I read The Miniaturist in almost an afternoon, it is simply unputdownable. Considering it is over 400 pages long and a very in depth read, that is pretty good going by my book! (If you'll pardon the pun).
Set in Amsterdam in the sixteen hundreds, the story follows 18 year old Nella Oortman as she settles into her new life with a rich merchant husband in central Amsterdam. Now known as Petronella Brandt, her new family and household are not quite what they seem (always the case). As Johannes Brandt gives his wife a wedding gift of a miniature sized replica of their grand house, the miniaturist who furnishes it wields unprecedented power of their lives - for better or for worse.
I immediately warmed to the protagonist and her many woes as Jessie Burton brings each and every character alive with her vivid imagination. I have never read a book quite so richly and intricately described, so much so that at times you could almost smell the pastries baking and feel the cool snow on your cheeks. I have always wanted to go to Amsterdam so The Miniaturist (and The Fault In Our Stars) confirms that! Amsterdam's history is one I have never known about, nor been interested to know about, so reading about the merchants and ships and general culture at the time was a treat.
It is not that the story was predictable, far from it, but in places I was not surprised. Yet in others I did not expect the twists and turns the plot took. Granted, it takes a while to get into, and to adjust to the descriptive, almost poetic style of Burton; but all in all, The Miniaturist is a throughly enjoyable, heartbreaking, mind-churning novel that I would encourage anyone to read.
Title: The Miniaturist
Author: Jessie Burton
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Fantasy
Published: 2014, Picador
Pages: 424
My rating: ★★★★★
Favourite quote: 'In suffering we find our truest selves.'
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton on Goodreads
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