From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman in 1930s Spain—and the powerful mystery that ties them together.
England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton … prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery. Drawn into a complex web of secrets and deceptions, Odelle does not know what to believe or who she can trust, including her mesmerizing colleague, Marjorie Quick.
Spain, 1936. Olive Schloss, the daughter of a Viennese Jewish art dealer and an English heiress, follows her parents to Arazuelo, a poor, restless village on the southern coast. She grows close to Teresa, a young housekeeper, and Teresa’s half-brother, Isaac Robles, an idealistic and ambitious painter newly returned from the Barcelona salons. A dilettante buoyed by the revolutionary fervor that will soon erupt into civil war, Isaac dreams of being a painter as famous as his countryman Picasso.
Raised in poverty, these illegitimate children of the local landowner revel in exploiting the wealthy Anglo-Austrians. Insinuating themselves into the Schloss family’s lives, Teresa and Isaac help Olive conceal her artistic talents with devastating consequences that will echo into the decades to come.
Rendered in exquisite detail, The Muse is a passionate and enthralling tale of desire, ambition, and the ways in which the tides of history inevitably shape and define our lives.
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I really loved the characters in this book, and their various time periods. Intelligently written mystery with art.
I’m a tough critic. So it’s saying something that I liked this book. The writing is good, a definite plus. The characters were good without being overdrawn. They are quirky, interesting people, one of the two main characters trying to subvert the bias against female painters. It took me a few chapters to get to the “I have to know what’s going to happen” stage, but I would definitely recommend this book for the story, the characters, and what it has to say. I just wish writers of literary novels would NOT spend the last ten pages tying up all the loose ends. Tie things up with elegant brevity
Good story about Spain in the 1930s, the art world and pre World War 2 events. Goes back and forth from then to 1960s London and an art gallery and its employees. Well written.
Quite simply? The best book I have read in YEARS (and I read three books a week)
Exceptional. Plot and characters well developed all the way through to the end.
I don’t often like dual narratives but after a while I really got into it. Highly recommend it.
Interesting characters. Rather forgettable though. Not a book that I found very unique or memorable.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Art related with a good twist.
The lead up to the horror of Franco Spain is told side by side with a young woman’s story in London in the 60s. Both eras are vividly and authentically portrayed, and the surprises are worth waiting for.
Original plot links the era of the Spanish Civil War to modern day. Characters well drawn. Very good writing.
Very personal view of Spain when the war came.
Great book! Quite a mystery, which keeps you turning the pages.
This the second book by this author that I have read. Great story teller. Unpredictable plot and ending. I couldn’t put it down.
Intriguing and compelling story that immersed you in two world: pre-WWII Spain and swinging 1967 London. Perfectly woven.
Lots of twists and turns. Need to follow closely to keep tract of characters