Nella Oortman isn't sure what to expect in Amsterdam. Her marriage to Johannes Brandt, a wealthy merchant trader, was negotiated out of necessity after her father's death left her family in dire financial straits. However, her marriage is not what she expected. Her husband is often absent, leaving Nella alone in the home with his sister, Marin, a maid named Cornelia, and his manservant, Otto. Johannes gifts Nella with a cabinet replicating their home in miniature fashion. What secrets will emerge as Nella hires a mysterious miniaturist to help her complete her cabinet?
Jessie Burton does a marvelous job at developing the characters in THE MINIATURIST. While the story is told from the perspective of Nella, each of the other characters has an incredible amount of depth and complexity to their character. My only wish is that we could have seen more of the crafter known primarily as THE MINIATURIST, as I wanted more than the glimpses we get of her character and motivation. The hints are quite tantalizing but left me with more questions than answers.
THE MINIATURIST is a remarkable story that strikes at the heart of the society of Amsterdam in the late 1600s. We see the sharp and somewhat startling contrast between the luxuries of the affluent and the overly zealous religious leaders. I love the rich attention to detail in THE MINIATURIST, as even the subtle details add additional layers of depth. THE MINIATURIST is brilliantly executed with surprising, even startling turns but it is the sort of read that is to be savored rather than rushed through.
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella
Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the
wife
of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her
new
home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is
kind
yet distant, always locked in his study or at his
warehouse
officeβleaving Nella alone with his sister, the
sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.
But Nella's life changes when Johannes presents her with
an
extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of
their
home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a
miniaturistβan elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny
creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and
unexpected ways...
Johannes's gift helps Nella pierce the closed world of the
Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets,
she begins to understandβand fearβthe escalating dangers
that await them all. In this repressively pious society
where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be
different
is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a
man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to
see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key
to
their salvation...or the architect of their destruction?
Enchanting, beautifully written, and exquisitely
suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of
love
and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and
truth.
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