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The Miniaturist cover art

The Miniaturist

By: Jessie Burton
Narrated by: Jessie Burton
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Editor reviews

Winner of the Specsavers Book of the Year Award 2014, the National Book Awards: New Writer of the Year 2014 and Waterstones Book of the Year 2014, The Miniaturist is written by rising fiction star Jessie Burton and narrated by the author in this complete and unabridged audiobook. Hear of the unique love story of Nella Oortman, whose life changes forever when she leaves her family in the countryside and enters the house of her new husband. Find yourself as curious as Nella about the wedding gift she receives from her husband. A tantalising story available now from Audible.

Summary

Winner of the Specsavers Book of the Year Award 2014

National Book Awards: New Writer of the Year 2014

Waterstones Book of the Year 2014

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

On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present 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 mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways. Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its secrets she realizes the escalating dangers that await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall? Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

Jessie Burton was born in 1982. She studied at Oxford University and the Central School of Speech and Drama, and has worked as an actress and a PA in the City. She now lives in south-east London, not far from where she grew up.

©2014 Jessie Burton (P)2014 Audible Studios

What listeners say about The Miniaturist

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I'm still waiting for something to happen.....

it was rather like listening to someone read a long list of items 'and then I did this, and then that happened, so I did that, and then I did that, and then I did this....... '

So what happened to the parrot, who opened the window, what happened to Jack, why the significance of the minatureist, why was Agnes looking ill, who was the pock marked man, why did the confectioners wife become friendly and generous, why did nothing happen when the court case was so obviously flawed???????

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55 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

too much information whilst lacking a resolution

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Frustrating. The ending lacked any form of satisfactory resolution . Too many questions left unaswered and for this man too much gynaelogical information . The male characters seem very pallid although the historical datail was ok . The miniaturist whilst mysterious was far too nebuleous and one was left wondering whether the author was saving plot for a sequel. If so I probably shant be buying it

Would you recommend The Miniaturist to your friends? Why or why not?

To my women friends possibly, to my male friends probably not.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jessie Burton?

The narrator/author told the tale in a very ( overly) soulful way . Too droopy for my palate. From preference i would not listen to her again

Did The Miniaturist inspire you to do anything?

Write my first book review. Just had to. Doing my grumpy old man thing

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing & very annoying narrator

Would you try another book written by Jessie Burton or narrated by Jessie Burton?

I might consider another book written by her, but DEFINITELY NOT anything narrated by her.

Has The Miniaturist put you off other books in this genre?

No

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Monotone voice, inability to act. It's taking me ages to finish as the voice is alternately grating & monotonous so I'm distracted from the story.

Any additional comments?

Obviously I fell for the hype around this title. The idea is good, but I'm finding the main character irritating & not that likeable. I can't sympathise with her, which is a pity as the concept is a good one.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A promising premise but something is missing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I had high hopes on reading the blurb for this novel that it would be a historical novel of substance with a really engaging story. Unfortunately most of the characters are irritating and the main hook of the story - the mysterious miniaturist - is never adequately explained. I would have liked this character in particular to have been given more attention.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was surprised that the story ended where it did and would have appreciated a few more chapters as it felt that several strands of storyline were unfinished.

What three words best describe Jessie Burton’s performance?

Earnest but grating.

Do you think The Miniaturist needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The ending left me feeling that the book was really an introduction to a future novel. There are too many unanswered questions for this to be a stand-alone novel.

Any additional comments?

While I was disappointed with the overall story, I did learn more about this period of Amsterdam history.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Tricky to get in to

Once I got into this book I did enjoy it. It is narrated in present tense, which is quite difficult to get your head around at first. The narrator is also the author, and sadly, I don't think she's a very good narrator. At some parts, it is difficult to tell the characters apart, as there are no inflections or indications in the characters voice to tell you who is speaking. I felt the ending didn't really explain the background of the miniaturist, and her story was added on an afterthought and was a let down.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 17-09-14

Poor narration spoils the story

What would have made The Miniaturist better?

An actor rather than the author reading it. Sorry Jessie, you may know all your characters inside out but you failed to bring them to life.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

By the last chapter you realise that no satisfactory resolution could be contrived in so short a space. Maybe the author intends a sequel but that's deceiving the reader/listener and it is disappointing to get to the end of a book and find the story unfinished.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jessie Burton’s performances?

Definitely not.

What character would you cut from The Miniaturist?

That's difficult as there aren't too many in it anyway. I found the miniaturist the oddest character. Her part in the story borders on the supernatural and we are no nearer to knowing or understanding her by the end except for the vague explanation that she was unusual in her thoughts and talented in her craft.

Any additional comments?

The story displays too many modern attitudes. I do expect historical accuracy in historical fiction other wise it's just a story in costume. There are too many unexplained happenings leaving too many threads left dangling.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ludicrous

Loved part one, then slowly became disillusioned as the storyline became more and more unbelievable. in the end, it was so irritating. I DID finish it, but I had invested time in it.
I don't believe the emotions this girl had at the end. Too much was not believable as being set in 1687. No, I wouldn't recommend it. Too many adjectives as well!

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting

What did you like most about The Miniaturist?

The storyline is written in quasi fairy tale mode.

What did you like best about this story?

The hidden mysteries in a young marriage.

What does Jessie Burton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Beautifully read by the author Jessie Burton so that it is heard as the author intended.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Much more than a dolls house.

Any additional comments?

Charming. Could not put it down.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A little gem of a book

This has been on my list for a while. I've heard it described as 'historical, literary thriller': a combination of genres that often translates as ‘long-winded and weighed down by its own sense of importance’. I finally got round to listening and it was an absolute joy. The characters are intricately flawed, heartfelt humans, and the prose is just gorgeous. It manages to be poetic and expansive but never self-indulgent, and always gripping. You are flung into the stinking, bustling, sometimes terrifying heart of medieval Amsterdam: sugar is a rare and expensive commodity, homosexuality is an abomination, reality and magic are blurred, bullies and oppressors operate under the cloak of piety and religion. A breathless listen that I binged through in three days.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

If you love me, you will obey my commandments

Eighteen away from home, married out of necessity, in a new city, in a new home a home of secrets, a home of lies and the whispers of a magical artisan that recreates life in miniscule dolls.
Amsterdam 1786 at first seems benevolent and tranquil, the protagonists all appear at face value to be willing participants of the period the culture and move with in it with little or no apparent resentment, but as the story moves forward we see the heavy hand of culture and religion, stifling, suffocating, imposing its reality on all; even those that feel free and secure, are made to face the force that controls all. The moral majority are even now hammering away at individual freedoms,and religions like then are hard at work trying to control humanity, sexuality, thought it self.
This is a book lets you in easy and lets you out perhaps with more question in your heart, than answers about the protagonists. The period is described without drowning you in facts but by exposing you to everyday life the alien past, and the common humanity.
A very interesting book,with more depth than at first apparent.



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13 people found this helpful