 |
| Picador July0214 |
There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed..
I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover, as it
reminded me of the doll’s houses that I loved to play with as a child, and there is
something uniquely clandestine about peering into the hidden contents
of someone else’s life and being privy to their innermost thoughts.
The story begins in 1686, and we are introduced to Nella Oortman, whose arrival at the grand house, at the side of the Herengracht
canal, in
Amsterdam, is set to disturb the equilibrium of all who live within it. For Nella is the eighteen year old bride of
the illustrious trader, Johannes Brandt, and her presence in the house is set to disturb
the balance of power of its current chatelaine, Marin, Johannes’ elder and
irascible older sister. When Nella is presented with a cabinet sized replica of
her home, as a wedding gift, from her largely absent husband, she starts to
uncover a set of household secrets which threaten to disturb the equilibrium of
the house forever.
What then follows is a compelling
and intricately woven story of scandalous deceit and scurrilous gossip which,
when taken as a whole, allows a fascinating glimpse into the lives and petty squabbles
amongst the social elite of old Amsterdam. Time and place is captured quite perfectly,
and for the time I was reading, I was so immersed in seventeenth century life,
that I had to forcibly bring myself back to the 21st century. There
is much to take in, not just Johannes’ unusual relationship with his wife, but
also with the way in which the house functions as a whole. Marin is an
enigmatic figure, she is both controlling and uncontrollable but cares deeply
for her brother and as reputation matters above all else, Nella soon learns to
listen surreptitiously and to keep her own counsel.
Reminiscent at times of Tracy Chevalier’s, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, I can easily see this
book being transformed into a stunning film. The narrative unfolds like beautiful
cinematography and there are just enough layers waiting to be peeled away, so that
when the final dénouement arrives, you feel complete and know that this is
indeed a story well worth the telling.
A Highly Recommended read for lovers of
good historical fiction.
My thanks to the publishers Picador and to Sandra Taylor in the Picador Press Office
for my copy of this book
for my copy of this book
*~*~*
This one looks really good. Anything in the past.....
ReplyDelete