In my opinion not as good as Girl With a Pearl Earring. Just as much historical detail and I liked the view into the art of tapestry weaving but all the characters have this overstated willfulness to them - while I enjoyed the more subtle tension in Girl With a Pearl Earring. Tracy Chevalier packs much more of the historical background into the plot in less pages than most authors of the genre do, and so the storyline is compromised as it jumps from character to character.