me to see things in the painting that I probably wouldn’t have noticed for myself. With each chapter, he finds new details to study and focus on – the map on the wall, the letter in the woman’s hand, the blue bed jacket she’s wearing and the question of whether or not she could be pregnant. At times, Bruton returns to a theme he also touched on in Blue Postcards: the idea that a painting offers something different to each individual who views it and that the viewers themselves can almost ‘become’ part of the painting:

"What I like about the painting – one of the many things I like – is how cleverly the artist has included me in it and made me complicit in the looking. It is an intimate and private moment and Vermeer intrudes on it without at all breaking it, and we – Vermeer and me – stand silent, breath held, just looking at this young woman turned in on herself."

For a short book – a novella at 144 pages – there’s so much packed into it that I’ve probably only scratched the surface in this review. I would recommend Woman in Blue to anyone who loves art, but even if you don’t, there’s still a lot here to enjoy.

This book is a quiet novella focused on one single painting by Dutch Golden Age painter, Johannes Vermeer, displayed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Wikipedia tells me that it has been painted around 1662 or 1665, which confirms that not much is known for sure about this painting, and even less about this young woman dressed in a wide blue mantle. Vermeer has always had a mysterious reputation, and his paintings are contemplative, no wonder that a writer would imagine a whole story based on this painting!

It’s not the first time that a Vermeer painting is the central material for a novel. The bestselling Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, published in 1999 (!) was also imagining the story of the woman whose image we are so familiar with, but without any other information. So what’s different about this one?

The chapters alternate between the visitor, an unnamed male writer who comes to the museum daily to look at this picture, and the woman in blue. She is both of her time and within the painting, aware of the interest she creates by the museum visitors. That little touch of magical realism creates a memorable impression on the reader. It’s a bit like in Harry Potter when the characters in the paintings in the hallways can interact with the people passing by.

The writer falls in love more and more with her at each visit. She, on the other hand, tells how she met the painter who offered to paint her. She is young but not naive. She has her own personality and intentions. She observes Vermeer as much as he looks at her.

I have a few minor reservations about the story, one being that the intense relationship between Vermeer and the young woman develops while his wife is pregnant, which seems all too convenient; and the second one about the ending of the 17th century story, which adds a twist that doesn’t really bring anything to the core story.

People who will read it will understand my allusions (and maybe disagree with me) but those reservations haven’t spoilt my reading experience, by far. On the contrary, I hope that a lot of people will read the story!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

Beautiful.

I should just leave my review there because there's really not much else I can say.

Woman in Blue centres around a writer who has become besotted with the painting by Vermeer. He visits her in the Rijksmuseum every day, falling in love little more each time.

The other strand is the story of Angelieke (who is a fiction of the writer's mind), the woman in the painting. She lives with her mother and another young woman called Katrijn. She and Katrijn plan for her to meet Vermeer and become his latest muse.

The woman in the painting not only has a dialogue with Vermeer but also with the writer who visits her daily.

I'm not going to be able to do this book justice. It has the same quiet beauty as the painting itself. The writing is exquisite. I read this book in two sittings. I did not want to put it down. I want to read it again immediately.

It is stunningly simple and I can't praise it highly enough. Very highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for the advance review copy. Very much appreciated. I want to read everything this author has written.

An interesting novella with a premise I have not seen before but adored here. A charming and quick read.

The premise of the book—a conversation between a man and a painting—struck me as incredibly intriguing. However, I found it difficult to stay engaged. While the writing was undeniably beautiful, with themes of love, the enduring emotional impact of art, creativity, and intimacy, I personally struggled to connect with the story. Despite the book's relatively short length, more novella than a full-length novel, I found myself slogging through it by the midway point. Some of the developments felt a bit predictable and formulaic, though I recognize that this may not be the case for everyone. Unfortunately this one did not do it for me, but there are many other raving reviews so I'd give it a try if the premise intrigues you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for an ARC!

This is a fascinating little novella, essentially consisting of alternating chapters: a man musing about his life, love, and a little bit of art while looking at the painting “Woman in Blue Reading a Letter” by Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and the same woman (a girl, really) musing about him and how “she” came to be.

It doesn’t sound like much, but it was hard to put down, and I was totally engrossed in the story/stories. This little novella will make you slow down and reflect on many nuances of life.

I wonder, was it necessary to insert an LGBTQ angle into this tender little story - did it add to the story, or was it simply done to tick the zeitgeist box) And one other question bothers me: Why didn’t editors pick up on this: a woman “in the first months of her pregnancy” is referred to as “out of shape and distant”. Distant? Okay… But out of shape?!

3.5 starts. With many thanks to the publisher.

[this review contains spoilers that cannot be formatted out in netgalley, so please be warned fellow users]

the premise was so exciting. conversations between an observer and a painting? sign me up!

Woman in Blue delivered that promise. but i was not a fan of the execution.

i was expecting something in the style of The Picture of Dorian Gray, with combined ruminations on philosophy and art. but instead, after finishing the book, i was reminded of the second act of The Vegetarian by Han Kang—a disturbing portrayal of men using women for art, the women having superficial agency in the matter, and men's hypocrisy towards their wives.

the writing had so much potential. the descriptions were strong. there were a few gems here and there about the relationship between ideas and their execution. but everything else was kept surface-level. instead of exploring something further, it was repeated over and over without anything new <spoiler>(e.g. every time his wife asked him if he was writing, he kept mentioning how writers don't share their ideas and never went beyond that statement) </spoiler> . speaking of repetition, the word "love" is so overused, it lost whatever meaning it had.

the female characters were my least favourite part of the book. the twist at the end did little to repair the damage for me. they had no story or nuance and were passive tools in the life of the men. this could've easily been fixed by showing what they do every day outside of their discussions about the painter and the painting. it's a stereotypical set: <spoiler>boring or pregnant wives, superficially naive and pure maidens that are worshipped by the bored husbands</spoiler>. there is a minor attempt at subverting this, but that too is surface-level.

<spoiler> the assault was handled too passively. nobody stopped anyone. nothing went on in the head of the woman even though she was disgusted. </spoiler>

the historical context was lacking. i get that the focus was on the painter and his work, but nowhere were there any suggestions in his mannerisms about the life of that century. it might as well had not been a time jump at all. <spoiler> the incessant use of "he loves me, he loves me not" also added to this problem </spoiler> . it stuck out like a sore thumb in the deeply reflective atmosphere of the book and whatever gap between the past and present it was meant to bridge was lost for me.

<spoiler> the reconciliation was abrupt and unnatural. the men freely cheated on their wives (who remained naive and passive as ever) and the change in their thoughts (brought by the influence of the art and their understanding of it) was unbelievable. </spoiler>

<spoiler> also, the constant speculation about whether the woman was pregnant or not made me uncomfortable. it's a valid observation that did not need to be stretched so far. the line that goes "her delicate fingers show that she could not be pregnant" is insensitive and out of touch, but hey, that's a man's pov for ya. </spoiler>

overall, a miss for me.

Meditation upon Woman In Blue Reading a Letter, by Johannes Vermeer

This short book made my heart yearn so much for something I couldn’t even name. Perhaps just for the very preciousness and intensity of every present moment, and wanting to hold each moment fast, drinking it in, truly noticing.

In many ways that IS one of the numinous themes. This is a very short, remarkably easy read, but it is absolutely one to savour, linger, and not to rush over. Its quality is one of attentiveness, presence, reflection and intense waiting for revelation

The subject is both a painting – Vermeer’s Woman In Blue, and the very power of art to take us into deeper experience than we know

There are two narrators in the book. One is the model herself, and the experience she has of being painted, her relationship with the artist, and his relationship with his art, his life and vision, and her.

The second narrator is a writer in the present day, who visits the Rijksmuseum where the painting hangs, every day. He is obsessed by the painting itself, the model, and the whole quality and energy, which goes well beyond the technicalities and analysis of the artist’s world. Surely, what we, the viewer, pick up from great art is something indefinable about the essence of the time and place and personality of artist, subject and the space between them.

Bruton takes this into the presence and personality of the woman herself, imagining how her quality, her being, her individuality somehow reaches into the present, so, just as we invest and sense into the life of the model, so she can sense into, and make judgements about those who hold her in their gaze.

So……….Bruton is making the reader think about how much we create the works of art we look upon, the books we read. We do not purely passively receive we invest them with our own meaning. And I guess the best works of art, the best writing, allows the viewer, the reader the space for their own soul to give and receive to and from the artwork.

And, most of all, we are made to think about love, in all of its complexity, and all of its innocence

I’m surprised and stunned by this book. I did not expect to be so wonderfully overwhelmed by something so very gentle and patient.

I’m delighted to find Douglas Bruton has many books to his name, and I will have more to explore

This is a very cleverly constructed book, beautifully written. Very evocative and poignant, delving into the meaning of love, guilt and thought. The story of Vermeer has been told in many ways, but this is unique in my experience. The ending is something of a surprise and very satisfying - so often not the case and particularly to be applauded in such a short work. I absolutely loved this book and can’t recommend it highly enough.

Johannes Vermeer's most acclaimed painting is widely considered to be “Girl with a Pearl Earring”. Often referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the North”. Another highly acclaimed Vermeer painting is “The Milkmaid”. However the main protagonist in this read is a man who becomes obsessed with the painting of “Woman Reading a Letter”. He visits the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam every day while his wife is at work and with his constant visits causes some concern amongst security and other museum staff; so in order to put their concerns to rest he begins taking notes. He is so obsessed with this young woman in the blue smock, or is it a bed jacket? To some women it could be described as a maternity over jacket that until only in the past fifty years would have been the mode of dress for pregnant women. He whispers to the young woman in the painting, he leans too close, almost touching the artwork, returning every day to almost repeat every gesture as well as removing his wedding ring. He reveals some of this to his wife including some past interaction by her that was part of the attraction.

The other protagonist takes the reader to the time of the painting where the young beautiful woman, of an impoverished and simple background has become a model for an artist. She lives with her mother and a friend but from whom the real relationship to the friend is not apparent. However, as the artwork progresses she begins to reveal her intentions. As is the case with continuous births of the times, the artist's wife is about to give birth to another child. With the artist's sexual desires deprived, the opportunity for the young model is ripe for her picking and so she does.
I received an ARC of this book for my comments and thoughts, many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. I have added my review to Goodreads.

• after stumbling upon Vermeer’s painting ‘Woman in Blue Reading a Letter’ in the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam, a man returns each day to look at the painting in a newfound obsession with her & her story contained within.
• simultaneously, we learn the story of the woman in the painting & her life in the 1600s when the piece was created. or maybe the story is the one the man is telling to himself?
• blending truth & fiction, this is a gentle story of art & how we interact with it, and the effect it can have on the viewer & subject. this was the perfect, slightly introspective novel to close the year with, and one i hope to revisit in the future.

‘You have to spend time with a painting to really see it. Just to have it hanging on a wall in a study is not really to see it. It has to be looked at in the right light, and the viewer must be in the right frame of mind”

There are so many parts of this beautiful little book that I could have quoted from, but these lines taken from the postlude chapter articulate the dynamics and beauty of truly experiencing art. It reminded me of the first ever time I visited a National Gallery in my life in my early adulthood – in Dublin, Ireland - and the memory of seeing a Vermeer painting for the first time - Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid. It was a stunning experience, and I learned that the painting had been stolen by thieves in 1974 and was found in Cork eight days later – the scandal of it all!

I picked this up because I love anything set in the 1600s and was curious to see if this would be an interesting blend of historical to modern day devising of plot. The concept seems simple, but Bruton’s writing craft is consummate perfection. A man visits ‘The Woman in Blue’ every day at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The narrative perspective is clever, and I fell in love with each tender page. I am smitten with the trope of taking women from art, and the question marks around them, as characters to bring them into life – it feels like finding a woman’s name in an archive and feeling compelled to catalogue her history, her being.

In its entirety – it is a gorgeous work of ekphrasis (a literary device that uses words to describe a visual work of art) and Bruton has delivered a masterclass in such a genre. I thank him for penning such a fabulous and quiet read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction + Novella

This was a surprisingly brilliant novella. I loved it a lot. A really great surprise, especially since this one is just a novella. The story takes inspiration from Johannes Vermeer’s painting "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" and is set in Amsterdam. The story revolves around a man who becomes deeply engrossed in the painting, making it a daily ritual to visit it at the Rijksmuseum. The story also shares the perspective of the Woman in Blue herself. She opens up about her own story of love, creativity, and the way she’s been captured in art forever.

The novel creates an imaginative story behind a famous painting, giving readers a fresh and interesting way to look at Vermeer’s Woman in Blue Reading a Letter. The concept of the book is truly brilliant. It was really nice to see the woman in blue’s perspective too.

The dual narration made the reading much more interesting, as we could understand exactly what both main characters were thinking and how they felt about each other. I greatly enjoyed the author’s writing, and his beautiful prose enhanced the story even more. The main characters are well-developed and can be relatable, too.

"Woman in Blue" is a book I think will really connect with people who are into art, history, and thinking about what it means to be human. It's a must-read if you've ever just stood looking at a painting and felt drawn to it. I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

A quiet and soothing book full of musings about love and art. This book was really insightful in how it treated the art of looking and how much we can learn if we only know how to look closely.

This beautiful “wee book” (as the author describes it) is a profound study of the love of art, the art of love, and the intersection of the two. It alternates between present day Amsterdam and mid-seventeenth century Delft. In Delft, a young girl poses for Johannes Vermeer for his painting “Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.” In the present day, a man has become obsessed with the painting, visiting it every day at the Rijksmuseum and imagining what the girl would say if he could talk with her. But in the dream-like meditation of his art, she is listening to him. Does he love me? Love me not? She muses about this, sometimes thinking of Vermeer himself, sometimes the man who sits before her three centuries later,

I am a profound believer in the power of art to reach into our souls and change us. This book describes that process - while at the same time questioning whether the man’s obsession with the painting and the woman’s thoughts during the painting process represent love, or something else. Certainly getting to know a painting intimately can have a strong effect - one that the word “love” can’t entirely encompass. Burton writes about this beautifully, drawing us in to the process of art and its resulting effects on human love.

I recommend this book to anyone who has had the experience of becoming involved with a work of art, and for those who have not.

Many thanks to Fairlight and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this extraordinary book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this love letter of Johannes Vermeer and the narrator to the infamous Woman in Blue Holding a Letter.

I was lucky enough to see this painting in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam along with other works of Vermeer. I also saw Girl with a Pearl Earring in Poland as well.

In reading this I had to put it down to go on to Google Vermeer's other works and they brought a peaceful smile to my face.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed the unusual perspective/viewpoints of both narrators in understanding the artists magnificent painting.

I really enjoyed this book. It was quite a bit different from anything I've read before. A couple of years back I was thrift shopping when I came across the Woman in Blue. I was captivated by this piece of art so I brought it home with me. It's interesting how art works like that.

I will definitely recommend this to my art loving friends, and hope to read more from the author in the future.

Woman in Blue has so much of what I love in a novel - a link to a (real) interesting piece of art, dual timelines, a clever formatting or structural twist. I'd recommend this novel to people who, like me, loved One Woman Show last year.

I love how this book delve into art criticism I agree that it’s a good thing when artists don’t spill straight away or make their art less on the nose and hence the meaning behind their art is open for interpretation. I have always been a mere casual art enjoyer who once in a blue moon read about the meaning behind a particular painting I find interesting. I’ve never been to an art museum or gallery before but this book makes me want to do it just to actually see the actual painting and the brushstrokes hahah

That being said there are a few things I’d like to point out about this book that don’t sit right with me
- The first few “Woman in Blue” chapters confused me because Angelieke used the word “He” to refer to two different people and I didn’t realize it until a few chapters later.
- I’m genuinely confused between Meneer Johannes Reijniersz and Johannes Vermeer, because isn’t the later is actually the name of the painter? Is Meneer supposed to be a fictionalized version of Johannes Vermeer? If yes why the book keep referring to his works as “Vermeer’s painting”
- I still don’t understand how this painting aims to bring the main protagonist closer to his wife??
- I don’t like how Angelieke excuses emotional cheating. Cheating is cheating despite nothing physical is happening. And the fact that she had seggs with Johannes while his wife is giving birth dowstairs is just … WHAT😶 not a girls girl
- The “he loves me, he loves me not” also gets old so quickly it becomes almost formulaic.