The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Publication Date:  August 26, 2014
Publisher:  Ecco Press
Pages:  400
Series:  Stand Alone
Genre:  Historical Fiction 
Synopsis:  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?

Review:  Apparently publishing houses fought tooth and nail to be granted the rights to this book and, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why.

If there is one word to describe The Miniaturist is it bland. There is this mystery of a dollhouse and an unnerving miniaturist with strangely prophetic powers, both of which hold so much potential...and yet the story you actually get is an awkward tale with unnecessary drama that doesn't deliver any of the promised magic and intrigue.

Every woman is the architect of her own fortune.

Despite the odd style I didn't particularly enjoy, the writing itself is fine, if a bit lackluster.  There is far too much telling rather than showing, resulting in it seeming drained of substance and depth.  There is also very little description of the time period or setting that could have provided the ambiance and character is so desperately needed.

The plot was nothing short of disappointing.  Rather than an eerie, spine chilling tale focused on an elusive miniaturist, the story delivers a boring, bizarre soap opera.  There are too many conflicting plot lines to form a seamless book, and the only vaguely interesting story is all but forgotten.  

Pity, unlike hate, can be boxed and put away.

The cast of characters failed to bring much to this book either.  Every one of them is flat and one-dimensional, making it difficult to connect or care about what happens to them. Nella is naive, passive, and and all around tedious protagonist, while our famed miniaturist is hardly present.  There are a handful of other somewhat decent characters and the rest are largely unlikable.  

In the end, The Miniaturist is disappointing and unsatisfactory.  It is a pointless story that fell extremely short of expectation.