This book is incredible. I feel like it was written for me in particular: history, politics, art, immigrant experience, and a touch of feminism.

Absolutely enchanting. I loved it. Such a good mystery about art, loyalty, and loss.

Another book told across 2 timeframes, 1967 London and 1936 southern Spain. In 1967 Odelle, a recent immigrant from the Caribbean, is employed at an art gallery. While in 1936 Olive Schloss is realising her artistic potential. Olive is an amazing artist, but her art dealer father doesn’t think that women can be artists. Olive convinces the brother of their maid to pretend to be the artist. Olive sees this as a joke on her father when the paintings sell for a lot of money. The brother is very uncomfortable with this arrangement. It seems that Olive does not need the recognition, she just needs to paint. So long as she thinks the paintings are good she doesn’t really need others to agree. Both Olive and her mother are sleeping with this brother. As the civil war starts the maid ends up causing the deaths of her brother and Olive. She then travels to London with Olive’s parents and starts a new life. In 1967 a painting by Olive resurfaces, under the ownership of a young man who falls in love with Odelle. Odelle is a writer who has stopped writing and isn’t getting published. Her boss at the gallery publishes her writing for her. There is then a mystery surrounding who the boss is and how the young man got the painting.

I thought I figured out the end several times but I was always wrong. This didn't go as expected and I liked that.

Two women, two decades and one painting. Jessie Burton has written an intriguing novel . At a time in Spain’s turbulent history a young English girl finds love, deceit and betrayal . Her artistic ambition, personal revenge and naivety contributes to a tragic story with an lasting impact.

Plot and characters a little too convoluted.

The book follows the discovery of a Spanish painting in London during the early 1960’s, who painted it and how did it came into the hands of Laurie following the death of his mother. The story at this point shifts to 1930’s Spain during the build up to the Spanish civil war, and introduces us to the entwined lives of an Austrian art dealer his English family, and a young Spanish brother and sister. I knew nothing of the Spanish Civil war so I found the story much more interesting whenever it switched to this period. If it were not for this I’m not sure I would of stuck with the book. Possibly because this is quite recent history and I enjoy a story set during an older period of history. There were quite a few twists to the outcome of the story that I had not expected, but was not entirely surprised by. I guess the story about a painting and how it came about is not new, in fact, throughout reading this book all I could think about was it’s no Tracy Chevalier novel. If you have not read any of her books then you will probably enjoy this book - but if you love The Lady and the Unicorn or Girl with a Pearl Earring you will more than likely be disappointed.

This is the first Jessie burton book I have read and really enjoyed it. Reviewers seem to like ‘the miniaturist’ better so definitely going to try that. Enjoyed the mystery and how the story gradually unfolds. When I next look at a painting I will wonder at the story behind it !

The storytelling i loved from The Miniaturist without the dissatisfying ending.