The Miniaturist

[Slartybartfast]

Quite good.
very artistic.

I would let a 12yo watch it

Yes .. I would but sit with him or her for explanations (though they'd probably get so bored. Especially after all the screens they're on nowadays!).

I had not read the book but I thought that I would enjoy the TV adaptation. I didn't enjoy it particularly, mainly because of the modern turns of phrases and the unforgiveable 'uptalk' of the female lead right at the beginning.

I know that there's always decisions to be made when making period drama, and obviously the script has to be coherent to a modern audience, but it strikes me that 'Wolf Hall' for example managed it infinitely better.

Ah yes, but Wolf Hall didn't try to occupy a primetime Boxing Day TV slot. I am actually wondering when they intended it to be on given it was put in to replace the panned Agatha Christie. Does anyone know? It seemed very much in the wrong slot to me.

Also, Mark Rylance. That is all.

Wolf Hall was recommended by I player after watching this. Any good ?

Wolf Hall was much longer (book and series) and infinitely superior in every way.

The book bored me to tears 😁

I was slightly let down when Nella sat down at the desk at the end and said something along the lines of 'we'll make this work'

Me too! I really enjoyed it (I haven’t read the book).

anyfucker I can see why it would. I skimmed large bits. But the TV production made the most of the sinisterness (am thinking that's not a word!) of the Tudor Court and all the leads were fantastic. I especially liked Mark Rylance but also Thomas More was brilliant (is it More? got a bit confused by my history now!) and Damian Lewis was a good Henry VIII . Her off The Crown was exceptional too.

I watched The Tudors so kinda know the story

Absolutely nothing like The Tudors though which was one long bonkfest iirc

So I watched it with DD. She stuck it out and actually quite enjoyed it. she thought it was slow but was intrigued by it. She is an avid reader and spends very little time on a device so that may have helped. She has just reread Little Woman after watching the recent drama so she probably isn't your typical 12 year old girl!

She was so shocked at the attitudes towards homosexuality. She commented that she didn't think the streets would be so clean in 17th century Amsterdam! She really liked Nella and enjoyed how her character developed over time to being in control. She found the minaturist totally creepy.

I really liked it but then I liked the book too. The house and the costumes and the set were just as I imagined, I thought it was shot beautifully. I would have liked to have seen more of Agnus and her husband (have forgotten his name) as I seem to recall we saw more of her unravelling in the book.

I think the drama like the book is probably a bit marmite though. I loved her second novel The Muse, its defintely pacier with a well defined plot. I would recommend.

I have The Muse in my pile so shall read soon!

The streets in Amsterdam possibly would have been clean then but the canals certainly wouldn't have been!! Useful things canals!!

We quite enjoyed it, particularly the first episode and all the build up, but thought that the end was weak.

I really enjoyed it. I don't think I have ever sat so still for so long. I read the book a couple of years ago and I honestly wondered if I'd seen the adaptation before, it was so true to my imagination, especially the court room and prison, which shows how descriptive and atmospheric the book was.
I'll look out for The Muse.

I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Loved the costumes, characters and seeing what parcels would arrive.

I had read the book and I thought johannes was much more likable in this than the book and their relationship was warmer.

I thought a different ending would have been so much more satisfactory ... when the miniaturist said she was leaving for Bruges, with her map and other items left over for other clients, she should have asked the main woman to deliver them for her.
The woman (can't even remember her name - Nella ??) could have then sussed out all the other towns folks' unpleasant secrets, and have used them to intimidate the judge and her husband's accusers to drop the case and find him innocent ...

It's not that I necessarily wanted a happy ending, I just thought the demise and drowning of whatever his name was was cruel, and too obvious ... The miniaturist should have been able to do more with her power, rather than try to explain it away as coincidence

Oh, and by too obvious, I mean that his sister had already spelt out exactly what would have happened to him because he was gay, so it needed another twist ...

The miniaturist is totally irrelevant to the plot though. It's as though the writer had two ideas and was determined to weave them together. But it left me wondering what was the point of the miniaturist? Certainly in the book. The programme makers added her for this which suggests a similar "What was the point?" reaction after reading the book as well.

I vaguely remember some controversy about this book when it came out - about the owner's of the cabinet/doll's house being pissed off or something?

I went into watching this program with high hopes. They were totally dashed. It was totally flat, linear and no workup of characterizations. There was literally no emotion except coldness. Nella never shed a tear even when her husband was dropped into the sea, when Marin dies, or ever. It was so unrealistic I almost quit watching it then but I would have missed the horrific pointless ending.