The Muse, by Jessie Burton
It is a hot July day in 1967 London. Odelle Bastien, recently arrived from Trinidad, climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery to begin a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, she remains a mystery – no more so than when a lost Spanish masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.
Cityread Highlights
The Muse author Jessie Burton was at two very special library events. Many got the chance to explore the secrets in their own family trees at our workshops. We had nude models at life drawing classes in libraries across town. We celebrated the impact of Caribbean migration on the capital’s music scene with a very special event with Lloyd Bradley and Jazzie B
We visited Odelle’s London flat in our audio installation, Rufina and the Lion, in Whitechapel Idea Store throughout May.
If you didn’t get to see it, explore below
About Jessie Burton
Jessie Burton is the author of two novels, The Miniaturist (2014), and The Muse (2016), published in 38 languages. Both were Sunday Times no.1 bestsellers, New York Times bestsellers, and Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime. The Miniaturist went on to sell over a million copies in its year of publication, and it was Christmas no.1 in the UK, National Book Awards Book of the Year, and Waterstones Book of the Year 2014. She is working on her third novel for adults.
“I’m truly delighted that The Muse will be London’s Cityread for 2018. It’s a novel that celebrates the diversity, humour and spirit of Londoners – both those who were born here and those welcomed in to make it their home. It’s an honour to support our city’s libraries and to be reminded of their incomparable value, and I can’t wait for new readers to find my story of Odelle and Olive, and make it their own.”
Jessie Burton
Cityread 2018 ran a competition on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. There were 5 signed copies of this year’s book, The Muse by Jessie Burton, available to win. One winner was drawn each week of the competition and announced on the Sunday of that week.
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