Nella arrives in amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader johannes brandt. This was an interesting discussion point within the group. At the end of it, i closed the book, leaned back, and felt utter blankness. Add the shows you like to a watchlist and let the site take it from there. Adapted from jessie burtons internationally bestselling novel, the miniaturist, a ravishing threepart period thriller, premieres sunday, september 9, 2018, 98c on masterpiece on pbs.
Our may book club was on jessie burtons the miniaturist read back our lively discussion by hitting the tab above or clicking here. The miniaturist is that rarest of thingsbeautifully written, yet also a compelling pageturner. In retrospect, we realise the identity of the very first character we meet in the church. Last week i met up with the cambridge book club for the first time. If you were nella and had to take up her role at the end of the book, what. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. The miniaturist by jessie burton is a book that almost defies explanation. The 17th century historical detail was fantastic, if terrifying.
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, 18yearold nella oortman arrives in amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader johannes brandt. The miniaturist is that rarest of things beautifully written, yet also a compelling pageturner. I love historical fiction and the miniaturist is a small slice of life in 17th century amsterdam. This article is within the scope of wikiproject novels, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories on wikipedia. Like nella in the miniaturist, the real petronella oortman ordered a cabinet house to be made in 1686 to the exact scale of her own home.
The miniaturist is narrated by a thirdperson narrator who has insight only into nellas thoughts and feelings. Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heartpounding suspense, jessie burtons magnificent debut novel the miniaturist is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth. Cambridge book club the miniaturist jade the obscure. If you and your book group have read the miniaturist and are looking for some questions to kick off your discussion, then youre in the right place.
The miniaturist was a book club pick and probably not something i would have picked up ordinarily. We all decided we enjoyed watching petronella becoming such a strong woman who really tried her best given the circumstances to protect her family. Watson, author of before i go to sleep a fabulously gripping read that will appeal to fans of girl with a pearl earring and the goldfinch, but burton is a genuinely new. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. As announced back in january, our first book is the miniaturist, the bestselling debut novel by jessie burton and winner of all sorts of awards including the waterstones book of the year 2014. Petronellas cabinet house was elaborate, gilded with silver and inlaid with tortoise shell, but this was not a unique purchase for a woman of her time. Watson, new york times bestselling author of before i go to sleep. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the miniaturist. It was published by picador in the uk and holland in jessie burton studied at oxford university and the central school of speech and drama, where she appeared in productions of. If you were nella and had to take up her role at the end of the book, what would you do next. She was in conversation with a blogger, maris over at slaughter house 90210. Johannes is always locked in his study or at his warehouse office, leaving nella alone with his sister. Yes, sandra, it was marins funeral, narrated by the miniaturist. If you would like to participate, you can edit one of the articles mentioned below, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the general project discussion to talk over new ideas and.
Indeed, you might say youve come to the old curiosity shop and found jane eyre in there. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A tense bbc period drama featuring an excellent anya taylorjoy performance. Richard and judy book club questions for the miniaturist by jessie burton. As i loved reading her debut novel about a high middle class. To furnish her gift, nella engages the services of a. The miniaturist is a fascinating mix of real creepiness and surprising bravery, all set in amsterdams socalled golden age, when the city grew fat on trade with the far east. Its true that not every mystery is explained and this book is certainly not a. Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, the miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Much of the discussion was spent asking questions about aspects of the plots and. Discussion questions the questions below were kindly submitted to litlovers by joanna brown and wendy mazenauer, who developed them for their book club discussion. Rad book clubs latest meeting was about the miniaturist.
Laura as this book takes a feminist approach, i think the main role of the miniaturist is to show how nella, a young woman living in a patriarchal societymore as this book takes a feminist approach, i think the main role of the miniaturist is to show how nella, a young woman living in a patriarchal society thus. The miniaturist is one of the years most hyped novels, and its easy to see why. It can still be seen today in the rijksmuseum in amsterdam. The miniaturist by jessie burton literary transgressions. The miniaturist by burton spoilers book chat central. The book up for discussion this month was jessie burtons the miniaturist, which, if you live anywhere other than under a stone, you will no doubt be familiar with. You can buy it here well get together to discuss it the first week in march. The two part adaptation of the miniaturist, starring romola garai and anya taylorjoy, airs on bbc one at 9pm on 26th and 27th december 2017. That is true of the miniaturist by jessie burton, a debut which is now being released or eagerly anticipated all over the world. As i had already read the novel about a week or two previously, i was familiar with the chapter she chose. The miniaturist, the millioncopy bestselling debut novel by jessie burton is available in paperback and as a tvtie in edition now. Johannes seems unwilling to consummate the marriage, and. An international bestseller, it was the focus of a publishers bidding war at the 20 london book fair. The miniaturist by reading guidebook club discussion.
Its haunting, magical, and full of surprises, the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading s. And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Book club questions for the miniaturist by jessie burton. Set in amsterdam in 168687, the novel was inspired by petronella oortmans dolls house on display at the rijksmuseum. The book up for discussion this month was jessie burtons the miniaturist. Reading guide for the miniaturist by jessie burton discussion guide for book clubs. I liked the book, did see the homosexuality angle coming seems like ive seen that a lot in the past couple of years but dont ask me where was surprised by the pregnancy and by the father. I have to say i wasnt planning to read this one, and the woowoo seemed forced and unnecessary. Last year, 33yearold actressturnedauthor jessie burtons debut novel, which she wrote while working as a jobbing secretary, stormed the bestseller charts. Its a tragic story of love, sin, betrayal, and revenge, and it will linger in my mind for days to come. Book club questions for the miniaturist by jessie burton december 17, 2014 books december 2014 historic fiction jessie burton richard and judy what a haunting, atmospheric and richly layered story jessie burton has woven in this wonderful novel. We also discussed the whole aspect of the miniaturist and why she was in the book at all. Though the miniaturist was a bit out of my comfort zone, im so glad i got the chance to.
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of ecco. Rarely is a movie as good as a good book but this 3part miniseries was not only true to the book gripping, suspensefilled, moody, unpredictable it was as. Jessie burtons the miniaturist and more the new york. But for those of you who have avoided looking at the bestseller lists for the past few months, heres a quick summary.
If you and your book group have read the miniaturist and are looking for some questions to kick off your discussion, then youre in the right. A woman moves to live with her new husband in 17th century amsterdam, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems. So, here we go, the first ever rock my style book club meeting. As a wedding present johannes gives her a dolls house, a replica of his own home, which she furnishes with beautiful tiny items sent by an anonymous miniaturist who seems to know a lot about the house. The book up for discussion this month was jessie burton s the miniaturist, which, if you live anywhere other than under a stone, you will no doubt be familiar with. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his. The miniaturist is the 2014 debut novel of english actress and author jessie burton. Book in a jar book club open for eeeeveryone good reads group. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions. Book club questions for the miniaturist by jessie burton whsmith.
But nellas world changes when johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift. The cast of the miniaturist share their experiences filming the show duration. It was published by picador in the uk and holland in jessie burton studied at oxford university and the central school of speech and drama, where she appeared in productions of the house of bernarda alba, othello, play and macbeth. In april 20 her first novel, the miniaturist, was sold at an 11publisher auction at the london book fair, and went on to sell in 29 other countries around the world. Its haunting, magical, and full of surprises, the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading. Feel free to jump into the discussion about the book at any time during the month using disqus. This study guide consists of approximately 59 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the miniaturist. This book is not for readers who like fast action but in its own way, its a page turner. Reviews arent meant to be like your book report from grade school. I had thought the miniaturist would be a central part of the book, but instead she seemed tacked on, a device to make the plot work. More, unsolicited items follow, including figurines of marin and johannes.
Our may book club was on jessie burtons the miniaturist read back our lively discussion by hitting the tab above or clicking here a bit about the miniaturist. On september 12th, i had the opportunity to meet jessie burton, debut author of the miniaturist at the barnes and noble in tribeca. This way anyone who couldnt be there, can still join in with the fun. Enchanting, beautifully written, and exquisitely suspenseful, the miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth. Like i said, it isnt something i usually would have picked, but i guess thats the point of being in a book club. The miniaturist book club recommendationsdiscussion. Reading guide for the miniaturist by jessie burton bookbrowse. The book is maybe most interestingly cowardly when it involves itself actively in questions of feminism and acceptance of human sexuality. The miniaturist tv series 20172017 the movie database. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. It was acquired by picador in the uk for a six figure sum and went.
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