"Love, war, desire, and art--it's all here." --Elle
A picture hides a thousand words . . .
On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the
Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change
forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she
arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a
typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick.
But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a
potential she didn't know she had, she remains a mystery - no more so
than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the
gallery.
The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural
Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is
harboring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist
and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who
immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive
and devastating consequences . . .
Seductive, exhilarating and suspenseful, The Muse is an unforgettable
novel about aspiration and identity, love and obsession, authenticity
and deception - a masterpiece from Jessie Burton, the million-copy
bestselling author of The Miniaturist.
