Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist
If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE dollhouse things and tiny things and particularly little tiny miniatures of food, so I was predisposed to like a book that included any of these elements. The story takes place in Amsterdam in the 1600s, and Burton really brings that era to life. The protagonist is a teenage girl who's been married off to a wealthy merchant much older than her--and who doesn't seem inclined to actually, you know, be married (instead, he buys her a fancy dollhouse to occupy her time, and the miniatures she orders are . . . eerily accurate). You might suspect the reasons for his disinterest, which are . . . problematic in a time and place full of religious fervor. Warning: bad things happen to animals, and worse things happen to humans. But the story still somehow has a hopeful feel, even as it leaves one big question unanswered. I liked it, though. B+.
1 comment:
When I think of miniature things I first think of The Borrowers, which I loved as a child, and then I think of Steven Millhauser, who I love as an adult.
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