The Whispering Muse

Name: The Whispering Muse
Rating: 3.98 (5899 reviews)

by Laura Purcell

First published 2023

Amazon

4.0(5,899)

Former lady's maid Jenny Wilcox takes work in the costume department of London's Mercury Theatre, where she is instructed to watch the company's brilliant new actress, Lilith Erikson. Lilith claims that her success comes from a pact with Melpomene, the tragic Muse, and dismisses the growing accidents around the theatre as the price of artistic greatness. Jenny is sceptical, but the distinction between theatrical superstition and real danger becomes harder to maintain.

Behind the glamour of the Victorian West End, the theatre depends on poorly paid labour, patronage, reputation and the willingness of performers to risk themselves for applause. Jenny's divided loyalties place her between employer and actress as obsession spreads through the company. The novel turns backstage rivalry into gothic suspense while using classical mythology to question ambition, exploitation and the stories artists tell about inspiration.