The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton’s internationally best-selling 2014 debut novel inspired by a museum display, will be the topic of discussion when the AMA Art Lovers Book Club meets at 6 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 at the Albany Museum of Art.
 
The discussion will be led by Annie Vanoteghem, director of education and public programming for the AMA.
 
“We’ve had good attendance at all of the meetings,” Vanotehgem said. “There’s still plenty of time to get a copy of The Miniaturist and read it—or reread it—before the Nov 19th meeting.”
 
There is no cost to attend and you do not have to attend any certain number of the bimonthly meetings to be a club member. Those planning to attend are asked to contact the AMA at [email protected] to ensure adequate seating is set up for the meeting. Club members are encouraged to bring a favorite beverage of finger food to share during the lively discussion.
 
“The Miniaturist is fascinating,” Vanotegehm said. “This is a book that you will find yourself staying up late reading because you just cannot put it down.”
 
While not biographical, The Miniaturist was inspired by Petronella Oortman's doll's house that is on display at the Rijksmuseum, a Dutch national museum of arts and history in Amsterdam. The novel is set in the late 1680s and imagines the life of Petronella “Nella” Oortman, a poor 18-year-old country girl who weds Johannes Brandt, a wealthy Amsterdam businessman.
 
Brandt gives Oortman a miniature replica of their Amsterdam home. Oortman hires a mysterious local craftsman to create to add furnishings for the dollhouse. As the miniaturist sends her more items, including furnishings and dolls that are fantastically accurate, the pieces begin to foretell the future. As dangers arise, Oortman begins to wonder whether the family and staff’s fates are being determined by the miniaturist.
 
Burton did extensive research on the era in which the book is set. She worked in London as an actress and personal assistant during the four years it took her to write the novel, which became the target of a bidding war by publishers at the 2013 London Book Fair. It has sold more than 1 million copies in more than 35 countries and was adapted in 2017 for a two-part BBC television series.
 
“Seventeenth century Amsterdam is captured beautifully in The Miniaturist,” Vanoteghem said. “The story will give you a peek into Dutch Golden Age life and keep you guessing the entire way. I am excited to lead this discussion. I know it will create a wonderful conversation.”