Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 4

Rejected by her husband, Nella feels alone, except for the watchful gaze of the strange blonde woman. Read by Emilia Fox.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Read by Emilia Fox

On a cold autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of the Dutch East India Company's most successful merchant trader : Johannes Brandt. But her lavishly furnished new home is not welcoming, and its inhabitants seem preoccupied with their own secrets. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office which leaves Nella isolated in the grand house on the canal with his sister, the sharp-tongued Marin and Otto and Cornelia their servants as company.

Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist, an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny and intricate creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways.

But as she starts to receive unexpected and unasked for items for her 'toy house' Nella becomes aware that the Brandt household contains unusual secrets and she begins to understand - and fear- the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society conformity is all. Neighbours are encouraged to spy on each other, excavating 'the canker' of sin. The packages from the mysterious miniaturist begin to reveal chillingly prophetic objects but Nella remains at a loss as to what they all mean.

Ep4. Rejected by her husband Nella continues to feel alone in the city, except for the watchful gaze of the strange blonde haired woman.

Producer: Jill Waters
Abridged by Isobel Creed and directed by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

15 minutes

Last on

Fri 11 Jan 2019 02:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Emilia Fox
Producer Jill Waters
Director Jill Waters
Abridger Isobel Creed
Author Jessie Burton

Broadcasts

  • Thu 24 Jul 2014 22:45
  • Thu 10 Jan 2019 14:00
  • Fri 11 Jan 2019 02:00

Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

Short stories to keep

The fiction podcast featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers