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I am getting this book tomorrow and I am so excited about it, I heard this book is fantastic, and I can't wait to try it out. I'll come back and post my review of it here soon

Ok, I'm a little over halfway through this book, and I am still trying to figure out the purpose of the book. I get an overall impression of what the book is about. I'm intrigued by the mystery of the Miniaturist, but I am starting to get distracted because I feel like the author takes too long to get to a point. I'll update my status when I finish, but for now, I would just give this book 2 out of 4 stars because it has some interesting parts, but it also gets a little boring sometimes.

I have just started and I too am finding it a slow start. This is my first book reading with this group. I hope I have found a new book to enjoy.

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago. Looking back on it, I can only say it was just okay. I thought the author did a wonderful job of giving her audience a glimpse into the life of 17th century Netherlands. The little nuances of day to day life were very detailed and believable. I thought she portrayed an ultra conservative Calvinist community very well.

In the end, I wanted more in some areas and less in others. There were some issues I did not care for that I felt were forced. I wanted know more about the miniaturist, but instead felt like I just got the mist that surrounded the character. Unfortunately, this book will be shelved among the lost archives on my Kindle waiting its final destination on a rarely used hard drive.

I'm about 25% done now... The first 10% or so had me very scared, it reminded me of reading books solely for homework in school. It's getting better now, and hopefully it keeps on this way

Just got this from the library yesterday and am halfway done. The story has me turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next, so that is a good thing! It is not something I would have picked up on my own, but I am enjoying it so far.

I was so torn on how to rate this one... As a period novel, I'd easily give it a 3, but on a personal level I had to give it a 2... It's written well and all... But I wasn't a fan overall. I was expecting quite a different story when I kept seeing "mystery" thrown about in descriptions of the novel, which was my own fault - there's plenty of mystery after all, just not the kind of mystery I was hoping to find... For what it's worth, the rating is a high 2, and it'd be 3 out of 5 if we rated out of 5

PS: The "copyright 2014 by Peebo and Pilgrim Ltd." is awesome. Peebo!

I am almost halfway through the book and it s really gripping. I like the research put in by the author and the book's pretty involving.

I rated this book 2 out of 4 stars. While I was reading the book, I noticed I kept getting distracted. I like the way Burton writes, technically speaking. However, I think the story as a whole just really lagged in some parts. My main problem was that when I got done reading, I kept wondering, "What was the point of reading this book?" Most of the books I read, I feel different after I read the book than from when before I read it. This one, I was just left feeling indifferent. It's interesting to compare the Amsterdam of the seventeenth century to the Amsterdam of today--very different places! I was surprised to see that nearly three fourths of the ratings are 3 and 4 stars. There was just something about the book as a whole that turned me off. Maybe I just couldn't relate to it?
I've read some other comments that say the novel was intended as a snapshot of Nella's life. Even so, with a snapshot, there should be a reason we're getting that snapshot, and I didn't feel like there was a reason for this one.

amybo82 wrote:I rated this book 2 out of 4 stars. While I was reading the book, I noticed I kept getting distracted. I like the way Burton writes, technically speaking. However, I think the story as a whole just really lagged in some parts. My main problem was that when I got done reading, I kept wondering, "What was the point of reading this book?" Most of the books I read, I feel different after I read the book than from when before I read it. This one, I was just left feeling indifferent. It's interesting to compare the Amsterdam of the seventeenth century to the Amsterdam of today--very different places! I was surprised to see that nearly three fourths of the ratings are 3 and 4 stars. There was just something about the book as a whole that turned me off. Maybe I just couldn't relate to it?
I've read some other comments that say the novel was intended as a snapshot of Nella's life. Even so, with a snapshot, there should be a reason we're getting that snapshot, and I didn't feel like there was a reason for this one.

YES!!!! Thank you! I felt like I should have enjoyed this one more, especially with so many 3 ratings, but I felt the same - "what was the point?" and "not much happened over all these pages..." But at the same time, she did a great job writing, she was good with putting words together...

I read this last month in anticipation. Glad we can finally discuss it. It's been long enough now I'm having trouble remembering why I didn't love the book. I did enjoy the mystery and the way that the miniatures played into it. Like others have said however, I felt that none of it resolved well. The book was well written as far as descriptions and historical interest. But the plot seemed rather pointless.

I found some pretty interesting information by seeking out other reviews from various places, including Amazon, Goodreads, and the author's website. One of the official summaries I read said that the book followed the lives of two women. I would say that if follows the life of one woman (Nella) or a group of people (Nella, Johannes, Marin, Otto, the Miniaturist, etc.). I was also surprised at the number of awards and honors the book/author have received.

-- February 23rd, 2015, 2:22 pm --

Norma_Rudolph wrote:I read this last month in anticipation. Glad we can finally discuss it. It's been long enough now I'm having trouble remembering why I didn't love the book. I did enjoy the mystery and the way that the miniatures played into it. Like others have said however, I felt that none of it resolved well. The book was well written as far as descriptions and historical interest. But the plot seemed rather pointless.

Norma,
I am glad you said that you're having trouble remembering why you didn't love it. I think this is one of those books that you remember the good parts, and the other parts, you kind of forget about as time fades. For me, I will probably look back at this book in a year or so and also wonder why I didn't love it. I like the same elements you did, and those are what will stick out in my mind. I will probably forget that I was completely underwhelmed by the resolution of the story, that it lagged, and that I couldn't grasp an overall point to the book.

I just finished reading this book, and like most it did start off slow. Though once I got going in the book it did pick up and was quite enjoyable. I found the miniaturist very interesting along with the other characters. The plot had twists and turns that kept you reading to see "what happens next." Even though I did enjoy the book, the ending was abrupt and I really wanted more of what happened. Overall, it is a great book that I could not put down.

amybo82 wrote:I found some pretty interesting information by seeking out other reviews from various places, including Amazon, Goodreads, and the author's website. One of the official summaries I read said that the book followed the lives of two women. I would say that if follows the life of one woman (Nella) or a group of people (Nella, Johannes, Marin, Otto, the Miniaturist, etc.). I was also surprised at the number of awards and honors the book/author have received.

-- February 23rd, 2015, 2:22 pm --

Norma_Rudolph wrote:I read this last month in anticipation. Glad we can finally discuss it. It's been long enough now I'm having trouble remembering why I didn't love the book. I did enjoy the mystery and the way that the miniatures played into it. Like others have said however, I felt that none of it resolved well. The book was well written as far as descriptions and historical interest. But the plot seemed rather pointless.

Norma,
I am glad you said that you're having trouble remembering why you didn't love it. I think this is one of those books that you remember the good parts, and the other parts, you kind of forget about as time fades. For me, I will probably look back at this book in a year or so and also wonder why I didn't love it. I like the same elements you did, and those are what will stick out in my mind. I will probably forget that I was completely underwhelmed by the resolution of the story, that it lagged, and that I couldn't grasp an overall point to the book.

That's true. It was a very well written book in many ways. It kept my interest, it just disappointed me in the end. It didn't keep it's promises.

I just finished The Miniaturists. I started yesterday morning and continued on till I finished. I didn't read anything about the book before so everything about it was surprising. I really loved the setting and the time frame. It showed me a whole new perspective of what it was like to live then. I really liked the story also. It was different and charming and I even shed a few tears. The ending was quite abrupt and I wished of course for Nella a more happy ending. All things aside I may not of read it given other choices but thoroughly glad I did.