Book Review - The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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 realises 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'm on the fence with this book. It took me a while to get into it. In fact I wasn't sure early on that I wanted to continue with it but I persevered. Thankfully it got better and gradually drew me in. It's quite an intense book and the author clearly had researched the time period well. Was it believeable? Yes and no. Some parts of the story refer to the supernatural and everyone will have their own view as to whether these could be fact or fiction and therefore credible. With regard to the actions of the characters and their reactions to events, I found some of this was a real stretch of the imagination. A lot was expected of an innocent 18 year old bride, plucked from her upbringing in a family living in the countryside to marry a wealthy trader, living in the city of Amsterdam. 

Overall this is not an easy book to read but I do feel satisfied that I've finally read it as it's been languishing on my TBR pile for some time.

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