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Hello Everyone,
I'm Susan, and I'm sorry to be late starting this Discussion Group, but I didn't know I was supposed to start it. Anyway, here goes. We are reading the Miniaturist by Jessie Burton for the Month of March. There's been a lot of buzz about it, so let's see what it's all about.

Schedule

Week 1 (March 4 - 10) Pages 1-99
Week 2 (March 11 - 17) Pages 100-200
Week 3 (March 18 - 23) Pages 201-301
Week 4 (March 24 - 31) Pages 302-End

Summary
On a cold winter's 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 realises 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?

**Please feel free to share your thoughts as you read.

**Please remember to mark your spoilers.

Did anyone else read The Miniaturist? I'm curious to know how others felt. Overall I thought it was a wonderful book, tho I was let down by a couple of loose ends.

Hi, Susan. I'm not sure how many others are reading this. I divided it into four sections as the monthly books usually are, although I don't really think it would take most people that long to read it. Can you say what you consider to be the loose ends, using spoiler alerts for those who have not finished?

Spoiler Alert: I felt that the character after whom the book was titled was too elusive and there was no real resolution to that part of the book. This was my main problem, because the intrigue builds but then nothing really comes of it. The threads of the story are so disparate that it was sometimes hard to find the ends, although I'd say the whole hangs together with compelling force.

Susan wrote: "Spoiler Alert: I felt that the character after whom the book was titled was too elusive and there was no real resolution to that part of the book. This was my main problem, because the intrigue bu..."

(view spoiler)[I agree with your main problem, but I don't believe it hangs together. I thought there were two distinct stories going on, and I felt the miniaturist did not drive the plot, but was incidental to it (hide spoiler)]

Some thoughts to be considered on the first section of the book:

Have you found yourself engaged in the book?

What do you think of the main characters so far?

How the introduction of the miniaturist into the story affect the story?

Or anything else you want to discuss.

Hi Susan,
I'm really enjoying this even though it's not my usual kind of book.
At first I didn't like Nella but she's really growing as a character. As for Marin and Johannes, she's overly cold and he is suspiciously absent.

Carol,
I teach history and am always drawn into the historical fiction narrative. I was so taken with the descriptions of the physical world, the descriptions were so vivid and detailed. And the religious aspect also interested me, showing how religion has the power to save and destroy, depending on who is in power and making the decisions. Also, the role of women in this society was fascinating.

Susan wrote: "Carol,
I teach history and am always drawn into the historical fiction narrative. I was so taken with the descriptions of the physical world, the descriptions were so vivid and detailed. And the ..."
Hi Susan,
Meant to reply to you sooner but the time is just flying by!
Can I just say, what a wonderful book!
Your right, both the role of women and the treatment of gay men were the most interesting thing in the story.
It was so far from what I normally read that I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
I think it was the powerlessness of Nella that hooked me into the story to begin with. I really enjoyed her character growth and the way she learned to influence her world despite the disadvantages of her gender!

I started to read The Miniaturist and I really didn't like the introduction or the first few chapters. I don't think I will continue reading the book.

I'm sorry because I was one of the people who voted for the book for the discussion group last month.

I might give it another try later, as some of you liked it a lot. Maybe it gets better as it goes on and I haven't given it enough of a chance.

I really liked The Girl with a Pearl Earring which is set roughly during the same time and location.

Anyway, I tried.

Thank you for trying, Patricia. I got through it and was really disappointed in the book. I like historical books; much can be learned about the lifestyles of the people and the role of women in the culture. However, I don't know what the silliness about the miniaturist who could foretell the future was all about. Correlations could have been made between the miniature house and the real house, that is no problem. But, the seeking of the miniaturist, finding out (view spoiler)[ she was a woman, but nothing more about her (hide spoiler)], was a waste of effort. The story of Nella's relationship and experience with her new family would have been better without the magic stuff, and if magic was the subject, it should have been dealt with more in depth. Another like All the Light We Cannot See, where the story itself isn't enough.