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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Minimal violence; some threat and danger as the Brandts' secrets become exposed
Language
Barely any
Mild language in the historical fiction register
Sexual Content
Some
Adult content including LGBT themes that carry lethal risk in the 17th-century context
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The mounting dread of the miniaturist's apparent clairvoyance — and the question of what the Brandts are hiding — creates the novel's sustained and unsettling atmosphere
What this book is about
Jessie Burton's debut novel is set in 1686 Amsterdam, where eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman marries the wealthy Johannes Brandt and receives a doll's house as a wedding gift. She commissions a miniaturist to furnish it — and discovers the miniatures are predicting events in her real life. The novel builds dread slowly while depicting the real constraints of women's lives and LGBT lives in 17th-century Dutch society. A beautifully researched and atmospheric debut.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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