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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. The novel opens with our protagonist, Callum Haffenden, returning (somewhat reluctantly) to Granite Creek. Despite his hesitation, he is implacably drawn to the latest missing person case in Granite Creek. Despite his dread of his past, of the whispering, he must, once and for all, discover the truth. Having tested it out during our trip to New York earlier this year, I can categorically state that it does work ! Discover the beauty of the Highlands with fantastic views of Loch Lochy and the Great Glen. Ideal for peaceful, romantic weekend breaks in Inverness-shire's scenic countryside or fun activity holidays with friends and family in the Highlands. Located in the "outdoor capital of the UK", the local area offers a superb variety of outdoor activities, such as clay pigeon shooting, fishing, boating, cycling, and canoeing. During the colder months take a gondola ride up to the Nevis Range for a spot of skiing or snowboarding and more brilliant views. People always said there was a fine line between genius and madness. Lilith had been walking it like a tightrope for too long. Perhaps I'd pushed her off the edge.”
There's just too many holes in this book! Why wouldn't Emma had told Frank she was pregnant? Why is this book written like it's from the 40's and these two can't be together? It was the 80's! Why wouldn't the police have found Emma's family after she was murdered? The police couldn't find them?? They were just so impossible to find when they weren't even hiding. Frank loved Emma so much he'd kill himself over her death but didn't go after her when she left and try to find her? Also these two were like 26 when this happened. Writing style would have you believe they were teenagers but they were almost 30! How would they link the baby to Emma? Dna wasn't really a thing in the 80's. One of the things that annoys me about the author’s books that probably is the thing that people love is that there is always 2 things happening. It annoys me that Keira doesn’t even know who she is but she’s out there trying to solve a 40 year old murder. Oh but wait now we have to tag along with her and the mystery cat. This is my first book by Purcell, but it’s safe to say it wont be my last. I’ve never quite felt as transported when reading historical gothic novels as I did with The Whispering Muse. Her atmospheric writing style wholly brings the theatre and the characters who inhabit it to life. Her use of the different parts of the book, each part focusing on a different play, was exceptionally done. Each part, and with it, each play seems to perfectly capture the atmosphere and feelings not only of the story but of the characters themselves, and the use of foreshadowing was just *chefs kiss.* I also enjoyed the mythological element. It was spooky without being outright fantasy, but had enough of the element to keep me on my toes, wondering whether the muse, Melpomene, was actually causing Liliths bizarre behaviours, or whether it was her obsession with needing to become a star so bright no one could ever forget her. The way it was written took some of the pleasure out of this read for me. There was a lot of telling, telling me each and every little detail sometimes. I nearly quit it a few times. I kept going anyway, I found enough to have hope that the story would develop beyond that level. The telling got better towards the end enough that I'll give book two a try. There where holes in the story, big ones, perhaps they'll be filled later in the series. First books in a series are always tough. There's many more, but here is one final example, "She was certain the graveyard would be full if she used her second sight. She touched the muscle and felt it ache. It was still sore from the previous night, so she didn't pull on it." I thought the so called muscle was deep inside her head? How exactly is she touching it?When Jenny is offered the job of dressing the heroine of Mercury theatre by Mrs Dyer, the wife of the owner, she has every reason to be grateful. Jenny's brother Greg had a bad parting with The Mercury and Jenny is struggling to make ends meet and care for her three younger siblings. This opportunity is a god's gift, and so what if Mrs Dyer wants Jenny to spy on the leading lady Lilith? But as the story progresses, Jenny realises that she has bitten more than she can chew and is soon hanging between the two women, in turn liking and hating both these complicated characters. And then there's the muse and her curse which Jenny feels is destroying Lilith as well as The Mercury. But what can a lowly dressmaker do but watch them all burn? It’s hard to talk much about the plot of this without giving too much away. Although I really liked Callum (though his doggedness, despite the pain he was inflicting on himself frustrated me), the strength of this novel is in the twisty plot reveals. Initially it seems pretty straight forward but somehow Lando manages to bury secrets within the most simple things. Things we assume. Things we believe.
How old is Zoe??? She likes to get to work early so she can have a coffee and read the newspaper? Then when Zoe reacts to things she acts like a child getting discouraged because Keira can't have coffee for hours since that's “Ugh, but I won’t be free again until my lunch break, and that’s literally hours away.” when did they become friends?? It's been 1 day!! For unique dining options, stop in at the in-house restaurant, The Lochside Brasserie, which serves Scottish, international and Asian specialities from its vantage point overlooking the loch. Savour some fine Scottish tipples at the bar, a homage to the national poet Robert Burns, or if it’s pampering or a leisurely massage you’re after, stop by the Little Salon and Spa.
I worry about the next book. As I said above, I do want to read it. But I’m really afraid that it’s going to end with more loose ends, no solutions, and then I’m going to be kind of mad I read it. I’m both a masochist and an optimist. I’ll try the next one, but I’ll be expecting and hoping for much more! 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. 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.
The Whispering Muse is everything that Gothic horror should be. It’s haunting, eerie, and compulsive. A cautionary tale that you should never underestimate a woman’s ability to exact revenge. I love that the story is so immersive, which is down to a clever plot but more importantly believable characters that evolve over the course of the novel. None of the characters are sugary sweet, they all have an agenda which is tested in different ways as the cost of loyalty is tested. With a gold seal winner badge on the alluring front cover of The Whispering by Veronica Lando, this 2021 Banjo Prize recipient immediately caught my eye. A quintessential Aussie crime noir, The Whispering is a tale of the past, secrets, homecoming, tragedy and conjecture. It was a thrilling slice of local crime fiction. Some experts say this was intentional, while others argue that it was a mistake in the original sketches that was never corrected. 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.”So instead of it portraying the view we see when looking to the skies, it shows it from “God’s point of view”, as was traditional in Medieval times. Divided in five parts, like the five acts of the plays of yore, the book makes use of five plays - Macbeth, The Duchess of Malfi, Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, and Faust. Each of them cranks up the level of the tension in the story and the lives of the characters become more and more entangled with problems of both natural and supernatural origin. This is one of Purcell's novels where the supernatural is more present in the hints than it makes an actual appearance, but it is menacing all the same. I like how Purcell's books feature strong, complex and complicated female characters at a time when it was a man's world even more than it is today and how they fully manage to engage and capture the reader's imagination. She is also adept at world building, and the world of theatre comes alive in The Whispering Muse. Amendments to bookings made for dates of stay / reduction in the number of people will be subject to availability of rooms and cancellation policy of the Hotel.
Jenny has a hard life, like many families during Victorian London. Jobs are low paying and living conditions are harsh, but she makes do. After her brother leaves them in disgrace, Jenny is made to step up, to become head of the household. Her brother, Bertie needs an operation to correct club foot. They’d almost saved up enough but then her brother took that too. Jenny is invited to The Mercury theatre by its owner’s wife, Mrs Dyer, she fears its to recompense them for all her brother stole. It appears she wants to offer her a position at the theatre of dresser to their leading lady, Lilith. She is paid handsomely, however, there is a catch, of course there is.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.
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