The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Synopsis
In Amsterdam, 1686, young Nella Oortman has married a very wealthy--and much older--merchant, Johannes Brant. She moves from her little village and into his house in the city. Her new husband is kind, but unfortunately has no real interest in her, and leaves her alone in the house with his spinster sister, Marin, and the two servants. As a wedding gift, Johannes buys her a miniature version of their house. She finds a miniaturist and sends a request for things to furnish the little house. But then Nella starts receiving packages that she didn't ask for, and the Miniaturist seems to know things that should be impossible for anyone outside the house to know. As things grow more dangerous for the family, Nella finds herself drawn to the elusive Miniaturist--Are they predicting what will happen, or are they the cause?
Review
The story's creepy and suspenseful premise, plus the setting in Amsterdam during its Golden Era, is what drew me in. Unfortunately, I felt like this book failed to deliver on some accounts.
First off, things I did like about the book:
The writing was good and kept me engaged and interested in the story. The plot moved and built up events and twists well.
Again, the setting. As I currently live in the Netherlands, I'm interested in learning more about the history of this country, and I enjoy reading historical fiction. I felt like the book did a good job at showing what life was like then. The author had obviously done some good research. It was interesting to hear the characters talk about streets and sites and took look at them on the map and see where they were, plus to know that I had walked those same streets!
There was also the culture at the time, the juxtaposition of a thriving economy and middle-class with the stern religious values that promoted humility and sacrifice. This made for some interesting themes throughout the book. I also liked seeing how women in the Netherlands at that time were regarded. Compared to some other contemporary societies, like England, women in Amsterdam had a bit more freedom. But at the same time, they still didn't have much influence beyond their household. Seeing how Marin and Nella work within these societal constraints to still maintain some form of independence was interesting to observe, and I thought well-done on the part of the author.
I liked the main character, Nella. She's a young, naive girl that is suddenly thrust into a position where she has to grow up, fast. We see her making mistakes and then learning from them, growing in confidence as she finds her situation not to her liking and decides to do stop being pushed around and do something about it. If anything, the way the book ended made me mad because I felt like Nella deserved more. Johannes' sister, Marin, is unlikeable throughout the novel, but, like Nella, we come to understand her, though not completely like her.
What I didn't like about the book is that I felt that it didn't live up to its "promise". The book's premise seems to focus on this Miniaturist and how they somehow know the secrets of Nella's family, and seemingly predict horrible events that start to happen. But I felt like the story didn't focus on the Miniaturist very much and was overshadowed by the other events happening. You could have taken the Miniaturist out and the story would have still worked, which seems to defeat the point. Also, I felt that the ending, and explanation for what was going on, was abrupt and left super vague and open-ended. It felt as if the author herself had no way to explain it, so she just didn't. I also didn't like that Nella, despite her character growth, was left with a sad ending. I was glad I had rented the book from the library instead of spending money on it.
Overall, it's an interesting look at life in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age, but the story used to deliver this history is lacking.
Rating
I give this book 3 Stars.
Details
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sex: There is a gay couple that one of the characters walks in on. Also there is talk about consummating a marriage.
Violence: Mild violence against a couple characters, plus a fight scene.
Language: Mild language.
Synopsis
In Amsterdam, 1686, young Nella Oortman has married a very wealthy--and much older--merchant, Johannes Brant. She moves from her little village and into his house in the city. Her new husband is kind, but unfortunately has no real interest in her, and leaves her alone in the house with his spinster sister, Marin, and the two servants. As a wedding gift, Johannes buys her a miniature version of their house. She finds a miniaturist and sends a request for things to furnish the little house. But then Nella starts receiving packages that she didn't ask for, and the Miniaturist seems to know things that should be impossible for anyone outside the house to know. As things grow more dangerous for the family, Nella finds herself drawn to the elusive Miniaturist--Are they predicting what will happen, or are they the cause?
Review
The story's creepy and suspenseful premise, plus the setting in Amsterdam during its Golden Era, is what drew me in. Unfortunately, I felt like this book failed to deliver on some accounts.
First off, things I did like about the book:
The writing was good and kept me engaged and interested in the story. The plot moved and built up events and twists well.
Again, the setting. As I currently live in the Netherlands, I'm interested in learning more about the history of this country, and I enjoy reading historical fiction. I felt like the book did a good job at showing what life was like then. The author had obviously done some good research. It was interesting to hear the characters talk about streets and sites and took look at them on the map and see where they were, plus to know that I had walked those same streets!
There was also the culture at the time, the juxtaposition of a thriving economy and middle-class with the stern religious values that promoted humility and sacrifice. This made for some interesting themes throughout the book. I also liked seeing how women in the Netherlands at that time were regarded. Compared to some other contemporary societies, like England, women in Amsterdam had a bit more freedom. But at the same time, they still didn't have much influence beyond their household. Seeing how Marin and Nella work within these societal constraints to still maintain some form of independence was interesting to observe, and I thought well-done on the part of the author.
I liked the main character, Nella. She's a young, naive girl that is suddenly thrust into a position where she has to grow up, fast. We see her making mistakes and then learning from them, growing in confidence as she finds her situation not to her liking and decides to do stop being pushed around and do something about it. If anything, the way the book ended made me mad because I felt like Nella deserved more. Johannes' sister, Marin, is unlikeable throughout the novel, but, like Nella, we come to understand her, though not completely like her.
What I didn't like about the book is that I felt that it didn't live up to its "promise". The book's premise seems to focus on this Miniaturist and how they somehow know the secrets of Nella's family, and seemingly predict horrible events that start to happen. But I felt like the story didn't focus on the Miniaturist very much and was overshadowed by the other events happening. You could have taken the Miniaturist out and the story would have still worked, which seems to defeat the point. Also, I felt that the ending, and explanation for what was going on, was abrupt and left super vague and open-ended. It felt as if the author herself had no way to explain it, so she just didn't. I also didn't like that Nella, despite her character growth, was left with a sad ending. I was glad I had rented the book from the library instead of spending money on it.
Overall, it's an interesting look at life in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age, but the story used to deliver this history is lacking.
Rating
I give this book 3 Stars.
Details
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sex: There is a gay couple that one of the characters walks in on. Also there is talk about consummating a marriage.
Violence: Mild violence against a couple characters, plus a fight scene.
Language: Mild language.
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