The House of Fortune

By: Jessie Burton

Narrated by: Carla Harrison Hodge

Bloomsbury presents The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton, read by Carla Harrison Hodge.

Alive with the magic of Amsterdam, the enchanting new historical novel from the author of the sensational New York Times bestseller The Miniaturist, which has sold more than two million copies.

In 1705 Amsterdam, Thea Brandt is coming of age, trying to grapple with her family’s secrets and her own identity as a young Dutch-African woman. She’s drawn to the theater and an artistic life, but with her family in serious financial decline, pressure is on Thea to marry up in society.

As her father and Aunt Nella work desperately to save the family home and catastrophe threatens to engulf them, Thea seeks refuge in the arms of her secret lover, Walter, the chief set-painter at her favorite theater. But the thrill of their romance is shadowed by another secret she keeps close: Her birthday marks the day her mother, Marin, died in labor. Thea's family refuses to share the details of the story, just as they seem terrified to speak of the shadowy artist from their past whose tiny figurines seem to capture the things most carefully hidden away. Aunt Nella believes the solution to Thea's problems is to find her a husband, and an unexpected invitation to Amsterdam's most exclusive ball seems like a golden opportunity. But when a miniature figure of Walter turns up on Thea’s doorstep, it becomes clear that someone out there has another fate in mind for the family— and that perhaps the new beginning Thea seeks won't depend on a man.

A feat of sweeping, magical storytelling, The House of Fortune is a thrilling novel about love and obsession, family and loyalty, and the fantastic power of secrets.

©2022 Jessie Burton (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

An excellent sequel

I didn’t absolutely love The Miniaturist, but I liked it enough to want to see what the author did next. At first I thought I was going to be disappointed; the beginning didn’t grab me, in part because so much time is spent in long, thinky passages about the interior lives of the characters at the expense of action. But then it hit its stride and hooked me, and I stayed hooked even through a very extended ending. It seems clear that there will be a third installment in the story and I look forward to reading it.

Excellent Sequel

This is a fantastic follow up to the first. It centers on the choice we always have to make between falling into despair and fear after our traumatic experiences or working our way back to our whole selves by overcoming the fear and despair.

Entertaining sequel

Nice follow up for The Miniaturist, as the family continues it’s its struggle to fit in and survive. I did enjoy the first story more, but never lost interest in this one.

Hoping there is more…

Enjoyed this sequel to “The Miniaturist.”
Sorry when it ended, just when things were looking up! I’d like to know what happens next.

Great continuation of The Miniaturist

Another wonderful immersion in the lives of the Brandt family. Hopefully there is another story after this one, too.

A Nice Sequel

Picking up 18 years after The Miniaturist, this book tells the story of Thea, Marin and Otto’s daughter. Secrets. Romance. Shame. A new beginning for the Brandt family.

As good as the first

If you liked the first, I’d recommend this one too. Had a hard time putting it down.

Good story but…

This was a very good story and I enjoyed it right up until the very end. There were so many plot twists and none of them were wrapped up!