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The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist

Author(s): Jessie Burton

Location(s): Amsterdam

Genre(s): Fiction, Historical

Era(s): 1680s

Location

Content

There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . . On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways . . . Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its secrets she realizes the escalating dangers that await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall? Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

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Book Reviews

Lead Review

The Miniaturist is a captivating story that takes the reader behind the grand canal houses of Amsterdam. The canals are shrouded in a wintery mist, the echoes of footsteps come and go, voices echo...

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Fabulous, Imaginative Historical Fiction – Amsterdam

Author: Randi SB

The Miniaturist, set in 17th century Amsterdam, is a world of wealth and privilege on the surface, and of religious and moral oppression underneath. Young and innocent, Nella Oortman arrives in the city to...

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