![]() These questions are not merely rhetorical. Does the miniaturist have the power to foretell their fate and change it? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall? ![]() Bit by bit, she uncovers (but agonizingly slowly) the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she discovers its secrets she realizes the dangers that await them all. At first, Nella is intrigued and intimidated by this mystifying, secretive household and their inner worlds. While Johannes proves himself to be less than the consummate husband, he does present his wife with an unusually beautiful betrothal gift: an extraordinary cabinet-sized replica of their home which remains to be furnished by an elusive (if not creepy) miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie ways: a doll maker who predicts the future. New to town is young, fresh-faced Petronella Oortman who arrives to embark on married life with the unimaginably wealthy merchant, Johannes Brandt. Set against the backdrop of Calvinist burgomasters, secret-sugar eaters, and besotted sodomists, this is Amsterdam of the 17th century, at the height of its commercial empire. Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist sold more than a million copies when it came out in 2014. ![]() ![]() ![]() For I designed myself to read this book, take it into my home and heart, only to feel utterly let down. “Every woman is the architect of her own fortune.” – says the miniaturist in a mysterious note. ![]()
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