The year before, I had traveled to Greece to be at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games, in Athens, where Björk sang the song that she and I had written for the occasion. The lyrics had been inspired by the Greek myths, with their cycles of metamorphosis and their complicated interactions between man and the superior powers that surround him, and so I made a point during my stay to visit the ruins of the great Temple of Poseidon, at Sounion. There, I discovered that Poseidon had never left the dilapidated temple, that in fact he still lay, in his magnificent blueness, at the bottom of the cliffs that supported this structure that men had so long ago built in his honor. With the memory of that year’s Indonesian tsunami fresh in my mind, I knew that, although he was calm and beautiful on the day of my visit to his temple, Poseidon remained an uncontrollable, unpredictable force. He and his fellow gods from Mount Olympus had not forsaken us, even if we had forsaken them. 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.

The Whispering Muse - Laura Purcell - Bok (9781526627186) | Bokus The Whispering Muse - Laura Purcell - Bok (9781526627186) | Bokus

Fabulous characters, twists and turns aplenty. Deliciously dark and very satisfying' REBECCA NETLEY It's official: I'm now on a Laura Purcell binge. I fear I may even be coming a fan of Victorian gothic!In desperate need of employment, Jenny takes up a job as a dresser at the Mercury Theatre. However, the post comes with strings attached, in that she must spy on the lead actress, Lilith. The latter is a true artiste, with a demanding nature, and a secret that threatens Jenny's employer. As events unfold, this becomes a story of superstition and revenge, with a range of startling deaths to match. 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 I did not really warm to the characters - some of them are supposed to be vile - but even Jenny the protagonist felt a little one-dimensional and I couldn't really get on board with how she was used as a pawn throughout the novel.

The Whispering Muse | Laura Purcell | 9781526627186 | NetGalley The Whispering Muse | Laura Purcell | 9781526627186 | NetGalley

That is how an alliance was made between the ancient hero Caeneus and the Icelandic seaman Hrafn Valdimarsson, how their voices, their fates, were joined to fight the intolerable drone of my great-grandfather. But even great men like those two need an amazing tool to help them to tell their tale: a talkative, rotten chip of wood that came from the great ship Argo itself. At the end of “The Whispering Muse,” the old man does indeed learn a lesson, but the cost to his rival storyteller is dear. Deep down, I was every bit as sentimental and self-deceiving as Mrs Dyer herself. For I wanted her to be the kind benefactor from a story-book, my fairy godmother. I wanted my happy ending.” Set in Victorian England we are introduced to the world of theatre and all the superstitions it holds. After her elder brother abandons them our protagonist Jenny is struggling to provide for her younger siblings. She is desperate and wants to create a better life for them all so when Mrs Dyer makes her a generous offer, Jenny finds it hard to say no. In The Whispering Muse, Laura Purcell has crafted a totally immersive take on the Faustus myth - dark and disturbing, but with so much heart. Her best yet.Jenny is struggling to get to get by and keep her family together after being disgraced from her last job and her older brother abandoning her to look after the rest of the family on her own. Her brother Greg stole the money meant for her brother’s operation and a woman’s ring and then fled to America. A gothic tale set in the Victorian theatre. Full of chills, blood and sprinkled with horror. Another take on Faust, a pact with devil and everything it entails. This is a real gothic tale that kept me reading late into the night. As I watched her, washed in that red light, I almost believed that Melpomene was on her way. Every beat of the drum was a footstep.

The Whispering Muse by Sjón – review | Sjón | The Guardian

Once again, this is an excellent story from Sjón, mixing myth, distorted myth and reality, with some political views thrown in, to give us an excellent tale, beautifully told. Some critics feel that it is not as good as his other novels translated into English but I disagree, as I think this one works very well, whether you know the Jason and the Argonauts story or not. Haraldsson is deliberately not an endearing character but even he changes as a result of his voyage. We get Sjón’s usual myths, in this case two known myths but somewhat retold, we get his surrealistic touch at the end of the book and we get the characters round the captain’s table, who enable us to see Haraldsson in a somewhat different light, quite a lot for a short book. Publishing history This was a fun, gothic read set in a Victorian theatre. I loved all the atmosphere and references to classic tragedies during this novel and the scene setting was vivid and colourful. 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.Really creepy gothic horror finds its perfect setting in a Victorian theatre, full of superstition, ambition and dramatic exits! 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. A tremor shook Lilith’s frame. Her eyes flew open, fixed and staring at the gallery. The audience looked over their shoulders. Did she see something we couldn’t?”