Play Audiobook Sample
The Muse: A Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
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 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.
Download and start listening now!
“Narrator Bahni Turpin makes Odelle’s island accent melodic and completely credible…[and] Maria Elena Infantino has a lovely voice…Turpin hits every note perfectly.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
-
“Love, war, desire, and art—it’s all here.”
— Elle -
“A simmering historical love story.”
— Glamour (UK) -
“A tale with a refreshingly feminist slant, interested in the slipperiness of meaning.”
— Daily Mail (London) -
“[A] rich palette of ideas and emotions…The novel excellently explores the writing process itself.”
— Independent (London) -
“A most original story about creative freedom, finding one’s voice, and the quest for artistic redemption.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Historical fiction lovers…will appreciate the intriguing characters, skillful writing, and evocative atmosphere of two very different eras.”
— Library Journal -
“A smart blend of literary and commercial fiction with intriguing characters and a compelling mystery at its center.”
— Booklist
Awards
-
An Elle Magazine Pick of Summer Books That Everyone Will Be Talking About
The Muse Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Jessie Burton
Jessie Burton, novelist, studied at Oxford University and the Central School of Speech and Drama and now lives in southeast London.
About the Narrators
Bahni Turpin, winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several prestigious Audie Awards for her narrations, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. Publishers Weekly magazine named her Narrator of the Year for 2016. She is an ensemble member of the Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. She has guest starred in many television series, including NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, Cold Case, What about Brian, and The Comeback. Film credits include Brokedown Palace, Crossroads, and Daughters of the Dust. She is also a member of the recording cast of The Help, which won numerous awards.
Maria Elena Infantino is an actor, singer, and producer who is best known for her one-woman show, Edith Piaf, as well as the films Stargo, JOB’s Daughter, and Looking for Clarissa. She lives in Los Angeles.