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The Miniaturist

Jessie Burton

3.60 · Rating details · 119,037 ratings · 12,466 reviews

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam--a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion--a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.

"There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . ."

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to ...more

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Hardcover, 400 pages

Published August 26th 2014 by Ecco Press (first published July 3rd 2014)

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Rating details

· 119,037 ratings · 12,466 reviews

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Jul 30, 2014 Lucy Bignall rated it liked it

I found this book very confusing and the hype of it, even more so.

For one thing, I found it very readable - very hard to put down.

On the other hand, I found the characters very unbelievable. I thought it highly unconvincing that an eighteen year old girl from the country would have had such wisdom and assurance and grown to have such acceptance and respect for Johannes as quickly as Nella did - especially as there was very little record of the two of them having much to do with each other, unti ...more

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Oct 13, 2014 Regan rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-owned-read

4.5

really really beautiful. I was going to give it 4 stars but then I reread the first chapter after I finished AND IT WAS SO GOOD IN CONTEXT.

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Mar 19, 2014 Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, books-of-the-year-2014, literary-fiction

The death of Nella Oortman’s father left the family in difficult straits, saddled with unexpected debts and a declining standard of living. But the widow finds a suitable match for Nella, in a successful Amsterdam merchant and trader. As he travels extensively, the wedding is a quick affair, and it is a month before he will return to his home. In October of 1686, Nella arrives there, in a very exclusive part of the city. She is greeted by her new husband’s sister, Marin, who makes her feel as we ...more

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Sep 15, 2014 Jeffrey Keeten rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-dutch, book-to-film

”Behold,

as the stars of heaven for multitude….

How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance,

and your burden, and your strife?”

Deuteronomy 1:10-12

The Miniature Petronella Oortman

Petronella Oortman is barely eighteen years old in 1686 when she marries a rich merchant named Johannes Brandt and moves to his house in Amsterdam. It is unnerving to move so far away from her relatives and all the people she has known her entire life, but it is also exciting to finally escape the boredom of the country ...more

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Apr 24, 2014 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: distant-lands, free-from-work, sshh-family-secrets

I love you. I love you. From back to front, I love you.

this is an remarkably polished and transporting debut novel that has been compared to sarah waters.

which comparison alone should be enough for you to give it a shot, but i'll continue to blather on a bit in case you need more encouragement.

it takes place in amsterdam, in 1686, during that city's golden age, when it was incredibly wealthy because of its trading capabilities, but there was still a great deal of social progress to be made in t ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 Leah Beecher rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: no one

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 04, 2014 Leanne rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2014, disappointment, family-secrets

3 stars is a difficult rating for me. When I look at the vast number of 3-starrers I've got sitting on my shelves, there is a definite divide between ones I sped through at the time but that left no lasting impression, ones that I did enjoy but just found too silly or amateur-ish to rate higher, and ones that I was highly anticipating and just failed to live up to such lofty expectations. Of any category, The Miniaturist probably falls into the latter. I had it pre-ordered back in March, read qu 3 stars is a difficult rating for me. When I look at the vast number of 3-starrers I've got sitting on my shelves, there is a definite divide between ones I sped through at the time but that left no lasting impression, ones that I did enjoy but just found too silly or amateur-ish to rate higher, and ones that I was highly anticipating and just failed to live up to such lofty expectations. Of any category, The Miniaturist probably falls into the latter. I had it pre-ordered back in March, read quite a bit of early buzz and rave reviews, and had seen multiple Goodreads friends with similar taste add it to their "to-read" shelves. And while it was certainly good, it just didn't quite make the leap to great.

The story is told entirely from the perspective of 18-year-old Nella Brandt (nee Oortman), who has entered into a prosperous marriage with a man she barely knows, the rich but aloof Johannes. In the Brandt household, she co-exists with a crew of somewhat cliche characters - Marin, Johannes' cold, spinster sister, Cornelia, the brash but kind maid, and Otto, the wise and trusted butler/manservant. Upon her arrival, Johannes presents Nella with a strange but oddly enticing bridal gift - a cabinet filled with rooms that are an exact replica of the Brandt household.

There were parts that I found fascinating - particularly the mystery of the miniaturist's identity and methods, and the descriptions of all the little items she made for Nella. And Nella herself is a good character, very developed and sympathetic (although probably a bit too independent and resourceful to be totally realistic to the time period). Really, all of the characters have secrets and hidden depths, but unfortunately by the end they all start to veer into complete melodrama.

I think one of the things that bothered me the most was that Burton tried to tackle too many different subjects in a relatively short book, and she wasn't particularly subtle about it. Women's rights, homosexuality, racism, and class division are all introduced within the first 50-100 pages and none of them are developed satisfyingly enough to provide any real social commentary. Other reviewers have also cited the lack of historical accuracy in places, and while I wouldn't know enough about that add an intelligent opinion, I can see where it might have occurred. The book doesn't feel under-researched exactly (there was obviously a lot of care put into it), but it does just lack a depth and amount of detail that the the strongest examples of historical fiction I've read seem to have.

All in all, it's a prettily written historical tale with several interesting twists and turns that never quite matures into something magical - worth a look, but not up to the high standards that seem to have been set for it. ...more

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Jan 28, 2017 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, the-netherlands, magical-realism, british-literature, mystery

''But words are water in Amsterdam, they flood your ears and set the rot''

When you visit the Rijksmuseum, one of the exhibits that is certain to attract your attention, is the beautiful dollhouse of Petronella Oortman, a creation of exquisite beauty. When I visited Amsterdam a few years ago, the book hadn't been published yet. Now, Jessie Burton's novel has come to add another thread in the glorious veil of mystery that surrounds this marvellous city.

We find ourselves during the 17th century ...more

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May 20, 2015 Sean Barrs rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, 4-star-reads, love-and-romance

I tried to read this around six months ago and couldn’t get past the first page. I tried again a month ago and gave up after the first chapter. Finally, I tried one more time last night. I got past the first page, and the first chapter, and finished the whole damn thing in one seven hour sitting. Suffice to say, my perseverance paid off because I really liked this book.

My advice: push through the initial awkwardness of the prose.

Ok, so the phrasing of the prologue is very strange; it is enough t I tried to read this around six months ago and couldn’t get past the first page. I tried again a month ago and gave up after the first chapter. Finally, I tried one more time last night. I got past the first page, and the first chapter, and finished the whole damn thing in one seven hour sitting. Suffice to say, my perseverance paid off because I really liked this book.

My advice: push through the initial awkwardness of the prose.

Ok, so the phrasing of the prologue is very strange; it is enough to immediately put the reader off as it did so with me twice. However, once you reach the end of the book and go back and read it, it makes complete sense and the writing style,does in fact, add to its meaning. Moreover, the story is not told in that manner in its entirety; it is only at the beginning. So if you’ve been put off by the initial few pages then I recommend reading through them again and then continuing with the story. The rest of the prose is normal and approachable, and the plot that develops is brilliant.

Indeed, when a young girl is shipped off to marry a wealthy merchant of Amsterdam she is excited at the prospect of being a married woman. However, the marriage is not what she hoped; it turns out to be terrible and cold. Her husband ignores her and shows no signs of wanting intimacy with his new bride; his sister lives with them and she is a bully and takes charge of the home. Thus, Nella wants to run back home but, she can’t because if she did she would never discover why the miniaturist is sending her so many miniatures; they begin to haunt her life in disturbing ways, so she stays to find out why.

Why is The Miniaturist sending her these things?

This is the question that kept me reading. The miniatures are a frightening reflection of her messed up marriage; they change as the characters change or the characters change as the miniatures change. It is not clear which one is the cause and which one is the effect. They haunt her life as more and more arrive on her doorstep. Each one is more revealing than the last and harbour intimate knowledge of her secrets. How the Miniaturist acquired such knowledge is unfathomable and disturbing. The question remains: why does she do this to Nella?

It is never completely answered; it is more open to interpretation. This makes the ending of this book perfect. It isn’t perfect for the characters involved; it is quite the opposite: tragic. But, the Miniaturist remains shrouded in mystery; she remains an ethereal entity that is the heart of this book; she drives the events forward, somehow, and makes the book special. The Miniaturist’s reasons, and the effects she causes, are completely open for the reader to decide. The Miniaturist may be a crazy stalker person or he/she may be something much more.

There is a reason Waterstones named this as their book of the year in 2014. I’m so glad I gave it a third reading attempt otherwise I never would have experienced its brilliance. ...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Ferdy rated it it was ok

Shelves: boring, literary, liked-the-setting, set-in-past, historical-or-historical-esque, nonsensical, doormat-heroine, blah, boring-main-characters, unlikeable-characters

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoilers

Could have been great, the premise sounded really intriguing and unique.. Unfortunately, the story was plain nonsensical and filled with tedious characters who were obsessed with sugar.

-I couldn't stand Nella, she was an irritating, passive, embarrassing and insipid main character. She was also a right thicko, she missed so many obvious things that were right in front of her. How on Earth did she miss her husband being gay? Or Thea being Otto's daughter? Why did she let Marin treat her l Spoilers

Could have been great, the premise sounded really intriguing and unique.. Unfortunately, the story was plain nonsensical and filled with tedious characters who were obsessed with sugar.

-I couldn't stand Nella, she was an irritating, passive, embarrassing and insipid main character. She was also a right thicko, she missed so many obvious things that were right in front of her. How on Earth did she miss her husband being gay? Or Thea being Otto's daughter? Why did she let Marin treat her like crap in her own home? Also, why did she think ordering those miniatures would piss off Johannes? Ugh, she was so daft.

-Most of the characters were annoying and unlikeable, not only that they were super boring. I didn't care about their secrets or their evasiveness, the only 'character' I wanted to know about was the miniaturist, but nothing significant was ever revealed about her. I did quite like Cornelia, Hanna and Johannes, they were the only half decent characters there.

-What was with that first chapter? I thought it would make sense by the end but if anything I was left more confused. Was the miniaturist trying to stop certain events from happening or something? Because she ended up changing nothing. I didn't get it. Why was the miniaturist even interested in Nella and all the other women's lives in the first place? It was like her character was a mystery just for mystery's sake. The fact there wasn't even the slightest explanation about her made the intriguing premise totally nonsensical.

-Who was the miniaturist? How did she know what to send Nella and the other women? Why did she send stuff to them? Did she have psychic powers? What was the point of it all? Why was she stalking Nella? What was she trying to achieve?

-I hated Marin most of all, she was a total hypocrite, an abusive cow, and so self righteous and holier than thou. Her personality wasn't just vile, it was also boring, she didn't say or do one interesting thing. It was irritating how she played the victim and the martyr when she was none of those things, anything bad that happened to her was of her own doing. I especially despised the way she treated Nella, she ruined Nella's life by forcing Johannes to marry her, because of her Nella didn't get to have a real marriage or kids of her own. Ugh, I was glad Marin died at the end, it was what she deserved.

-I kind of loathed and loved Johannes, he was a good man and his life was tragic but his carelessness and selfishness was frustrating to read. I felt sorry for him at first for being forced to marry so that no-one would suspect he was gay, but then his antics with the sugar and the shagging around in public made me hate him. He knew being caught would not only mean the end of his life but also the possible destruction of his family. Why did he find it so difficult to be careful? Also, what was his problem in selling the sugar? Why did he leave it so long? Why couldn't he be bothered to actually do something with it? How did he not know that the sugar was rotting? How did he not know about his money situation? How was he successful in his work yet totally incompetent about the sugar? Him hating Agnes and Frans wasn't a good enough excuse for fucking up with the sugar. At times he seemed to have zero common sense or care for anyone else except himself. For a good chunk of the book I disliked him but by the end I really started to feel sorry for him again, he didn't deserve everyone turning on him and being punished the way he was. It was so depressing but I guess it was realistic for the time period.

-Liked the Amsterdam setting, and the general premise was good but the execution of it was utter rubbish.

All in all, I wasn't impressed. If the ending had been satisfying (as in finding out the mystery of and the driving force behind the miniaturist) then I could have forgiven the crappy protagonist and slow moving story.. Sadly, the ending revealed nothing, if anything it just made things more confusing. I doubt I'll read any of the author's future releases. ...more

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Sep 13, 2014 Annet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, dark, dutch, religion

Enjoyed this book, really entertaining story of 17th century Amsterdam and the adventures of Petronella, newly wed young wife of a rich merchant living at the 'Herengracht' in Amsterdam. The adventures however did not turn out what she expected...It's a rather dark and sad story, but beautifully told and beautifully characterizes Amsterdam of those times...you could feel the cold of winter and the frozen canals throug the pages... Loved it. And then there's the mystery of the miniaturist, who ke ...more

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Jan 25, 2015 Violet wells rated it it was ok

Shelves: 21st-century, historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One thing I learned from reading this novel is that clearly most readers are better at suspending disbelief than I am. At times the plotting of this book was so preposterous and highly excitable that it seemed to me like the literary equivalent of pantomime. A wild man in pantomime clothes stabs a painting, then he stabs a dog, then he in turn is stabbed by an equally exotic piratical character, he seems to be dying but then suddenly reverts back to amateur dramatics – the entire scene, aspiring One thing I learned from reading this novel is that clearly most readers are better at suspending disbelief than I am. At times the plotting of this book was so preposterous and highly excitable that it seemed to me like the literary equivalent of pantomime. A wild man in pantomime clothes stabs a painting, then he stabs a dog, then he in turn is stabbed by an equally exotic piratical character, he seems to be dying but then suddenly reverts back to amateur dramatics – the entire scene, aspiring to pathos, is pure farce, childish slapstick. Then the whole premise of the miniaturist and her dark arts is so cynically far-fetched that I wouldn’t be surprised if initially this novel was conceived as a children's story. In some ways it’s two different novels: there’s the basic storyline with its adult themes - a young girl marries into a family of Dutch traders and finds herself in a house with many dark secrets and then grafted somewhat heavy-handedly on top is the fairy story of the miniaturist supplying a constant feast of implausible hollow mystery the nature of which is never addressed. And not once did I feel these two narratives were reconciled. You could take out the entire character of the miniaturist and her sorcery from this novel without it altering the novel’s basic plot at all.
But there’s also something cynical about the construction of this novel. As if, prior to composition, a lot of market research was done to identify what exactly makes a best-selling novel. I suspect a computer program might have come up with a plot similar were it engineered to formulate the basic components for a best-selling novel. We’ve got the exotic location, the innocent heroine, we’ve got tall dark strangers mincing into virtually every other chapter, we’ve got goodies and baddies with just enough leeway to allow for twists, we’ve got a sugary relish for sensual descriptive prose and we’ve got one mystery after another shovelled into the narrative. I thought maybe the doll’s house might be a symbol of a clever subtext about women’s lack of autonomy in the public realm back in those dark days but really it’s just a cheap gimmick to feed a constant current of mystery into the plot. There are good things. The characters are well-drawn and evolve well in relation to each other and there’s a truly harrowing account of childbirth. But essentially it’s a watercolour of a novel, little texture or underpainting or depth – everything is on the surface. I guess this is escapist fiction because rarely did it make me think about anything – a story that allows one to forget about real life for a bit. I had the feeling near the end that thirty or so revealing pages were missing from the text. I felt cheated. Depressing that this outsold virtually every other novel last year.

...more

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Apr 25, 2014 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, library-has, coming-of-age

Final review, first posted on www.FantasyLiterature.com:

In the fall of 1686, eighteen year old Petronella (Nella), newly wed in a hastily arranged marriage, arrives on the doorstep of her husband's fine home in Amsterdam, and finds herself, like second Mrs. de Winter in Rebecca, in over her head, in a home where there are strange undercurrents and dark secrets swirling around. Her twenty-plus years older husband, Johannes Brandt, is kind but mostly absent and apparently uninterested in visiting ...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Blair rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, historical, first-novels, 2014-release, read-on-kindle

At some point within the past couple of years, I've lost the passion I used to have for historical fiction. Looking back on the historical novels I've enjoyed in recent times, I can see that they all have some element of another genre or type of book I haven't yet got sick of - the ghost story, the unreliable narrator tale, something with just a sprinkling of fantasy. There was a time when I used to specifically seek out historical novels by contemporary authors, and would automatically be drawn ...more

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May 28, 2014 Wendy Darling rated it liked it

Recommended to Wendy Darling by: karen brissette

Shelves: adult, 2014-publication, read-2014, to-review, food-porn, lgbtqi, historical-fiction, august, harpercollins, own-dtb-tbr

3.5 stars Quite lovely in parts, but I found this strangely lacking in emotional complexity. It also bears the weight of the legacy of many other stories before it that touch on similar plot elements or themes, so that two of the three most central mysteries don't come as surprises at all. And the third? The third is left unexplained.

A bit more of a review to come. ...more

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Apr 06, 2014 B the BookAddict rated it liked it

Recommended to B the BookAddict by: Goodreads

AMENDED REVIEW

Honestly, at pg 115, I wanted to stop reading it. I do tire of novels with a ‘Mrs Danveresque’ character. Burton is using lots of flowery turns of phrase but lacking in the story-telling department. This feels so unpolished, almost like a first draft, it lacks substance.

17th century Holland is ripe with historical detail and features but Burton has not used this to her advantage. And what are pattens? You may not know. Yes, you can Google it but should you need to? Not terribly muc ...more

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Aug 10, 2014 Maxine (Booklover Catlady) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: could-not-put-down, historical-fiction-read

What a magnificent story! So moving and beautiful. Exceptionally written and exquisite in every single way possible. I am not normally a fan of historical fiction, but this novel swept me away in it's beauty, darkness and secrets. Tremendous.

This book is the fastest selling debut novel since 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. Eleven big name publishers battled it out for the rights to its publication. It is one of the most hyped releases of 2014 and is currently outselling J.K. Rowling. I do however think ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Jeannette Nikolova rated it it was ok

Now available on the WondrousBooks blog.

1. Cover love!
2. IS THIS HOW IT REALLY ENDED?

Let me back up here.
I stumbled upon this book and I thought the concept was interesting, even though I'm not a fan of historical books. I recently got a hold of it and I was in a hurry to read it.

Summary: Nella is a girl of almost 18 years whose father dies and she is forced to marry a rich merchant, Johannes Brandt, from Amsterdam and leave her village. Upon arrival, however, she realizes that her new hus ...more

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Jul 11, 2014 Becky rated it liked it · review of another edition

In many ways this is a beautiful book, with gorgeous descriptive language that really brings the scenes in Amsterdam to life. It's rare that I find an author who can describe without over-use of adjectives. There is a lot to admire.

However ultimately I felt this book was like a series of rolling waves which never really broke - the tension seems to grow and swell, then it comes to nothing. Even the dramatic events, of which there are several, lacked impact.

I think the reason I ultimately found t ...more

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Aug 26, 2014 Jennifer Masterson rated it it was amazing

4.5 Stars. What a fantastic and beautifully written debut novel from Jessie Burton. The Miniaturist is about young Nella who lives in the small town of Assendelft and is married off to a much older man named Johannes Brandt who is from Amsterdam in 1686 during it's Golden Age. What Nella endures in just a few months is crazy and very sad. Nella goes and lives with Johannes, his sister Marin, and the rest of his dysfunctional household. The book deals with secrets secrets and more secrets and jus ...more

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Feb 08, 2018 Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, fiction, the-low-countries

Yes well, at first I thought the setting in seventeenth century Holland was very bold and a heroic undertaking, but then reading I thought maybe it was a sign of diffidence, a lack of confidence on the part of the author like a shy person wearing a huge hat or fancy shoes - no, don't look at me, look at my hat and shoes, don't scrutinise my sentences or my narrative - admire my lavish setting, the fabrics, the foods, the intricate details.

When one strips away the setting then I think for a story ...more

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Sep 17, 2014 Dem rated it liked it

3.5 stars.

Set in Amsterdam in the late 17th century the Miniaturist is an interesting story. We are drawn to a city of hidden opulence and religious repression.
Eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman enters a prosperous, but loveless marriage, with the merchant Johannes Brandt. When her husband presents her with a replica cabinet house Nella finds that she is living her life throughout the miniatures within the cabinet.

This is an intriguing story which I found very well written and quite dark. I had di ...more

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Nov 29, 2017 Heidi The Reader rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

A young woman gets married to a man she's never met. The household she enters is cold and uninviting. As a strange wedding present, her husband buys the woman a mock up of her household.

Against her wishes but wanting to please her husband, Nella hires a miniaturist to build furniture for the gift. The miniatures she receives are accurate enough to be scary. It seems that the miniaturist knows things about her life that Nella doesn't.

This is a story about secrets, trust and unexpected magic.

What ...more

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Apr 04, 2014 Laura rated it it was amazing

This author had me turning page after page with what's going to happen next thoughts. However, what Burton truly excelled in was bringing you into a time and place. It's eerie, a feeling of something looming, the unknown, the coldness all bring you into this story. This book isn't for everyone. Not once will you crack a smile or laugh a little, it would be a betrayal to the place and characters if you do. The plot is nothing the same but the tone and atmospheric feeling was similar to Burial Rit ...more

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Nov 22, 2019 Kerri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: most-loved

I adored this book! I bought it earlier in the year, and had it on the top of a pile of books, so I could see the cover often, as I find it so charming. It was one that I just knew I would like, and I was so pleased with how much I ended up enjoying it.

On one of the first pages there is a picture of Petronella Oortman's cabinet house. I would definitely recommend Googling it and looking at a full colour image, as it is so beautiful. There is also another Petronella Oortman, who also had a cabin I adored this book! I bought it earlier in the year, and had it on the top of a pile of books, so I could see the cover often, as I find it so charming. It was one that I just knew I would like, and I was so pleased with how much I ended up enjoying it.

On one of the first pages there is a picture of Petronella Oortman's cabinet house. I would definitely recommend Googling it and looking at a full colour image, as it is so beautiful. There is also another Petronella Oortman, who also had a cabinet house, and it's worth looking at that too. If I am ever lucky enough to go to Amsterdam, I would love to see these houses! They are so exquisite and I find them fascinating.

Set in 1686, eighteen-year-old Petronella (Nella) Oortman arrives at the house of her new husband, Johannes Brandt, ready to begin her new life as his wife. Things turn out to be not at all what she expected, and she finds herself struggling to adjust. Johannes sister, Marin also lives in the house, along with maid Cornelia, manservant Otto, two dogs named Rezeki and Dhana and Nella's parakeet, Peebo. It's a strange household that I grew incredibly attached to.

Johannes gifts his wife a cabinet sized replica of their home, and, via letter, she commissions a miniaturist to furnish it -- but the miniaturist seems to know more about their household than she should, which is both unnerving and intriguing.

I loved the way this was written. I wanted to sit down and read it all as soon as possible, but unfortunately things got in the way, so I was instead taking any moment I could find to read even a page or two more. I was quite sad to finish it actually, as I didn't feel quite ready to leave the characters behind, but that is of course a testament to the story.

Prior to reading this, I had watched a video on YouTube that showed the making of the furniture pieces for the house used in the TV show. As well as making me want to see that, it helped give me a clear picture of just how detailed the pieces were. Jessie Burton's writing is wonderfully descriptive, so I don't think it's absolutely required viewing, but it was very interesting!

I would like to see the BBC series if I can find it-- the trailer looked good! ...more

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Jul 02, 2018 H.A. Leuschel rated it really liked it

Burton has created a diverse and fascinating cast of characters and 17th century Amsterdam with its many waterways, cobblestones and endearing as well as creepy and scary inhabitants comes to life like a detailed Brueghel painting depicting busy scenes set in Protestant Netherlands. Without wanting to give anything away from the intricate story line, I have to admit though that one aspect of the story was hugely unsettling for me. As much as homosexuality was punished hundreds of years ago becau ...more

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Jan 12, 2018 Katie Lumsden rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

A thoroughly brilliant book, one of the best I've read in a long while - I loved the characters, the themes, the setting, the twists and turns of the plot, and the writing was just superb. ...more

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Jul 14, 2017 Erin Clemence rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“The Miniaturist” by Jessie Burton really took me by surprise. This historical fiction novel really pulled me in and left me guessing, with its short chapters and strong, developed characters, this novel was just as addicting as it was delightful.
In Amsterdam in 1686, Nella arrives at the doorstep of an illustrious businessman, ready and willing to take on the responsibility of being his wife. As she struggles to fit in, her husband buys her a miniature house (think, dollhouse of sorts) and Ne ...more

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Aug 12, 2014 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2014-reads, own, favourites, magical-realism, 2017-reads

This book is the fastest selling debut novel since 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. Eleven big name publishers battled it out for the rights to its publication. It is one of the most hyped releases of 2014 and is currently outselling J K Rowling. With this in mind, I came into it with fairly high expectations. I was not disappointed. It was everything I was hoping for, an intriguing mix of mystery, love, secrets, betrayal, identity and revenge, all set against the backdrop of 17th century Amsterdam.

The s This book is the fastest selling debut novel since 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. Eleven big name publishers battled it out for the rights to its publication. It is one of the most hyped releases of 2014 and is currently outselling J K Rowling. With this in mind, I came into it with fairly high expectations. I was not disappointed. It was everything I was hoping for, an intriguing mix of mystery, love, secrets, betrayal, identity and revenge, all set against the backdrop of 17th century Amsterdam.

The story centres upon eighteen year old Nella Oortman who arrives in Amsterdam from the country to take up residence in the home of the wealthy Brandt family. Nella was recently married to the head of the family, a VOC merchant by the name of Johannes, and is somewhat apprehensive about her new life in the city. Upon arrival, she finds her new home to be a less than welcoming place. Her new husband is distant, his sister unfriendly and their servants do not act in the way in which Nella expected them to. It soon becomes apparent that there are many secrets hidden within the Brandt household and when the titular miniaturist enters the story, things gradually start to spiral out of control.

I really loved the writing in this book. Jessie Burton certainly knows how to set a scene and create atmosphere and her rich, evocative descriptions of seventeenth century Amsterdam and its inhabitants really do bring everything vividly to life for the reader. Plot wise, this book is very much like a dolls house. The longer and harder you look, the more you see and understand. There are plenty of twists, turns and revelations along the way, some of which you may guess and others you probably won't. I like to be surprised whilst reading and this book certainly surprised me on several occasions. I couldn't get enough of it. I just had to know what was going to happen next.

There are plenty of fascinating characters to be found within these pages, some of whom you love, others who you hate. I particularly enjoyed the development of Nella throughout the course of the novel. Initially quite naive and out of her depth, she matures into a strong willed woman who is more than capable of standing up for herself and taking charge if needs be. I also liked watching how her relationships with the members of the Brandt household developed and changed as the story progressed. However, by far the two most interesting characters for me were her husband Johannes and his younger sister Marin. Johannes didn't feature quite as much as I expected him to but when he did, I found him to be an intriguing, likeable and sympathetic character. I found Marin to be somewhat grating initially. She just seemed to be unfriendly towards Nella for the sake of it. However, like the rest of the book, there is far more to her and her actions than first meets the eye and she ended up becoming one of my favourite characters. As for the miniaturist, to reveal too much would be to spoil so it's best to read the book for yourself in order to find out what their role in the story is.

Overall, this was a fantastic book that I just had to rate 5 stars. It was a bit slow to start so some perseverance may be needed, and not all of the questions raised are answered but this did not affect my overall enjoyment at all. In certain aspects, this book is what you make it. I would highly recommend checking it out if you like well written historical fiction that is populated by some great characters, has plenty of twists, intrigue and suspense, a dash of mystery and a sprinkling of fantasy/magical realism. For me personally, this is a book that lived up to its hype. Jessie Burton is currently working on her second novel and I will be looking out for that with great interest. ...more

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Apr 25, 2014 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, magic-realism, suspense, reviewed-for-books-sake

With her debut novel, Burton follows in the footsteps of Sarah Waters and Tracy Chevalier, filling her seventeenth-century Amsterdam canvas with rich period detail and a suspenseful plot. The Miniaturist is flawlessly researched; like a Vermeer painting, it is rich in detail but subtle in construction.

However, the story does rather tip over into melodrama, with a trial and an unexpected pregnancy taking up much of the second half. The magical realist element, so significant to start with, is nev ...more

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About Jessie Burton

Jessie Burton

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Jessie Burton studied at Oxford University and the Central School of Speech and Drama, where she appeared in productions of The House of Bernarda Alba, Othello, Play and Macbeth. In April 2013 her first novel, The Miniaturist, was sold at an 11-publisher auction at the London Book Fair, and went on to sell in 29 other countries around the world. It was published by Picador in the UK and Holland in ...more