The Whispering Muse: The most spellbinding gothic novel of the year, packed with passion and suspense

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The Whispering Muse: The most spellbinding gothic novel of the year, packed with passion and suspense

The Whispering Muse: The most spellbinding gothic novel of the year, packed with passion and suspense

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The muse whispers into the ear of Caeneus, once an argonaut questing for the golden fleece, now second mate on a 1940s Danish merchant vessel schlepping paper pulp to Turkey. Each evening at dinnertime he tells tales of his 3,000-year-old experiences, prompted by the voice inside a rotten fragment of the Argo's hull, which he holds to his ear like a telephone receiver. Long-term fans of Sjón, the Icelandic bard whose projects have included lyrics for Björk, volumes of surrealist poetry and several prizewinning novels, will recognise this trademark interweaving of myth and postmodern playfulness. Ritchie, Gayle (7 November 2021). "Seances, shadows and secrets: Laura Purcell's latest gothic thriller oozes menace". The Courier . Retrieved 11 May 2023. Deliciously creepy and vividly told, this gorgeous Gothic tale is already one of my favourite books of the year. -- JJA Harwood, author of THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS Atmospheric, gripping, absorbing - The Whispering Muse is another Gothic triumph from Laura Purcell. It's deliciously creepy, riveting and full of heart with compelling characters and brilliant twists. The theatrical setting and use of the tragedies on stage that are woven expertly into the unfolding story is glitteringly dark and mesmerising -- Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of ARIADNE and ELEKTRA

Deliciously creepy, riveting and full of heart with compelling characters and brilliant twists. The theatrical setting and use of the tragedies on stage that are woven expertly into the unfolding story is glitteringly dark and mesmerising’Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra The Curse of the Marquis de Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History, by Joel Warner (Crown)* The book is constructed around a series of plays, each one forming an "Act" of the novel. I'm sure there's some very in depth analysis that could be done around the choice of plays and how they drive the plot of the story, but for me they just felt like they fit it really well. The different tragedies staged in the Mercury showed us different aspects of our stars as things grew progressively more perilous and frightening.LAURA: I was a bit of a wimp as I child and remember hiding behind the sofa for many scenes in the Ghostbusters films! But I got into R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps series and Point Horror as I neared my teens, progressing on Gothic literary classics like The Phantom of the Opera and Wuthering Heights. Really creepy gothic horror finds its perfect setting in a Victorian theatre, full of superstition, ambition and dramatic exits! It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. Though this is my first novel by Purcell, I can clearly see why she is highly praised as the master of haunting tales. This was an absolutely delicious read.

She has been hired by the jealous Mrs Dyer to become the dresser to the theatre's lead actress, Lilith Erikson, but she has another below the radar task, that of spying on the beautiful and troubled actress in a theatre rife with superstitions and rumours of a curse. Her performances are remarkable, stunning in her powers to enter and possess the roles she plays, it is said that Lilith has made a pact with the tragic muse of Greek mythology, Melpomene, who seems to live in the watch that goes everywhere with her, to help her attain the heights of fame, of becoming the greatest stage actress. Jenny's relationship with the tragic and complicated Lilith, a mesmerising character who wants to makes her mark on the world, seeking love, she has truly suffered, her life unravelling, develops into a kind of friendship. It becomes clear little is as it appears, with strange, sinister and menacing events taking place. Crooked: The Roaring ’20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal, by Nathan Masters (Hachette)* Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift InspirationNobody Would Listen: The Collected Mystery Stories of Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (Stark House Press) As I began to research and consider the phrase ‘silent companions’, the themes of repression and censorship began to surface.

Kyriazis, Stefan (1 August 2014). "The dirty lives of Georgian women". Express.co.uk . Retrieved 11 May 2023. I'll be reviewing it soon, but the Companion also describes the set design, history of the show and the creation of the music, making it a perfect yet unintended and equally gothic companion to The Whispering Muse.

Reviews

Divided in five parts, like the five acts of the plays of yore, the book makes use of five plays - Macbeth, The Duchess of Malfi, Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, and Faust. Each of them cranks up the level of the tension in the story and the lives of the characters become more and more entangled with problems of both natural and supernatural origin. This is one of Purcell's novels where the supernatural is more present in the hints than it makes an actual appearance, but it is menacing all the same. I like how Purcell's books feature strong, complex and complicated female characters at a time when it was a man's world even more than it is today and how they fully manage to engage and capture the reader's imagination. She is also adept at world building, and the world of theatre comes alive in The Whispering Muse. Mauro, John (14 December 2022). "REVIEW: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell". Grimdark Magazine . Retrieved 12 September 2023. The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-Up in Oakland, by Ali Winston and Darwin Bondgraham (Atria)* As the curtains open on this disturbing Purcell play, your sense should be twitching as every single one is going to be Okay, let's start with the main character, Jenny. She is just such a delight. It may feel at first like a familiar story, a Victorian orphan having to work in service to look after her younger siblings, including a handicapped brother, Jenny has lost her position and fallen on hard times after her older brother ran off with anything of value he could get his hands on. She does what she needs to do to look after her family, with such a fiercely protective instinct. But what I love most about Jenny is her attitude. She takes absolutely no shit off anybody and it is such a joy to watch. She's sarcastic, cutting, mean even, but somehow never comes across as an unpleasant or unsympathetic character. She's just someone who stands up for herself and tells people what she thinks, and for someone in her position in society, with so much at risk, that comes across as incredibly brave and bold. It also doesn't feel anachronistic, and that may be due in part to the theatre setting, typically outside of societal norms, and also because she's very clever about it. She knows when to toe the line, and is often careful about what she says to Mrs Drury in particular, when she holds power over her, but also knows when she can get away with flashing her attitude.



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