Reviews

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

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jjayne26's review against another edition

5.0

I'd write a review but I'm still in tears. A magical debut novel that enthrals and enchants with every page. I smiled, I gasped, I cried, but most of all I wished it wouldn't end.

yustawrites's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

bribell89's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

jhurl's review against another edition

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emotional informative mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

The miniature house gives the book its title but disappointing that we don't really learn the secrets of the minaturist - how she predicted the future with her pieces or knew of private things or how the pieces changed or disappeared. So we are left with a story about a bride who marries a rich merchant and slowly (very slowly) uncovers the secrets of her new home in the big city. That her husband is gay shouldn't be a big surprise since he never sleeps with her. His sister's secrets take longer to unfold. In some ways it is a coming of age story for the young bride. By the end, she is the only one left to take care of the household and sell the sugar. Her husband is put to death for sodomy. Her sister-in-law dies in child birth because she doesn't want anyone to know who the father is but it is obviously Otto the black manservant (slave??). Not sure how a blacklisted family is going to survive with out a male head of household but maybe that is for the sequel. The historical context seems well researched and accurate but there isn't much history in the story.

gvdickerson's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

I slogged through the first 200 pages which were pretty boring but then I was glad I stuck it out. Once the big plot twist happened it got interesting. The ending was very sad and not what I wanted

heathergstl's review against another edition

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2.0

I almost bailed on this book less than halfway through. The first half of this book was painfully slow and it seemed like nothing would ever happen! Having stuck it out and finished the book I can appreciate it as a picture of what life was like for women and those who did not fit “the norm” in the 17th century, and in that aspect it was a fabulous commentary.

But the story itself took way too long to progress and that combined with no real ending and too many loose ends, many of them important loose ends, hanging open, i was left mostly disappointed. This could have been as fabulous a story as it was a commentary on the age, but it just wasn’t.