Another vacation read and while I'm still enjoying being relaxed, sleepy and purring with pleasure next to open fire (with icy winter howling outside) why not checking out something that I occasionally eyed in the bookshops for some time now. I held "The Miniaturist" in my hands just the other day, thinking this could be a good present for a friend of mine, just to find out I already gave it to her half a year ago and the book was still left unopened (its good I didn't buy another copy) so in order not to leave poor book completely forgotten and ignored in some dark corner, I decided to check it out since its already here and I am sucker for nice book covers. This one had naturally picture of some little miniature Dutch dollhouse, kind of ones I have seen in Netherlands. I have actually seen the most beautiful one in Haarlem, I think, though the author got her inspiration in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.
Spiritually close to "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" where Tracy Chevalier got inspired with famous Vermeer painting, "The Miniaturist" was apparently inspired with a real life Dutch dollhouse exhibited in Rijksmuseum that belonged to certain Petronella Oortman. This is where young, pretty actress-turned-writer Jessie Burton started to cook her ideas about the novel set in 17th century Amsterdam - she soaked informations about life back than, how citizens of Amsterdam lived, what they ate, wore, believed in, how did they presented themselves to the outside world and what did they cherish most of all. Burton really makes you feel like you are walking the streets of old Amsterdam with her (she correctly describes right spots in the centre of town, which I found very entertaining as I lived there), you feel the curious glances, hear the smirking comments hidden behind polite facades, taste the salted herring and smell the fog coming from the famous canals. There is a nice little plot involving young provincial bride who was being sent (sold?) by her impoverished family to big city where she starts new life in a outwardly wealthy but actually cold and stern household and if at first story progress somewhat slowly, Burton writes so well that before you know it, you got swept into reading more and more - myself, I gulped it in two readings and it actually became quite gripping afterwards.
Noteworthy are two things: Burton perfectly describes certain mindset of Amsterdam society (and this is not just 17th century but something typical of Dutchmen to this day) where outward propriety and dignity kind of apologises for accumulated wealth and where strict protestant outlook frowns at anything that shows off the wealth and pleasures (in this case, occupants of wealthy household eat the most simplest and unappealing food in order to please God with their piety, although they could easily afford something decent). Burton also looks closely at the status of 17th century women, who could manage some resemblance of independence only trough intrigues and machinations but always in a shadow of some male member of the family, as themselves they didn't have any official power. As one character in the novel notes, even in the supposedly open minded Amsterdam single woman could not live alone without appearing Spiritually close to "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" where Tracy Chevalier got inspired with famous Vermeer painting, "The Miniaturist" was apparently inspired with a real life Dutch dollhouse exhibited in Rijksmuseum that belonged to certain Petronella Oortman. This is where young, pretty actress-turned-writer Jessie Burton started to cook her ideas about the novel set in 17th century Amsterdam - she soaked informations about life back than, how citizens of Amsterdam lived, what they ate, wore, believed in, how did they presented themselves to the outside world and what did they cherish most of all. Burton really makes you feel like you are walking the streets of old Amsterdam with her (she correctly describes right spots in the centre of town, which I found very entertaining as I lived there), you feel the curious glances, hear the smirking comments hidden behind polite facades, taste the salted herring and smell the fog coming from the famous canals. There is a nice little plot involving young provincial bride who was being sent (sold?) by her impoverished family to big city where she starts new life in a outwardly wealthy but actually cold and stern household and if at first story progress somewhat slowly, Burton writes so well that before you know it, you got swept into reading more and more - myself, I gulped it in two readings and it actually became quite gripping afterwards.
Noteworthy are two things: Burton perfectly describes certain mindset of Amsterdam society (and this is not just 17th century but something typical of Dutchmen to this day) where outward propriety and dignity kind of apologizes for accumulated wealth and where strict protestant outlook frowns at anything that shows off the wealth and pleasures (in this case, occupants of wealthy household eat the most simplest and unappealing food in order to please God with their piety, although they could easily afford something decent). Burton also looks closely at the status of 17th century women, who could manage some resemblance of independence only trough intrigues and machinations but always in a shadow of some male member of the family, as themselves they didn't have any official power. As one character in the novel notes, even in the supposedly open minded Amsterdam single woman could not live alone without appearing promiscuous.
This is my own photograph of a Dollhouse I saw in Haarlem.
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