[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.

Woman in Blue
By Douglas Bruton
Chapter xii Page 49
Woman in Blue xii

::| It was a test of sorts, Katrijn asking that.
We were sitting at the table in the Kitchen. My mother was not in the house; she had finished her scrap of lace and had gone to make delivery of it to a woman in a grand house near Prins Hendrikkade. It would be a collar to a cotton blouse. I had taken the handkerchief out from under my pillow and laid it on the table; with some ceremony, I peeled back the four corners of the handkerchief to reveal the money inside.
Katrijn began counting the money, stacking the coins into neat and regular towers. She left her question hanging in the air between us. I left it too, until she had finished counting.
“There was a day when I did not know the name of Meneer Johannes Reijniersz. A day when he was nothing to me and I was nothing to him. When the painting is finished, it will be like that day again.”
I do not think Katrijn trusted those words. I do not know if I did. |::


Johannes Vermeer has asked Angelieke to sit for him after seeing her in the street. He just knew she would be the perfect model for his next painting.. Or was he fooled into painting Angelieke because it is what she wanted? After all, what could be better than anyone intimate setting as perfect as posing for a painting. There is something revealing about expert eyes able to study the very core of your soul, to see the imperfections of your human body and translate it onto paper for people to love, see, cherish and talk about for years to come.
It is what she wanted.
It is what he wanted.

What could be simpler?

‘Woman in Blue reading a letter’ is actually a painting by the artist Johannes Vermeer, something i didn't know until I read this book. I was fascinated by the way the story evolved over time and the small surprises that came from the most simplest of places. It was beautiful, enchanting, and very hard to put down! I loved it. The way it was creatively written was all new to me, and not only did I discover a new author but a painting that is now going to change the way I see it forever.


Thank you so much to Douglas Bruton, Fairlight Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback.

Woman in blue by Douglas Bruton

“That is what great art does: it allows the viewer in and the viewer brings something new to the painting, something of their own story and life and love”

This is a story about love shown through art. It is a two sided conversation between a woman in Vermeer’s (Woman Reading a Letter) painting and a man, centuries later obsessing over it. The book moves between observations and emotions as you learn about Vermeer and his muse as well as the man visiting the painting daily in the museum. A quiet and lovely book about the passage of time, love, and art.

Thank you @NetGalley and @fairlightbooks for this ARC

A quietly beautiful dream-like story. One to be read at one sitting and then reread slowly.

A man visits the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam solely to view Vermeer’s painting Woman in Blue. Why does he do this? Is it because it reminds him of a lost love from his past? Or is he a writer writing a book about the painting? The woman in the painting also tells her story so the story unfolds gradually like a puzzle box. Choice details build up a picture of Delft in the 17th century and modern day Amsterdam and the narrative has a cinematic quality to it.

Very beguiling and unusual. I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton is a beautifully crafted love story that intertwines art and fiction, drawing inspiration from Johannes Vermeer’s evocative painting. The narrative, led by an unnamed narrator, delves into the hope and longing for answers through the timeless gaze of Vermeer’s Woman in Blue. This story becomes a meditation on the nature of love—its many forms and complexities—while inviting readers to reflect on how we interpret both art and the loves in our lives. Bruton's writing gracefully explores how the artist's perspective may differ from our own, offering a profound and poetic exploration of what it means to love and be loved.

When I started reading this book, I wasn't initially sure what to make of it. The structure is unusual to me. We start with a prologue from the artist Johannes Vermeer, as he discovers in 1663 the idea for his picture, 'The Woman in Blue Reading a Letter'.

<blockquote>"But he also knows that all middle-of-the-night ideas seem brilliant when considered in the dark between sleeping and waking - those same ideas in the cold light of day less so. "</blockquote>

And then the story starts to alternate from a man, whom one assumes is moving towards older age, who comes to the museum in Amsterdam each day to visit the Woman in Blue; and Angelieke the woman who is depicted in the painting.

It unsettled me slightly, I like art, but to lean into it with the fascination and obsessive compulsion of the man, and for the woman in the painting to be able to read his thoughts and to contemplate him, while also telling her story from 350+ years ago, was a little destabilising and I wondered at the start whether the whole premise would spiral into something bizarre and unintelligible. But it doesn't, instead it weaves two unique stories together, both pulling strongly on what it is to love and how we make sense of that love as it evolves.

All the way through the book I was wondering where the story would go to. It is not long, and so it was a fast book to read and even if I wanted to, I couldn't put it down as my intrigue for how it would all resolve itself bore out.

In the end I could pick the ending prior to my arrival on both sides, but this didn't diminish the story, but rather I found the way it eased forward to the conclusions beautiful and peaceful, reminiscent of how this piece of art is often described.

The passages are evocative and whether they step you into the artwork or into day to day life, they are rich and full of colour, smell and emotion.

<blockquote>"And it was on Katrijn's hands, so that the lady of the house where she worked, not knowing it was Katrijn who smelled now of rosewater, remarked on the scent of roses faintly adrift on the air. 'It is a summer smell, roses and new-cut grass and ewes with their lambs' she said, and she imagined it was something that had been carried on the wind from somewhere far off, a place where it was always summer and there were always swallows throwing outsize geometry against the blue sky. The though made the lady of the house smile, and she carried that smile through the rest of that day and into the next".</blockquote>

After I finished the book, I went searching for more of Veneer's work and I really quite like it. The overall tone is a bit dark and sombre when you first look at them, but they are mysterious and quite often feature glorious blues and striking golds that leap out of the darkness. The way he captures his subjects, their character and poise is stunning, like you have caught them in the middle of doing or thinking something that is secret or half formed, is really exquisite, like Girl with the Pearl Earring, the Milk Maid, Dame on Spinet or The Art of Painting and of course, The Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.

An intriguing novella on what it is to love.

Many thanks to Fairlight Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy.

I really loved this novella. What an interesting premise, well written, charming story with an unusal twist. Highly recommend.

Woman in Blue is a captivating novella that beautifully explores the connection between art, love, and the passage of time. Bruton masterfully weaves together present-day Amsterdam and Vermeer’s 1600s studio, creating a poetic interplay between a man’s introspective gaze and the enigmatic figure in a painting.

The story delves into the profound impact of art, portraying it as a bridge that links emotions and lives across centuries. Through the man’s quiet contemplation of the Woman in Blue, Bruton reflects on themes of memory, love, and the inspiration drawn from creative works. The writing is thoughtful and evocative, inviting readers to ponder the way art resonates with our innermost feelings.

One of the most striking aspects of the novella is its treatment of the act of gazing. Here, it is not possessive or dominating but gentle and transformative, showcasing the beauty of appreciating art without claiming ownership. This perspective adds depth to the narrative, encouraging readers to reflect on their own experiences with creativity and inspiration.

Overall, Woman in Blue is a meditative and thought-provoking story that celebrates the timeless dialogue between artist and observer, past and present, and love and longing. It’s an exquisite read for anyone who values the profound influence of art and storytelling.