By Jessie Burton.
[There is
[There is
nothing hidden
that will not be revealed...
On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old
Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand
house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam.
She has come from the country to begin a
new life as the wife of illustrious merchant
trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met
by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later
does Johannes appear and present her with
an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized
replica of their home. It is to be furnished by
an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations
mirror their real-life counterparts in
unexpected ways...
Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of
the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its
secrets she realises the escalating dangers that
await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their
fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their
salvation or the architect of their downfall?
Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with
heart-pounding suspense, The Miniaturist is
a magnificent story of love and obsession,
betrayal and retribution, appearance
and truth.]
I was really rather confused by this whole book.
Not confused as in I didn't know what was going on, because I did.
But confused because the title is The Miniaturist, and, yes, a miniaturist did feature in the book but not nearly as much as I thought she would do.
I kind of didn't see the point in her even being in the book, she had no impact whatsoever really and it was all left in the air as to what or who she really was.
In fact, she had completely disappeared by the end, crucial moments of the plot, so I'm baffled.
I enjoyed the setting. Amsterdam sounds like such a beautiful and enchanting place and the style this was written in was perfect.
I loved Burton's character development as well. She really knows how to show all of their underlying flaws even among their more boisterous traits.
I was a little unhappy overall about the plot. It didn't seem to go anywhere at all for quite a while and then everything suddenly happened at once and it all seemed quite random.
The ending also left me feeling a little deflated and lost with two of the characters being killed off so suddenly (one more so than the other).
I don't know why, but I presumed at least one of those two characters would survive, that the other characters would find a way to save them, but maybe that would be me hoping for a happy-ever-after ending when you don't always get them!
Another comment I would like to make, unrelated to the plot or characters, is about the actual bound print of this book. It is absolutely stunning. A friend bought me it as a present and I love the whole blue lining of each page and the floral endpapers. It's beautiful.
I wish I could have enjoyed this a bit more to be honest.
✌︎
I was really rather confused by this whole book.
Not confused as in I didn't know what was going on, because I did.
But confused because the title is The Miniaturist, and, yes, a miniaturist did feature in the book but not nearly as much as I thought she would do.
I kind of didn't see the point in her even being in the book, she had no impact whatsoever really and it was all left in the air as to what or who she really was.
In fact, she had completely disappeared by the end, crucial moments of the plot, so I'm baffled.
I enjoyed the setting. Amsterdam sounds like such a beautiful and enchanting place and the style this was written in was perfect.
I loved Burton's character development as well. She really knows how to show all of their underlying flaws even among their more boisterous traits.
I was a little unhappy overall about the plot. It didn't seem to go anywhere at all for quite a while and then everything suddenly happened at once and it all seemed quite random.
The ending also left me feeling a little deflated and lost with two of the characters being killed off so suddenly (one more so than the other).
I don't know why, but I presumed at least one of those two characters would survive, that the other characters would find a way to save them, but maybe that would be me hoping for a happy-ever-after ending when you don't always get them!
Another comment I would like to make, unrelated to the plot or characters, is about the actual bound print of this book. It is absolutely stunning. A friend bought me it as a present and I love the whole blue lining of each page and the floral endpapers. It's beautiful.
I wish I could have enjoyed this a bit more to be honest.
✌︎
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