Novel set in 17th Century Amsterdam

• Book: The Miniaturist
• Location: Amsterdam
• Author: Jessie Burton

Review Author: tripfiction

The swirling mists ripple along the canals of Amsterdam, the echoes of voices find their way through the chilly air, footsteps clatter over the cobblestones. The city of the 1680s comes alive in the capable hands of author Jessie Burton, a finely crafted story with a motley array of interesting characters. The smell of rot, canal and fish, the cold air spiking everyday life and the slap of water in the canals evoke the echoes of footsteps past.

Petronella Oortman arrives at her new marital home on the Herengracht in the Autumn of 1686. On arrival she is greeted by Marin, her husband’s sister and the two servants, Cornelia and Otto. On paper she may be married to Johannes Brandt but he seems to avoid her from the outset. The household’s hostile, suspicious welcome sets the tone for this eerie narrative, as she tries to settle into her new life, the wife of a wealthy merchant who travels the world in search of new merchantable goods.

No contact, with no wedding night – it is not the marriage she envisioned. Her husband almost seems to be avoiding her. As if to make amends for his inattentions, he arrives one day with a beautifully crafted doll’s house, a miniature replica of the marital house in which they live. She looks through Smits List and finds the details of a miniaturist of whom she asks just a couple of small items so that she can start to furnish her empty cabinet. And as the items and figures begin to arrive, so do the smoke and mirrors of her life on the Herengracht, played out over just a few months, as the icy grip of Winter plays host to human foibles and machinations with dire consequences. A top novel, enjoy! And you will particularly enjoy this if you liked The Girl with the Pearl Earring and Tulip Fever.

On this link you can find our author Q&A.

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