This book was just so, so beautifully crafted, and utterly absorbing. Whilst this was technically a mystery story, it was really a story about Dutch society during the Golden Age, especially the women, and the relationships between all the women in this story were what made it really special. Nella's growth throughout the novel as a character felt completely natural, as did the changes in her relationships with the other characters as all their secrets were slowly revealed; I think that except for perhaps Otto, my opinions of all the characters by the end were completely different from the beginning. The miniaturist is just as mysterious by the end as at the beginning, as the more we learn about them the more questions we have, but the book is made just that little bit more haunting, knowing that it's inspired by a real miniature house and the possessions of real people.