Seventeenth-century Amsterdam: Nella, married-off to a rich and powerful merchant, is effectively abandoned by him to his austere sister and two faithful servants. His wedding gift of a cabinet-house and the deliveries of curious and prophetic miniatures have a sinister edge. Tantalising, but I felt much was lunexplained and perhaps was just inexplicable. Despite the strong depiction of a heroine who shows herself a match to adversity and lots of promising chapters, I was unsure.
(Rebecca Howell - bwl 78 Autumn 2015 ) |
