Latest News and Upcoming Events

School Visits - March 2026
2026-03-25 16:18
World Book Day 5th March 2026
2026-03-09 19:55
New Displays in the Library
2026-02-25 20:07

Book Club

Our friendly Book Club meets on the third Tuesday of the month in the Library at 3.30pm. We welcome anyone who enjoys reading and likes
talking about books. We don't do 'lit crit' but we discuss why we like/didn't like the book choice. We exchange tips on recent reads that we think others might enjoy, and then wander on to a wide range of subjects. You don't have to buy the books – we take turns to choose a book from a Cambridgeshire Libraries multi-copy list. If you are interested in joining us, send a request to Sally via info@haddenhamlibrarycambs.co.uk or give your contact details to a Library Volunteer.

 

Upcoming read:

Our next book is Nicola Upson's 1930s Cambridge-set 'Nine Lessons' which is the 7th in her series of mysteries featuring real-life crime writer Josephine Tey (1896–1952). All are welcome, and we will provide a copy of the book.  We will be meeting in the library to discuss it on Tuesday 17th March at 3.30pm. 

 

To join us, speak to a Library volunteer, or drop a line to info@haddenhamlibrarycambs.co.uk.

February BOOK GROUP REview - the miniaturist

 

'The Miniaturist' is the 2014 debut novel of English actor and author Jessie Burton. An international bestseller, it was the focus of a publishers' bidding war at the 2013 London Book Fair, with 11 publishers competing for it.

Set in Amsterdam in 1686–87, the novel was inspired by Petronella Oortman's doll's house on display at the Rijksmuseum, which Burton had seen on holiday.

The book was a unanimous Thumbs Up for us....minus one.

We all loved the story of an innocent eighteen-year-old's introduction to her arranged marriage with a man much older than herself (he is 39) and the home she had to acclimatise herself to. The characters, the feeling of time and place, the beautifully written descriptions of a wealthy 17th Century merchant's house worthy of a Meas or Vermeer painting - we enjoyed it all. The overall atmosphere Burton creates is perfect for reading in the miserable weather we've been having, and really captures the 'dreich' feel of the Protestant Nederland at the time, ruled by oppressive religion and intolerance.

BUT: The whole fiddle faddle around the title character, the mysterious female miniaturist, left everyone unsatisfied. Even those reading the book for the second time didn't feel the fantasy / possibly supernatural element fitted into the novel in any kind of satisfactory way. This crowbarring in of something that caused the novels' flow to stagger was the reason for our sole dissenter when deciding on a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down.

One of us had a theory of who the Miniaturist might be, and declared the book a thriller... but we won't give anything away as we recommend you read it yourself. By the way, a sequel, 'The House of Fortune', was published in 2022 - set in 1705, 18 years after the events of 'The Miniaturist'.