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The Miniaturist: A Novel by [Jessie Burton]

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Jessie Burton

The Miniaturist: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Jessie Burton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Now a television miniseries, as seen on Masterpiece on PBS

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam—a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion—a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.

”There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .“

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist—an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand—and fear—the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

Print length

419 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Ecco
Publication date

August 26, 2014
File size

752 KB
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Popular Highlights in this book

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Growing older does not seem to make you more certain, Nella thinks. It simply presents you with more reasons for doubt.
Highlighted by 537 Kindle readers
The more people who take part in a ritual, the more justified it seems.
Highlighted by 409 Kindle readers
Starling, she thinks, if you believe that building is the safer spot, then I am not the one to set you free.
Highlighted by 269 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office. But Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist-an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes's gift helps Nella pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand-and fear-the escalating dangers that await them all. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction? Enchanting and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution.

--Tampa Bay Times --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella's life changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways...

Johannes's gift helps Nella pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand–and fear–the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation...or the architect of their destruction?

Enchanting, beautifully written, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“The Miniaturist is one of the year’s most hyped novels, and it’s easy to see why. Burton conjures every scent and crackle of Nella’s world. A-” -- Entertainment Weekly

“The Miniaturist is that rarest of things - beautifully written, yet also a compelling page-turner. It’s haunting, magical, and full of surprises, the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading.” -- ―S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep

‘Utterly transporting...one of those rare debut novels that excels in every regard. The past is brought to life in potent, sensory detail: one feels steeped in it. Burton’s prose beguiles the reader...My first instinct on finishing this book was to immediately read it again.” -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites

“Burton’s writing is expressive and descriptive. While her prose is rich, it does not overwhelm the story...This historical novel with its strong female characters will appeal to those who enjoy the haunting undercurrents of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind.” -- ―Library Journal

“[A] haunting debut.” -- Good Housekeeping

“Jessie Burton nimbly transports contemporary social issues to the 17th century where a costume drama rich in historical detail is embellished with supernatural intrigue…The Miniaturist is a late-harvest summer delight.” -- New York Daily News

“As in Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, the pleasure lies in giving in to well-wrought illusions, and the result is a beach read with meat on its bones - perfect for the Labor Day transition from play to work.” -- New York magazine/Vulture.com

“Rich in 17th century atmosphere…Debut novelist Jessie Burton has a terrific subject... All those severe portraits of people in dark clothes and starched white ruffs, along with those glossy, death-scented still lifes, spring to life.” -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A standout portrayal of the wide range of women’s ingenuity.” -- Booklist

“A fabulously gripping read that will appeal to fans of Girl With a Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch, but Burton is a genuinely new voice with her visceral take on sex, race and class...” -- ―The Guardian --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Jessie Burton was born in London in 1982. She studied at Oxford University and the Central School of Speech and Drama. The Miniaturist is her first novel.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00H1UK3UO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco; Illustrated edition (August 26, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 26, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 752 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 419 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #148,720 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #361 in Historical British & Irish Literature
- #560 in Romance Literary Fiction
- #681 in Read & Listen for Less

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4.0 28,864 ratings

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Jessie Burton

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Jessie Burton is the author of four novels: The Miniaturist, The Muse, The Confession, and The House of Fortune.

The Miniaturist and The Muse were Sunday Times no.1 bestsellers in hardback and paperback, and New York Times bestsellers. The Miniaturist was UK Christmas no.1, National Book Awards Book of the Year, and Waterstones Book of the Year 2014, and sold more than 1 million copies in its first year. In 2017 it was adapted as a two-part BBC miniseries starring Anya Taylor-Joy. The Confession was a Sunday Times bestseller. The House of Fortune was a Sunday Times no.1 bestseller in hardback, with the paperback to come in July 2023.

Her novels have been published in 40 languages.

Her first book for children, The Restless Girls, was published in 2018, followed by Medusa in 2021. Medusa is shortlisted for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing.

Visit her website at https://www.jessieburton.com, and follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jessieburton

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4 out of 5

28,864 global ratings

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3 star		18%
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1 star		3%

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S. Warfield

A good historical novel in 1686 Amsterdam

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 29, 2015

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I really liked The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton very much. I love historical novels and especially ones that are well-researched with a smattering of the imagination in it because it gives the author some freedom to work with license to explore her own imagination. I loved the miniature house and what it contained even though there seemed to be a mystical element to the miniaturist. I guess that today's modern dollhouses and their furnishings resemble these in a vague way, but what the rich afforded in 17th century Amsterdam was a far cry from the modest dollhouses that I've seen.

The only way for a woman to survive in the world in 1686 Amsterdam was to try to marry well so that there was enough money for good housing, good food, decent clothes and as much warmth in the winter that could be mustered up. Petronella Oortman, an 18-year-old young women from a small town has already been married to the handsome and wealthy merchant trader Jonannes Brandt in a hurried and casual ceremony in her home town. Now she is at Johannes' home to move in and be his wife. Johannes turns out to be an inattentive husband who is always away on business and Nella is stuck in the house with his stern sister, Marin, and two servants. To keep Nella busy, Johannes buys her a cabinet that is a replica of their home. She can fill it with miniatures or whatever she wants to do with it. She finds a miniaturist who makes tiny figures of the family and some of their friends, but strangely they mimic things that happen.

The miniaturist is a curious character who I would have loved to meet. The book is titled after her, but we never get to formally meet her and never really understand why she stays secluded on the second floor of her house. There is a mystical element to her that I wish the author had explored. However, the historical background and descriptions of 17th century Amsterdam are fascinating. What society and the church expected of people tried to keep them on the straight and narrow, and fire and brimstone sermons went on every worship day to keep the fear of God and priest within the people.

I loved the scenes of people skating on the frozen canals in winter and of Nella's trips out either alone or accompanied by the female servant along Amsterdam's streets. Nella was very independent for her day. What she will have to contend with in the future is something that her independence will serve her well for.

I'm looking forward to another book from Jessie Burton.

5 people found this helpful

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Warped Genius

A Somewhat Disappointing Journey

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2023

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Despite meticulous details about life in 17th century Holland, I failed to get fully engaged in the personal lives of the characters in this book. The secrets they harbor strike me as run of the mill, that is the "usual" clash between private and public life, personal yearnings vs. societal norms, etc. (Same old, same old...)

The reader never gets a satisfactory explanation for the apparently magical effect the (cursed?) miniature house has over the inhabitants of the real house, nor for the mysterious Miniaturist's (nefarious?) intents.

To the author's credit, this is a great introduction to the history of miniatures and the status they represented to their affluent owners in past centuries, perhaps enough to motivate an interest in a craft that is still existing and pursued today.

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Karen B

Gripping, lyrical tale

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 7, 2014

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This was a hauntingly lovely, deeply sad book that remained with me long after I finished it.

Set in the Golden Age of The Netherlands, in Amsterdam in 1868, The Miniaturist tells the story of young Nelle (Petronella) Oortman who arrives on the doorstep of her new husband's house and, as she crosses the threshold of this tidy, well-ordered home, steps into another world. Her husband, the wealthy, charming Johannes Brandt, lives in a place far removed from Nelle's sheltered and rather Godly life in the country with her mother and younger siblings. In Amsterdam, the heart of trade and merchant-living in Europe, it's guilders before God, and sweet Nelle finds the surface splendour and prim facades disguise deeper and curious as well as highly hypocritical undercurrents.

Swept into a life in which she feels she has no place, she is forced to deal with Johannes demanding sister, Marin, whose aloofness is countered only by her maid, Cornelia, who appears to Nelle to not understand the boundaries between employer and servant. A situation that's made more puzzling by the presence of the coffee-skinned Otto, whose kindness and humanity is, when he leaves the house, disregarded by locals as his exoticness takes over, earning cruel barbs and awful assumptions. Nelle is overwhelmed by all this and prays that love will smooth her path, especially when her husband appears to neglect her.

Then, one day, Johannes buys her a beautiful dolls'-house. It's a huge cabinet - a replica of their place – that he invites her to furnish. Reluctant at first, Nelle acquiesces and hires the services of a superb miniaturist. But when the pieces she commissions are not only exceptionally fulfilled, but rendered in exquisite and intimate detail, she wonders what is going on. They are so life-like, prophetic, full of significance... Alarmed, she eventually reads the pieces and the messages that accompany them as signs of a life she should either aspire to or as a warning of what's to come...

Part mystery, part lyrical portrayal of families and relationships and the complex webs we weave and in which we entrap ourselves and others, The Miniaturist is also an examination of social structures and the lengths people will go to in order to protect their place, their role, conceal their secrets, maintain what to some might be lies but to others are the veneers we must never allow to crack. Burton's understanding and portrayal of the repressed but seething society of Amsterdam of this time is stunning. Her use of the doll's house as an analogy for what goes on behind other closed doors, of how we can be fashioned in another's image, moulded to an ideal, is very clever. I remember seeing these dolls' houses at the Rikjs Museum when I lived in The Netherlands and thought them amazing. Their use here is unique and eerie. Unlike the life-like dolls made for Nelle and which she places inside her doll's house, the characters in Burton's real Dutch houses that abut each other, line the canals and share the repressive joys of community, come to life in ways that are surprising, distressing, utterly gripping and heart-wrenching.

13 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

A little slow

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 7, 2018

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This is the story of Nella who is married off to a rich man in Amsterdam, she rarely sees her husband in the beginning, he obviously has secrets which we find out fairly quickly, and then there is Marin her sister in law, she is very unfriendly and also has her own secrets to hide. Her husband buys her a dolls house which is a replica of her own house and soon she starts receiving items for it from a miniaturist whose identity is unknown. I enjoyed aspects of this book, however I took ages to get into the story, it's very slow, and also a very sad, dark read. I was also very disappointed with the ending as the main question of the book was left unanswered i thought. It could have done with 1 more chapter to the everything together.

28 people found this helpful

Lance Mitchell

Authentic, atmospheric, gripping seventeenth century Amsterdam

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 16, 2019

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This must be the saddest book that I have read for a very long time. The writing is superb. The prose is exquisite and the research adds great authenticity to the characters and to the scenes, which are set in seventeenth century Amsterdam. The atmosphere is palpable and the action is intense.

I became immersed in the characters and quite attached to some of them.

The cruelty and brutality of the protestant religious leaders of the Dutch Republic is appalling. They flex their man-made power in the name of God and they wallow in the satisfaction that the get from their unchallengeable authority. Even the wealth of the merchants is trumped by the pastors.

I loved the mystery that surrounded the wonderful craftmanship of the miniaturist who supplies tiny replicas of people and objects which predict actual events. She is seldom seen and is a prophet of reality. That is rather scary at times.

The story is gripping. This book kept me awake until well after one in the morning on several occasions.

For me, because of the background, the scene-setting, the religious undertones, the character-building and the starkness of society, The Miniaturist struck echoes of Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I mean that as a huge complement to the writing of Jessie Burton.

For a while, I wavered between awarding four stars or five stars because I became irritated by the number of missing inverted commas and apostrophes. However, it would have been very unfair to award less than five stars to a book that gripped me from beginning to end and stirred my emotions so much that I wept many tears for the tragedy.

You must read this book.

8 people found this helpful

Bookworm

Nella and the Miniaturist

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 4, 2017

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I enjoyed this book right up to the last couple of chapters. There seemed to be an intriguing mystery as to who the "Miniaturist" was, and how he/she was able to predict events in the heroine, Nella's life within the secretive Amsterdam household. The story is well written, and interesting up to a point, but I felt let down at the end, because the Miniaturist's identity was never revealed, neither was his/hers apparent ability to predict future events. It turned out to be a damp squib, in my opinon. Otherwise an interesting read.

24 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

A five star read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully written book set 400 years ago in Amsterdam, so there are similarities between this and '' The Firl With The Pearl Earring''.
The story begins with the main character getting married and moving to her wealthy husband' s mansion. However, when she arrives there are a few surprises in store, and some of these are not pleasant.
One surprise is an oversized kind of dolls house. At first she is disappointed because she wants to be the lady of her house, and not the curator of a dolls house.
I researched the dolls house phenomenon and this type of a miniature house around that time was a great symbil of wealth and importance.
As the story continues, we discover that the dolls House and the miniaturist who produces the dolls House models has a part to play in the stories of the characters in this great historical fiction novel.
I rate The Miniaturist a five star read. I loved it.

One person found this helpful

Mrs R L Knight

An absolute page turner, beautifully descriptive, full of suspense and mystery. Loved it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

Set in 17th century Amsterdam, Nella aged just 18 arrives in the city to start her new life with the handsome husband she has barely met. She is excited and curious to escape her poor and predictable country upbringing to live in the comfort of a successful merchant's home and to meet his household. Her husband barely acknowledges her however and it seems as if there are secrets and a history that she us not to be privy to. Her husband does buy her a sumptious replica of the house she now lives in with the instructions that she is to fill it with miniture furniture as she sees fit. She finds a miniaturist who soon sends eerily accurate tiny copies of items in the house, and even of the people who live in it. It is as if he is watching Nella and even predicting the future...how can this be?

This book draws you in from the first page. Nothing and no one is as they seem on first appearance and every character has secrets and mysteries to share. This might be set in the 1600s but the themes are no different to today, greed, love, lust and hypocrlsy to name a few.

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