Description

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 familys secrets and her own identity as a young DutchAfrican woman Shes 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 setpainter 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 Theas 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 Theas problems is to find her a husband and an unexpected invitation to Amsterdams most exclusive ball seems like a golden opportunity But when a miniature figure of Walter turns up on Theas doorstep it becomes clear that someone out there has another fate in mind for the family and that perhaps the new beginning Thea seeks wont depend on a man

A feat of sweeping magical storytelling The House of Fortune is an unputdownable novel about love and obsession family and loyalty and the fantastic power of secrets