The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Set in Amsterdam in the 1600s, The Miniaturist it tells the story of the marriage of 18-year-old Nella to her older husband, Johannes, a wealthy merchant trader.
After Nella's father dies, leaving the family in fairly dire straights, Nella's mother arranges a marriage between Nella and Johannes. Nella leaves her family home in the country and goes to her new husband's home in the bustling city of Amsterdam. She is greeted by her husband's bossy sister, Marin, (who has been running the household until now, so you can imagine how thrilled she is to have the young bride around). She also meets her husband's manservant, Otto, a former slave, and Cornelia, the maid/cook. Her husband, however, is nowhere to be found. It is not exactly the warm welcome Nella had been hoping for.
You do get a good sense of how much Nella feels like a fish out of water in this new environment.
Johannes is never around. Marin is running the household with an iron hand. And Nella pretty much has nothing to do all day. One day, Johannes shows up with a wedding gift for his bride: a fancy scale model of their house for her to furnish with miniatures. She finds the name of a miniaturist and requests a few pieces. Then more pieces arrive unexpectedly--and they freakishly accurately reflect what is going on in the household. Nella is on a quest to find out more about the miniaturist--and to find out why her husband doesn't seem to have much interest in being with her. She uncovers some secrets that could have a devastating impact on her new family.
You do get a good sense of life in Amsterdam in the 1600s, with all its rules and regulations and intolerance for anything different. And reading this book really makes you appreciate modern healthcare.
This book would be a good choice for a book group selection. I had many questions when I got to the end that I would have liked to discuss with other readers of the book.
What was up with the miniaturist? Was she trying to help people or just mess with their heads?
Why did Johannes drag his feet on selling the sugar stockpiled in the warehouse?
Did the couple that accused Johannes really witness what they said they did?
And what was going to happen to this family after the events at the end of the book?
After Nella's father dies, leaving the family in fairly dire straights, Nella's mother arranges a marriage between Nella and Johannes. Nella leaves her family home in the country and goes to her new husband's home in the bustling city of Amsterdam. She is greeted by her husband's bossy sister, Marin, (who has been running the household until now, so you can imagine how thrilled she is to have the young bride around). She also meets her husband's manservant, Otto, a former slave, and Cornelia, the maid/cook. Her husband, however, is nowhere to be found. It is not exactly the warm welcome Nella had been hoping for.
You do get a good sense of how much Nella feels like a fish out of water in this new environment.
Johannes is never around. Marin is running the household with an iron hand. And Nella pretty much has nothing to do all day. One day, Johannes shows up with a wedding gift for his bride: a fancy scale model of their house for her to furnish with miniatures. She finds the name of a miniaturist and requests a few pieces. Then more pieces arrive unexpectedly--and they freakishly accurately reflect what is going on in the household. Nella is on a quest to find out more about the miniaturist--and to find out why her husband doesn't seem to have much interest in being with her. She uncovers some secrets that could have a devastating impact on her new family.
You do get a good sense of life in Amsterdam in the 1600s, with all its rules and regulations and intolerance for anything different. And reading this book really makes you appreciate modern healthcare.
This book would be a good choice for a book group selection. I had many questions when I got to the end that I would have liked to discuss with other readers of the book.
What was up with the miniaturist? Was she trying to help people or just mess with their heads?
Why did Johannes drag his feet on selling the sugar stockpiled in the warehouse?
Did the couple that accused Johannes really witness what they said they did?
And what was going to happen to this family after the events at the end of the book?
Comments
Post a Comment