An early review of The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Amsterdam in the year 1705. It is Thea Brandt's eighteenth birthday. She is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms, but life at home is increasingly difficult. Her father Otto and her Aunt Nella argue endlessly over their financial fate, selling off furniture in a desperate attempt to hold on to the family home.
As catastrophe threatens to engulf the household, Thea seeks refuge in Amsterdam's playhouses. She loves the performances, and the stolen moments afterwards are even better. In the backrooms of her favorite theater, Thea can spend a few precious minutes with her secret lover, Walter, the chief set-painter, a man adept at creating the perfect environments for comedies and tragedies to flourish. The thrill of their hidden romance offers Thea an exciting distraction from home. But it also puts her in mind of another secret that threatens to overwhelm the present: Thea knows her birthday marks the day her mother, Marin, died in labor. Thea's family refuses to share the details of this story, just as they seem terrified to speak of “the miniaturist” - a shadowy figure from their past who is possessed of uncanny abilities to capture that which is hidden.
Aunt Nella believes the solution to all Thea's problems is to find her a husband who will guarantee her future. An unexpected invitation to Amsterdam's most exclusive ball seems like a golden opportunity. But when Thea finds, on her doorstep, a parcel containing a miniature figure of Walter, it becomes clear that someone out there has another fate in mind for the family . . .
A feat of sweeping, magical storytelling, The House of Fortune is an unputdownable novel about love and obsession, family and loyalty, and the fantastic power of secrets.
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing (August 30, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1635579740
- ISBN-13 : 978-1635579741
- Item Weight : 1.23 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.55 x 1.35 x 9.55 inches
Herengracht in Amsterdam canal
Love is something that is learned in far less alluring settings, than playhouses and ballrooms. It is earned in the deeds you do. The words you speak. It takes practice. Patience. Time. You will learn about love, I am sure. But it might not take the form you originally expected.
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing. U.S. Publication Day: August 30, 2022
The House of Fortune is the sequel to author, Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist. I have to say, there are many families that I sometimes found an overwhelmingly amount of characters to be distracting from the novel.
If you enjoyed, The Miniaturist than reading Nella's chapters and discovering who the mid 30s woman is and what she goes through, should be eye opening. Otto is now the man of the house and Cornelia is a housekeeper and caretaker.
Personally, the most interesting character is Thea the 18 year old daughter of Otto and Marin. It was her storyline that kept me turning pages. Her quest for love and the maturation of the reality of a love relationship and the fairy tale was gripping and quite touching to follow.
To pre-order The House of Fortune on Bloomsbury Pulishing
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