Hmm. Like The Silent Companions by the same author, this gothic potboiler is all style and no substance. The intriguing plot - an actress sells her soul for her art by taking on the cursed pocket watch of her mentor - is let down by weak characters and a preachy, two-faced narrator.

I initially likened whiny Jenny to Kitty Peck, the eponymous heroine of the Victorian music hall series by Kate Griffin - and Jenny is even misnamed Kitty at one point - but the theatre setting is where the similarities end, unfortunately. By the final chapters - and this is a relatively short book - I was praying that Melpomene/Mephistopheles would take out the snotty little dresser too. She is mortally offended by everybody's behaviour while simultaneously profiting from the failings of others, often pitting the bitter wife against the mistress or the cheating husband against his wife. And all for the sake of her family - the brothers and sisters left in her care when both her father and eldest brother abandoned her and her mother died in childbirth - yet she climbs onto her high horse when abortion is mentioned. Methinks somebody's parents could have done with curtailing their offspring, Jenny dear. Of course, she gets a happy (and thoroughly respectable) ending, saving an illegitimate child into the bargain. Honestly, the only characters I liked were doomed Lillith and her dog Eurydice (who thankfully escaped without harm, along with the theatre cats).

The deaths were suitably gothic and gruesome and I did like the murky, smutty atmosphere of the theatre, but I'm still not sure when the action is supposed to take place. Somewhere between 1882 and 1901, yet one character is described as wearing a Dolly Varden dress, popular ten to twenty years earlier. The era doesn't really matter but I was thrown off by the vague 'Victorian' quality of the story and the anachronistic dialogue of the characters.

A solid three star penny dreadful lacking a likeable leading lady and a solid supporting cast. ( )

I admit I became skeptical of this one when I saw the language which the publisher attached to the title--"the most spellbinding gothic novel of the year, packed with passion and suspense"--but I went ahead with it anyway because it was my book club's pick. And...I'm going to have to learn to better trust my instincts, is what it comes down to.

First of all, this is more historical fiction than gothic. Unless you consider an old theater to be the only requirement of a gothic novel, it's a big push to call this gothic. And to be honest, I'm also not sure where the "passion" in that "subtitle" is coming from either. But, descriptors aside, I was engaged enough early in this book, and really through the first half. The characterizations felt heavy-handed even while the characters themselves felt pretty flat, but the shades of creepiness and the story kept me involved enough that I was happy to keep reading.

And then, around the midpoint, as the main character began to feel a bit more real, I at the same time began to lose sympathy for her. Other readers in my book club found her unlikable from the start. I hadn't necessarily liked her, but I also hadn't actively disliked her. She'd been just sympathetic enough, however flat, to keep me involved. That might not have been a serious issue if the plot had kept holding me to the book, but suddenly it felt like those great moments of creepiness we'd gotten in the first half were simply being repeated rather than developed. Add to that some scenes that felt built for shock value, and I'd probably have DNF'd the book if I'd been earlier on or it had been longer.

I did finish, but the ending was such a mess of unraveling threads and questions, I'm almost sorry I did. I'm afraid I can't recommend this book as a result, and I'll very likely avoid the author in the future. ( )

I have to give the author 2.5 stars for super writing, as with her previous books but this one, this fell short for me by going too far. I was expecting another cleverly crafted, intriguing, gothic inspired atmospheric novel. What we have here is at times gruesome, potentially difficult for many women to read, and verging on horror; not what I was expecting from this author.

The plot is clever - theatre and plays and psychological games - but I do wish the author / editor had re-thought whether the gruseomeness was achieving the intended effects.

If, like me, you've enjoyed the author's other books, this review is here just to let you know to expect something different with this one. ( )

The Whispering Muse is set in the Mercury Theatre in Victorian London. Jennifer Wilcox has been taken on as a dresser for the actress Lilith Erikson. Lilith has a mysterious watch, and Lilith won't part with it.

I have read all books by Laura Purcell, enjoyed The Silent Companions and The Corset but didn't enjoy so much Bone China and The Shape of Darkness. This book however I loved.

The story has a supernatural element to it as do her other books so it was expected. However without that the story would have been just as good. I enjoyed the Dickensian feel and the creepy atmosphere. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two women.

Through the book each section is titled after plays such as Macbeth, The Duchess of Malfi, Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra and Faust. I don't have much knowledge at all about these plays but I would say anyone that does will probably get the significant to them and each section.

I enjoyed this book so much and would highly recommend it. ( )

I know it's early days yet, but it's just possible that The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell has gone straight from being one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2023, to being one of my favourite reads of the entire year. I absolutely adored this!

Set at the Mercury Theatre in Victorian London, Miss Jennifer Wilcox accepts a job offer from Mrs Dyer, the wife of the Mercury's owner. Fallen on hard times - the cause of which is revealed later - Jennifer must provide for her family and despite being brought low by her circumstances, eagerly accepts the position of dresser. Jennifer will need to make and mend all of the costumes, style hair and organise the accessories for the leading actress at the Mercury.

Unable to refuse and eternally grateful for the position of dresser to Lilith Erikson, Jennifer soon learns there's more to the situation. Mrs Dyer explains that her husband has been bewitched by the woman, and Jennifer is to keep a close eye on her. The reader is thrust straight into the social politics of the theatre, and additional meaning and nuance is communicated in the different plays the characters stage throughout this historical fiction masterpiece.

Reading The Whispering Muse put me in mind of City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert but I suspect that's only because I haven't read too many novels set in a theatre. The books are set in different countries and eras - 1940s New York and Victorian London - however the leading lady there (Celia) was just as awful as Lilith. In fact, my favourite quote from City of Girls works perfectly for Jennifer and Lilith too!

You see, Lilith Erikson is a vain, ambitious and arrogant woman, intent on attaining recognition for her prowess on the stage at any cost. And I really mean ANY cost and our protagonist is soon fed up with her behaviour and seeming obsession with a cursed pocket watch.

Looking over at Lilith at a gathering, Jennifer observes:

"She would have been arresting in her fashionable black evening gown, were it not for her sour expression. She looked like she'd sucked on a lemon. Her discomfort cheered me more than the champagne." Page 64

The Whispering Muse is being promoted as a gripping tale of obsession, superstition and ambition, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Victorian London and the description is spot on!

Enriching my reading experience was the fact that I was also reading Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera Companion. At the time of writing, I've attended the show in the State Theatre in Melbourne a total of 4 times, with my final attendance last night! This allowed me to enter a theatre environment and watch the cast and goings on with fresh eyes. What must it be like back stage, what are the relationships between the actors, what really happens in the dressing rooms and costume wardrobes?

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.

This is an atmospheric novel about class, ambition, loyalty, envy, power and obsession and I was truly gripped as I flipped the pages to witness the slow destruction of certain characters. Jennifer experiences conflicting loyalties between Mrs Dyer and Lilith and her determination to avoid becoming collateral damage in their war made for compelling reading.

In addition to the drama unfolding between the characters, the theatre setting, the backstory of the pocket watch and suspicious and deadly accidents at the Mercury, the little nods to the era (young Bertie with a bad foot pasting together matchboxes to earn his keep and his older brother working in a hat factory) were the icing on this creepy Victorian cake.

The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell is a gothic triumph!

* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury * ( )