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The Miniaturist (The Miniaturist, #1)

Jessie Burton

Start date: October 22, 2014

Finish date: October 31, 2014

Discussion: Books of the Month

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What Members Thought

Sep 16, 2016 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2016, busy-as-a-bee-books-group, rec-ig-blogs-friends-other, _own-ebook

I am so glad that I finally picked this novel up! It was even better than I'd expected. The premise didn't particularly grab me but the reality of the book is so wonderful! Jessie Burton is a great writer and she builds such wonderful characters in this novel. I loved learning about 7th century Holland and what life was like in that time. The story itself was quite well done - very nuanced and interesting. This novel explored a number of things that I wasn't expecting in a novel about miniatures ...more

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Nov 16, 2014 Territadlock06 rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2015-good-reads-challenge

This book is set in Amsterdam in the 1700's. Bella Otterman travels from the country to the lavish house of her husband. A husband she only met on the day of her wedding. Within in minutes of her arrival it becomes apparent she is not going to be readily accepted. The dynamics of the house and the secrets of it's members are the basis of this book. When we are given the character of the miniaturist we assume that is where the mystery lies. I was disappointed in the book. I kept waiting for this ...more

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Nov 13, 2016 Paula rated it it was ok

I am giving The Miniaturist 2 stars. 1 for the beautiful book cover and 1 for the history lesson on 17th century Amsterdam. This book should have just been called Nella. The character of the miniaturist had intrigue initially, but right away it just became an extraneous distraction. I enjoyed the character of 18 year old Petronella Oortman and secret she uncovers after marrying 39 year old Johannes Brandt. This story had so much potential, but the author simply failed to develop it properly. I s ...more

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