The Miniaturist (The Miniaturist, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

Mar 06, 2018 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: lib-has-audio, hf, hoopla, on-dj, on-laptop, on-ipad2, library-request, 2018, library

Jessie Burton can write. There is no doubt about that. But unless I missed something (which is quite possible), this book would've been better and stronger if she'd have focused on the characters and the social issues and left out the miniaturist gimmick.

I had the same frustration with her second novel, The Muse, which I enjoyed much more than this one. Without the gimmick that linked the storylines together, it would have been a much stronger novel, imo.

I will gladly read Burton's next novel, ...more

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Jan 23, 2015 Suzanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, nook, 1600s

3.5 stars. Highly readable with lots of the promised "atmospheric details." I'm still a bit confused about the miniaturist, but perhaps that is the point? ...more

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Nov 23, 2014 Katie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Beautiful cover art, intriguing premise. In the end, it didn't live up to my expecations.

Upon finishing, all I could think was, "That's it?" I was left with so many unanswered questions. It wasn't a difficult read but I didn't feel this suspense that make me want to continue reading and reading. The titular miniaturist didn't play a big part at all. It felt imcomplete to me. Like it was trying to cover so many topic but got nowhere really with most of them. ...more

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Nov 03, 2014 Susan Pogorzelski rated it liked it

This book was a little slow to start, and I was initially put off by the use of present-tense, which seemed to read awkwardly in conjunction with the rest of the writing. I almost put it down because I couldn't quite connect with the voice and think this played some part in why. But I'm glad I continued because I grew to really enjoy the characters, the setting, and the story itself. The details are sumptuous--Burton knows how to vividly paint a picture of 17th century Amsterdam with her words-- ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Joseph rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2014-08-august, challenge-august-2014-1st-time

I must say, this was a very creepy story, one quite uncomfortable to read, but interesting, I had to finish it to see what strange twist the tale would take next.

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Nov 22, 2014 Stacey rated it really liked it

A serious story, a little bit of fantasy, very engaging read!

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Sep 05, 2014 Kay Green rated it really liked it

This was entertaining historical fiction. it was set in Amsterdam in the 1600? It was a little mysterious and creepy enough for me, with a touch of early feminism. Not a perfect or great read, but it kept my interest. I liked the way the author had titles on each chapter - kind of a preview of what the chapter would be about. Also interesting how the bible quotes were spot on.

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