Overall Rating and Opinion of "The Miniaturist"
- Heather
- Posts: 237
- Joined: 12 Jun 2013, 19:41
- Favorite Book: Outlander series
- Bookshelf Size: 22
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heather.html
- Latest Review: "Differences" by Cristina Monro
Re: Overall Rating and Opinion of "The Miniaturist"
I, however, did not like the loose ends left concerning the Miniaturist herself. I wanted to know more, and found it odd that she just disappeared from a story titled after her.
Still, I enjoyed the book.
- Michael_hayden
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 10 Feb 2015, 20:42
- Currently Reading: The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-michael-hayden.html
- sahmoun2778
- Posts: 364
- Joined: 04 Jul 2014, 15:08
- Bookshelf Size: 33
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sahmoun2778.html
- Latest Review: "Consent to Unleash" by Kevin Allen
- Reading Device: 1400698987
- Heather
- Posts: 237
- Joined: 12 Jun 2013, 19:41
- Favorite Book: Outlander series
- Bookshelf Size: 22
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heather.html
- Latest Review: "Differences" by Cristina Monro
I like that idea! Maybe Nella's story isn't finished yet.sahmoun2778 wrote:I felt like this book was meant to be a snapshot of a few months in Nella's life and it was not the author's intention to tie everything up with a neat little bow.
- scquarantillo
- Posts: 72
- Joined: 05 Feb 2015, 23:51
- Favorite Book: Forever by Judy Blume
- Currently Reading: Undead to the World
- Bookshelf Size: 37
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scquarantillo.html
-
- Posts: 208
- Joined: 01 Feb 2015, 14:36
- Currently Reading: Too lazy to update this every day
- Bookshelf Size: 19
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-duende-knocking.html
- Latest Review: "A World Within Our World" by J. M. Parker
Is it really that unresolved at the end? I'm not sure if it's worth it now. I am interested in the subject matter but I don't want to end up being disappointed.
- Cyril Connolly
- scquarantillo
- Posts: 72
- Joined: 05 Feb 2015, 23:51
- Favorite Book: Forever by Judy Blume
- Currently Reading: Undead to the World
- Bookshelf Size: 37
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scquarantillo.html
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice in Space
- Bookshelf Size: 2288
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
I enjoyed the book despite its shortcomings and recommend reading it. There are some loose ends, but the book is still enjoyable.Duende Knocking wrote:I ordered it from the library but am a bit hesitant to pick it up now after reading the reviews here. I find open-ended stories that don't resolve the problems they hype to be very frustrating (I only know one author who can get away with it).
Is it really that unresolved at the end? I'm not sure if it's worth it now. I am interested in the subject matter but I don't want to end up being disappointed.
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
-
- Posts: 26
- Joined: 12 Jul 2014, 22:00
- Favorite Book: Outlander
- Currently Reading: Swamplandia
- Bookshelf Size: 266
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cbrunyate.html
- Lisalovecraft
- Posts: 235
- Joined: 19 Jan 2015, 22:10
- Bookshelf Size: 21
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lisalovecraft.html
- Latest Review: "A Devil of a Time" by Gretchen Jeannette
- Maria_G
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 09 Feb 2015, 05:22
- Favorite Book: The Divine Comedy
- Currently Reading: The Miniaturist
- Bookshelf Size: 14
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-maria-g.html
- scquarantillo
- Posts: 72
- Joined: 05 Feb 2015, 23:51
- Favorite Book: Forever by Judy Blume
- Currently Reading: Undead to the World
- Bookshelf Size: 37
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scquarantillo.html
Maria_G wrote:I have downloaded it today. Feeling quite excited about reading it as I have read mixed rewies. I think as a book it sounds very interesting.
Don't let the reviews sway you. Honestly the book is good. The author has a nice writing style that will keep you going! Let me know what you think!
- HoneyB
- Posts: 296
- Joined: 05 Dec 2014, 11:09
- Currently Reading: The Law of Moses
- Bookshelf Size: 270
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-honeyb.html
- Latest Review: "The Whisper of Time" by Ute Carbone
~Alan Bennett
- ejcogan
- Posts: 246
- Joined: 26 Oct 2014, 21:19
- Favorite Book: Once Burned
- Currently Reading: The Truth of all Flesh
- Bookshelf Size: 31
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ejcogan.html
- Latest Review: "Dehumanized" by Michael Loring
- TammyO
- Posts: 1373
- Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
- Favorite Book: Persuasion
- Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
- Bookshelf Size: 131
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
- Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
Fran wrote:I finished The Miniaturist in the early hours.
An interesting book. On the plus side I appreciated the level of research Jessie Burton did and the detailed depiction of Amsterdam in 1686 with it's oppressive fundamentalism, obsession with sin and a thinly veiled hypocrisy and the insight it gives into the lives of traders and entrepreneurs of the period.
On the negative side I found much of the book stretched credibility and left much unresolved or unexplained. Overall while I liked Nella I just did not find her to be totally credible. I felt she morphed from a wide-eyed country innocent to a knowing street-smart woman, accepting of all the secrets and peccadilloes of her new family much too readily and with little or no conflict of conscience, just did not ring true with me.
That said it is a reasonably entertaining book but I felt the ending was unresolved and ultimately frustrating, she had hyped up the "secrets" and the mysterious happening and then just failed to provide resolution.
IMO an OK read but not one I would be rushing to recommend.
I actually enjoyed it and thought it was great for all of these reasons that you stated. The research was extremely brilliant and the depictions were quite accurate. The author did a very good job with her depictions of Amsterdam in 1686. The ending was a little lackluster and left me wanting more but overall, the book was good. I'd definitely recommend it to others.