--- product_id: 49360836 title: "The Muse: The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick" price: "332 kr" currency: DKK in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.dk/products/49360836-the-muse-the-sunday-times-bestseller-and-richard-and-judy store_origin: DK region: Denmark --- # The Muse: The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick **Price:** 332 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Muse: The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick - **How much does it cost?** 332 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.dk](https://www.desertcart.dk/products/49360836-the-muse-the-sunday-times-bestseller-and-richard-and-judy) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy The Muse: The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick Main Market by Burton, Jessie (ISBN: 9781447250944) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Review: Superb - I was given The Miniaturist as a Christmas present and had put off reading it as one of my sisters-in-law hated it and found it dull and slow-moving. However, the sister-in-law who bought it for me loved it so a couple of Sundays ago I decided to give it a go. Wow!! I didn't move and read the book in one sitting. The writing is superb and I was gripped - so much so that as soon as I finished it I bought The Muse. Again, wow! Although very different in subject matter Jessie Burton's ability to create interesting, multi-layered characters and make you empathise with them despite their flaws is incredible. Both books also seamlessly blend historical accuracy with great story-telling and left me wanting to read more about the periods covered. My only negative is that we are going to have to wait a while for her next book! Review: fantastic read with well-plotted twists - The Muse is a fantastic read with well-plotted twists. Odelle Bastien comes to London from Trinidad looking for better life, more chances for success. She's hired by mysterious Majorie Quick to work as a typist in Skelton Institue. Odelle is a writer, and one of her poems is a starting point of her relationship with Lawrie Scott. Lawrie is an owner of a painting that as it turns out was painted by a very promising Spanish author that we don't know much about. Lawrie brings the painting to the Skelton for examination - an event that shakes Quick and excites gallery's owner. All this is happening in 1960s London. In parallel to how we follow Odelle's steps to finding out what is Quick's connection to the painting, we are taken back to 1930s Spain when the painting depicting Saint Rufina was created. It was painted in an uncertain time in Europe but in a somewhat happy time for the artist. Olive Schloss moved to small rural town Arazuelo with her parents, and there she meets Isaac and Teresa Robles. Isaac is a socialist that is passionate about helping workers; Teresa is his half-sister who is hired as a help in Schloss's house. Robles change Schloss lives in many ways, leaving us wondering how the painting ended up in London thirty years later. The story picks up only after some time, and I had troubles at the beginning to engross myself in the story. But when it finally come to a point where I could clearly see how the two stories are connected I was hooked. I wanted to know how the author will fool us into thinking one thing, and later showing us that the clues were directing us in an entirely different direction. It was predictable how the story will go, but it was still enjoyable. Odelle is a great character, she's very smart and has a wit that is elevating the story. She was not overly emotional, even though she could go that way very easily. Luckily Burton kept her away from being a whiny character that will be insufferable to read about. Majorie Quick is a mysterious character and the one that will annoy you the most. Not because she's created badly, but because she is written well and she's just an annoying character that keeps too many secrets and doesn't want to share them. The character I had a problem with is Lawrie. He inherited the painting from his late mother, and he claims that he has no idea how he's mother got that painting. We later learn more about his family, especially his mother. And when I knew all the details I could not think of any reason, and no sufficient reason was provided in the book, for Lawrie to keep some facts to himself. I cannot understand why he reacts or didn't react to some fact he learns during the meetings with the gallery owner who was presenting data he managed to gather on Lawrie's painting. He baffled me, and he's actions didn't always make sense to me. The Spanish part of the story had more irritating characters - Olivia and Sarah, daughter and mother. Oh my... A very unhealthy relationship between those two. The whole family of Schloss has lots of secrets, and the keeper of them all is Teresa. Because of all the secrets, she has a lot of power that she is using in a way that changes the lives of the family. At heart, the Spanish part of the book is a sad tale, with a lot of pain suffered by the family, Teresa and Spanish people. The final chapter is deeply satisfying. It was a perfect end to the story; I got exactly what I was hoping for, nothing more, nothing less. It is a book worth reading; historical fiction fans will love it. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 442,422 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1,278 in Women's Literary Fiction (Books) 5,420 in Literary Fiction (Books) 5,886 in Historical Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 17,355 Reviews | ## Images ![The Muse: The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91EkS8HQCTL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Superb *by S***S on 23 February 2017* I was given The Miniaturist as a Christmas present and had put off reading it as one of my sisters-in-law hated it and found it dull and slow-moving. However, the sister-in-law who bought it for me loved it so a couple of Sundays ago I decided to give it a go. Wow!! I didn't move and read the book in one sitting. The writing is superb and I was gripped - so much so that as soon as I finished it I bought The Muse. Again, wow! Although very different in subject matter Jessie Burton's ability to create interesting, multi-layered characters and make you empathise with them despite their flaws is incredible. Both books also seamlessly blend historical accuracy with great story-telling and left me wanting to read more about the periods covered. My only negative is that we are going to have to wait a while for her next book! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ fantastic read with well-plotted twists *by O***A on 19 February 2019* The Muse is a fantastic read with well-plotted twists. Odelle Bastien comes to London from Trinidad looking for better life, more chances for success. She's hired by mysterious Majorie Quick to work as a typist in Skelton Institue. Odelle is a writer, and one of her poems is a starting point of her relationship with Lawrie Scott. Lawrie is an owner of a painting that as it turns out was painted by a very promising Spanish author that we don't know much about. Lawrie brings the painting to the Skelton for examination - an event that shakes Quick and excites gallery's owner. All this is happening in 1960s London. In parallel to how we follow Odelle's steps to finding out what is Quick's connection to the painting, we are taken back to 1930s Spain when the painting depicting Saint Rufina was created. It was painted in an uncertain time in Europe but in a somewhat happy time for the artist. Olive Schloss moved to small rural town Arazuelo with her parents, and there she meets Isaac and Teresa Robles. Isaac is a socialist that is passionate about helping workers; Teresa is his half-sister who is hired as a help in Schloss's house. Robles change Schloss lives in many ways, leaving us wondering how the painting ended up in London thirty years later. The story picks up only after some time, and I had troubles at the beginning to engross myself in the story. But when it finally come to a point where I could clearly see how the two stories are connected I was hooked. I wanted to know how the author will fool us into thinking one thing, and later showing us that the clues were directing us in an entirely different direction. It was predictable how the story will go, but it was still enjoyable. Odelle is a great character, she's very smart and has a wit that is elevating the story. She was not overly emotional, even though she could go that way very easily. Luckily Burton kept her away from being a whiny character that will be insufferable to read about. Majorie Quick is a mysterious character and the one that will annoy you the most. Not because she's created badly, but because she is written well and she's just an annoying character that keeps too many secrets and doesn't want to share them. The character I had a problem with is Lawrie. He inherited the painting from his late mother, and he claims that he has no idea how he's mother got that painting. We later learn more about his family, especially his mother. And when I knew all the details I could not think of any reason, and no sufficient reason was provided in the book, for Lawrie to keep some facts to himself. I cannot understand why he reacts or didn't react to some fact he learns during the meetings with the gallery owner who was presenting data he managed to gather on Lawrie's painting. He baffled me, and he's actions didn't always make sense to me. The Spanish part of the story had more irritating characters - Olivia and Sarah, daughter and mother. Oh my... A very unhealthy relationship between those two. The whole family of Schloss has lots of secrets, and the keeper of them all is Teresa. Because of all the secrets, she has a lot of power that she is using in a way that changes the lives of the family. At heart, the Spanish part of the book is a sad tale, with a lot of pain suffered by the family, Teresa and Spanish people. The final chapter is deeply satisfying. It was a perfect end to the story; I got exactly what I was hoping for, nothing more, nothing less. It is a book worth reading; historical fiction fans will love it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A mystery straddling several generations. *by B***G on 11 June 2020* This story entwines two families, hundreds of miles and more than a century apart, linked by a mysterious work of art. On the verge of the Spanish Civil War, with Hitler rising and War in Europe on the horizon, Olive Schloss, the daughter of an art dealer, newly arrived with her family to live in a neglected but delightful manor in Spain, finds herself involved with a mediocre artist, but he is a political agitator, and while she sympathises with his cause, his sister (her friend) worries for his safety. Many decades later, Odelle Bastien, the well-educated daughter of a Caribbean immigrant who had arrived in London on the SS Windrush in 1948, is surprised to find a still racist society daunting her career hopes. Determined to overcome obstacles, she lands an exciting secretarial job with a firm of Art Dealers. She is directly responsible to the somewhat eccentric Marjorie Quick, who appears to have a mysterious secret. When an enigmatic picture produces a volatile reaction in her boss, and causes ripples that threaten to affect the Company, Odelle determines to investigate, and unveils a set of extraordinary coincidences that link the two families in an amazing way. A well written and gripping read. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.dk/products/49360836-the-muse-the-sunday-times-bestseller-and-richard-and-judy](https://www.desertcart.dk/products/49360836-the-muse-the-sunday-times-bestseller-and-richard-and-judy) --- *Product available on Desertcart Denmark* *Store origin: DK* *Last updated: 2026-04-29*