Customer Reviews

The Red Hat

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This is the first John Bayley book I have read. After the many wonderful things I have heard about this book and this author, I was so disappointed. I finished the book, but it was hard. I thought the storyline was disjointed (and unbelieveable) and hard to follow. There's not even a single section or paragraph to this book that I can think back on and say, "Well, that part was okay." The second part was even more disappointing than the first.

I was initially attracted to this book and eagerly awaited its arrival in my mailbox for two reasons: my regard for John Bayley's exceptional literary criticism and his moving, eloquent book "Elegy for Iris" and my pleasurable reading of three other recently published novels related to Vermeer ("The Music Lesson" by Katharine Weber, "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland). I wanted, therefore, to like this book but I just couldn't. Although Bayley draws on fascinating (and au courant) themes such as androgyny, sexual fantasy and the comingling of art and life, his book is rather stuffy and tedious and the voice of Nancy Deverell, who narrates the first part of the book, is off-putting and unbelievable. I enjoyed Bayley's spirited and irreverent attitude toward Vermeer, but those expecting a tribute to the artist's quiet genius will be disappointed, as will those who expect insight into the nature of the complex relationship between art and life.

After all the wonderful things I heard about this book, it ended up being a major letdown. I had trouble following the storyline, and could never really tell whether this was supposed to be a realistic account of what happened or just somebody's vivid imagination. I was kind of hoping the second part of the book might clarify some of my questions from the first part, but all it succeeded in doing was furthering my dislike for this book. If you have something else you would rather read, I would suggest doing so.