THE MINIATURIST’S ASSISTANT
When an art conservationist in historic Charleston unearths a familiar face in a 200 year-old miniature portrait and realizes she’s lived more than one life, she must fight to stay true to herself as she races to reconcile her complicated past, solve an art mystery, and save the people she loves across two different lifetimes. A romantic and brainy timeslip novel sure to appeal to fans of Diana Gabaldon and Deborah Harkness, The Miniaturist’s Assistant explores the mystery of time, how our choices ripple throughout history, and what it means to be a fully realized woman—in any century.
When an art conservationist in historic Charleston unearths a familiar face in a 200 year-old miniature portrait and realizes she’s lived more than one life, she must fight to stay true to herself as she races to reconcile her complicated past, solve an art mystery, and save the people she loves across two different lifetimes. A romantic and brainy timeslip novel sure to appeal to fans of Diana Gabaldon and Deborah Harkness, The Miniaturist’s Assistant explores the mystery of time, how our choices ripple throughout history, and what it means to be a fully realized woman—in any century.
- Regal House Publishing
- Paperback
- May 2025
- 9781646035922
Buy the Book
$21.95
About Katherine Scott Crawford
Katherine Scott Crawford is the award-winning author of The Miniaturist’s Assistant and Keowee Valley. A former backpacking guide, newspaper columnist, and recovering academic, she’d rather be in the woods with her dog than anywhere else. An eleventh-generation Southerner, she lives with her family in the North Carolina mountains.
Praise
“From the moment museum conservator Gamble Vance recognizes a familiar face in a 200-year-old miniature portrait, I was swept away in this immersive time-slip story. Crawford deftly weaves this art historical mystery with intertwined love stories spanning generations. Readers will turn the pages to see where Gamble’s complicated choices ultimately lead her.” —Laura Morelli, author of The Last Masterpiece
“To read The Miniaturist’s Assistant is to be wooed by the intelligent and humorous voice of Gamble Vance. Gamble takes you on a journey through Charleston, South Carolina, passing in and out of the 21st and 19th centuries to reckon with a ghost, or is it a ghost? Crawford illustrates the worlds of time and place with a pen so clearly shaped like a paintbrush you will feel you have crawled inside the book, or is it an 1804 miniature?” —Amy Wallen, author of How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies: Sweet & Savory Secrets of the Writing Life
Discussion Questions
1. Would you travel into the dangerous past in order to potentially save a life?
2. Does Gamble make the right decision in leaving 1804 (and Daniel) and returning to 2004 (and Tolliver)? Why or why not?
3. What did you think about Gamble’s job as an art conservator? Do you feel you know more about art conservation and restoration as a result of this novel?
4. How do miniature portraits relate to the themes of the novel? What role do they play in the propulsion of the plot?
5. What are some of the many complicated choices Gamble has to make in the novel? How do you feel about her choices?