On an Autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year old Nella Oortman arrives at a grand house in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt. Though curiously distant, he presents 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 ring eerily true,

As Nella uncovers the secrets of her new household, she realizes the escalating dangers they face. The miniaturist seems to hold their fate in her hands - but does she plan to save or destroy them?

I enjoyed this book, though initially found it very (very) slow but I kept reading and about half way through, ended up wanting to turn each page as I read on. It was beautifully written, with descriptions and passages that I loved. I also looked at youtube clips on Petronella Oortman's dollshouse, which inspired the author to write this book. Not all the characters were fully developed, but then they didn't need to be. It was a tale set in an interesting time and place and I felt that though not all events were plausible, some things could have actually happened, back then. I'm looking forward to watching the movie, now that I've read the book.

The Miniaturist: Real-Life History - Courtney Harris

Jeroen Krabbe Rijksmuseum Tour: 4. Dolls' Houses

Taken to BC meetup for release. It was good to catch up today. What a lovely cafe! Oh yes and I've recently seen the movie based on this book and found it very close to the book too. Hope you like it.

Picked up at the last BC meetup, and finally journalling!

This is quite a dark book, both in atmosphere and ending. I think the darkness fits the mood of the book, which is mostly set in winter in Amsterdam. It's very well written and is definitely intriguing, but ultimately I did not find the ending a good pay off.