I loved its originality, and how the seemingly slow pace acts as steady and genuine plot development. The story itself is powerful and expertly constructed, always posing a lot of intriguing questions, and increasing in suspense. Indeed, the setting is one of the book’s most defining features, and it often felt as though I had been transported to 17th-century Amsterdam, such was the strength and clarity of its depiction. It is a novel rich in such incredible detail, covering a wide range of interesting issues and topics that are made even more captivating by the context of the time period in which it set. A magnificent book on various different levels from almost beginning to end, with an extraordinary quality of writing that just had me totally immersed. Having finished it, I am extremely glad I did. I picked up this book after deciding that I should read more historical fiction. Does the miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall? Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its secrets she realises the escalating dangers that await them all. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways … Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. 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. 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. Trigger warnings: Racism, sexual references, animal cruelty
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