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jesslolsen's review against another edition
4.0
Like The Miniaturist, I loooove this cover art. It makes me want to buy a copy just to have something so pretty sitting on my shelf.
As I was reading I kept trying to pick what the plot twist was going to be: Quick was Olive; Quick was Teresa; Quick was neither of them; Lawrie was Olive and Issacs son but brought up by Sarah... I like novels that keep me guessing and aren’t completely obvious.
You didn’t really see much of Majorie Quicks personality in the current story, other than her strong reaction to the painting and then her demise, so it made more sense once the pieces all came together and I better understood why she was portrayed as so closed off.
I love the idea that something as innocuous as a painting can affect so many peoples lives, directly (Olive, Teresa, Sarah, Issac) and indirectly (Lawrie, Odelle) and for so many years after it was created
Jessie Burton’s writing was still as wonderful as in The Miniaturist, I thought he contrast of the two time periods was done really well, and Odelles voice was a great narrator.
My life was a beanstalk and I was Jack, and the foliage was shooting up and up, abundant, impressive, at such speed that I could barely cling on.
As I was reading I kept trying to pick what the plot twist was going to be: Quick was Olive; Quick was Teresa; Quick was neither of them; Lawrie was Olive and Issacs son but brought up by Sarah... I like novels that keep me guessing and aren’t completely obvious.
You didn’t really see much of Majorie Quicks personality in the current story, other than her strong reaction to the painting and then her demise, so it made more sense once the pieces all came together and I better understood why she was portrayed as so closed off.
I love the idea that something as innocuous as a painting can affect so many peoples lives, directly (Olive, Teresa, Sarah, Issac) and indirectly (Lawrie, Odelle) and for so many years after it was created
Jessie Burton’s writing was still as wonderful as in The Miniaturist, I thought he contrast of the two time periods was done really well, and Odelles voice was a great narrator.
My life was a beanstalk and I was Jack, and the foliage was shooting up and up, abundant, impressive, at such speed that I could barely cling on.
abookishpenguin's review against another edition
3.0
1930s, Spain: Olive and her parents are living on an estate in Spain. Politics divide the country. Charismatic Isaac is waiting for a revolution, and has captured the heart of Olive, whose talent as a artist is slowly unfurling.
1960s, London: Odelle is working in the Skelton Gallery as a typist for Marjorie Quick. When her boyfriend wishes to sell a painting left to him by his mother, she persuades him to take it to the Skelton.
A web of lies, deceit and betrayal follows, with the painting at the centre.
I enjoyed the second half of this book. The mystery surrounding the painting was interesting and engaging, although I did find the twists very predictable. There was a story in there, which I think could have been great.
Unfortunately, everything surrounding this plot point just didn't do it for me.
I had no love for the characters. I did not really believe Olive's attraction to Isaac - as a character he really had no distinguishing features and it felt more like their relationship was one of convenience. I thought Marjorie Quick could have been an interesting character, but she felt very flat in this. I wish she had been more of a focus.
This story is told across two timelines. I did not enjoy the 1930s sections in Spain. I found they dragged a bit, and didn't add a huge amount to the overall story. The context they did give was important, but I think it could have been much shorter and more direct. In contrast, the sections in London in the 1960s were more interesting.
This probably isn't one I would recommend. I normally quite enjoy dual timelines and interconnecting stories. Unfortunately here, I found the generally characters flat, the twists predictable and the relationships not overly believable. The art mystery was good, but it was wrapped up in too much other stuff.
1960s, London: Odelle is working in the Skelton Gallery as a typist for Marjorie Quick. When her boyfriend wishes to sell a painting left to him by his mother, she persuades him to take it to the Skelton.
A web of lies, deceit and betrayal follows, with the painting at the centre.
I enjoyed the second half of this book. The mystery surrounding the painting was interesting and engaging, although I did find the twists very predictable. There was a story in there, which I think could have been great.
Unfortunately, everything surrounding this plot point just didn't do it for me.
I had no love for the characters. I did not really believe Olive's attraction to Isaac - as a character he really had no distinguishing features and it felt more like their relationship was one of convenience. I thought Marjorie Quick could have been an interesting character, but she felt very flat in this. I wish she had been more of a focus.
This story is told across two timelines. I did not enjoy the 1930s sections in Spain. I found they dragged a bit, and didn't add a huge amount to the overall story. The context they did give was important, but I think it could have been much shorter and more direct. In contrast, the sections in London in the 1960s were more interesting.
This probably isn't one I would recommend. I normally quite enjoy dual timelines and interconnecting stories. Unfortunately here, I found the generally characters flat, the twists predictable and the relationships not overly believable. The art mystery was good, but it was wrapped up in too much other stuff.
sophialaustin's review against another edition
Took a break because I couldn’t get into the second story and realized I didn’t want to pick it up again.
curlykira's review against another edition
4.0
This book is beautifully well-written. I think Burton has done an incredible job at upholding a pair of storylines. It cannot be easy to tesselate between two different sociopolitical eras with their own individual, well thought out and thoroughly explored characters whilst also maintaining the same strong themes of love, loss, hope, ambition, creativity, talent and meaning. Something I automatically tried to do when I realised that the story is set over two different time periods was to try and find a connection between Olive and Odelle, the two female protagonists, and I did find some parallels in how they both have a talent they do not know how to express because they are women and foreigners in a different land. When I realised that I had got it wrong and that in fact I should have been looking to Teresa for similarities, I was pleasantly surprised to be duped in the same way that Odelle had been on the wrong track too. Teresa and Odelle share so much more- they are both truly immigrants from a foreign land making a name for themselves and trying to be accepted. They both have a more sceptic, cautious approach to love. And they both, although completely guarded, have been drawn inextricably into the lives of those around them. Quick saw this from the very start and that is what drew her to Odelle. This book is so well packaged up that you leave feeling completely contented with the answers you are given. No area of the story was wish-washy or throwaway. The more I think about this book the more I wish I could give it a 4.5, but I reserve 5 stars for books that leave an imprint on me and I could read again and again. Despite how well-written this book is, I feel I have gained everything I needed (and that was by no means a small amount) and it is not a book I feel the need to keep in my collection regardless of how much I enjoyed it
joyceontheroad's review against another edition
4.0
Highly enjoyed this book. Enjoyed the two timelines, and the suspense. The foreshadowing leaves one puzzles. Although the plot is exceptionally perfect, I did like how the book is like a puzzle.
emmeke's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
agreco92's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chrisl1224's review against another edition
5.0
Just wow. A haunting treatise about the weight of authorship and insecurity of the artist, intertwined with the driving force behind creativity. Echoed through it all is a warning about privilege, be it of race, gender, or wealth.
A beautiful, if slightly stress inducing, read. This is my first time reading Burton, pushed by my desperate search for another “The Last Painting of Sara De Vos” (this was close but not quite there).
One note: The audiobook is just dreadful. The first voice is lovely, but the second is horrendous, so you don’t find out until an hour in.
A beautiful, if slightly stress inducing, read. This is my first time reading Burton, pushed by my desperate search for another “The Last Painting of Sara De Vos” (this was close but not quite there).
One note: The audiobook is just dreadful. The first voice is lovely, but the second is horrendous, so you don’t find out until an hour in.
sheilaghs_wheels's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
I was so happy when I received an e-galley from the lovely publisher, and even happier once I started reading. "The Muse" is captivating, multilayered, well researched, mystifying and satisfying.
The choice of the two time periods for the narratives is daring and engaging. Odelle is a recent immigrant to England from Trinidad. It's the 1960s, and despite her degree from the University of the West Indies, she's selling shoes. When she is given a trial as a typist at the Skelton Institute, a small art museum near Piccadilly, she is sure her luck has changed.
In 1936, Olive and her family leave London to spend a holiday in a rented Villa in Spain. Her Viennese father is an art dealer and her beautiful mother spends much of her time drunk. Olive has an acceptance letter from the Slade School of Art, but she is afraid to tell her parents---her father says that art by women doesn't sell. Spain unleashes something in her and she begins doing some extraordinary painting, which she hides from everyone but the young Spanish girl who joins them in the household as a maid.
Jessie Burton carefully folds these stories together, tales of two young women new environments who find their gifts--writing and art--magnified by new influences. How these two stories will ultimately connect offers up enough of a mystery to keep you going to the end, but it's the characters of the young women that keep you glued to the page.
I wanted more of Odelle and her journey; Olive's tale was disconcerting and made me uncomfortable, not as convincing. But I loved Burton's boldness in her choice of narrators and her research into the time periods she's chosen. She's a good writer who does her background work and has the innate ability to make history immediate. Readers of "The Miniaturist" will love "The Muse."
The choice of the two time periods for the narratives is daring and engaging. Odelle is a recent immigrant to England from Trinidad. It's the 1960s, and despite her degree from the University of the West Indies, she's selling shoes. When she is given a trial as a typist at the Skelton Institute, a small art museum near Piccadilly, she is sure her luck has changed.
In 1936, Olive and her family leave London to spend a holiday in a rented Villa in Spain. Her Viennese father is an art dealer and her beautiful mother spends much of her time drunk. Olive has an acceptance letter from the Slade School of Art, but she is afraid to tell her parents---her father says that art by women doesn't sell. Spain unleashes something in her and she begins doing some extraordinary painting, which she hides from everyone but the young Spanish girl who joins them in the household as a maid.
Jessie Burton carefully folds these stories together, tales of two young women new environments who find their gifts--writing and art--magnified by new influences. How these two stories will ultimately connect offers up enough of a mystery to keep you going to the end, but it's the characters of the young women that keep you glued to the page.
I wanted more of Odelle and her journey; Olive's tale was disconcerting and made me uncomfortable, not as convincing. But I loved Burton's boldness in her choice of narrators and her research into the time periods she's chosen. She's a good writer who does her background work and has the innate ability to make history immediate. Readers of "The Miniaturist" will love "The Muse."