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
office–leaving 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
miniaturist–an 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 understand–and fear–the 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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