Description

The Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller

The sequel to Jessie Burton’s million-copy bestseller The Miniaturist, The House of Fortune returns to Nella’s mysterious family in historic 18th-century Amsterdam for a story of fate and fortune.

‘Elegant, atmospheric, compelling. I absolutely loved it’ – Marian Keyes, author of Again, Rachel
‘A book of beauty and insight . . . awe-inspiring. Burton is a master storyteller’ – Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie

1705. In the golden city of Amsterdam Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and she is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the city’s theatre, the love of her life awaits her, but at home all is not well – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother died, the secrets of the past begin to overwhelm the present.

Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam’s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed – perhaps this will set their fortunes straight.

But, as Thea discovers new miniatures, Nella’s fears are realized. Eighteen years after she first entered the family’s life, the miniaturist may have plans of her own . . .

The House of Fortune is a glorious, sweeping story of ambition, secrets and dreams, and one young woman’s determination to rule her own destiny.

Publisher Review

A more than worthy sequel to The Miniaturist. Elegant, atmospheric, compelling. I absolutely loved it. -- Marian Keyes A book of beauty and insight: Burton's ability to meld a deep understanding of human nature with pitch-perfect historical detail is awe-inspiring. I turned the final page feeling moved, satisfied and sad to leave the characters (and Lucas the cat) behind. Burton is a master storyteller, with an uncanny knack for scene-setting and atmosphere. I felt I could see, smell, live and breathe every page. The House of Fortune is a delight for anyone who is about to read it. -- Elizabeth Day, bestselling author of The Party and Magpie The most beautiful book you'll read this year. A spectacular achievement, this glittering glass bauble of brilliance, the story of Thea, will break your heart and put it back together again. Capturing how it was to be eighteen with such acuity and grace, I believed I was there again. Thought The Miniaturist was the end of the story? Think again. Shining, sinuous, truly a marvel. -- Kate Williams