Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. The novel was inspired by the Vermeer painting of the same name. (The author had a poster of the painting - it moved wherever she did for 16 years. She said she was fascinated by the ambiguous expression on the model's face). Sixteen-year-old Griet lives with her family in Delft. Her family has fallen on hard times and sixteen-year-old Griet is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Johannes Vermeer. The novel was a runaway bestseller in 1999. They made a movie out of it with Colin Firth and Scarlett Johanssen.
