Another superb addition to this author’s oeuvre and perhaps her finest to date.

In Victorian England, Jenny has been offered a position as dresser in a leading theatre. The plays the theatre put on reflect the reality of life in the theatre: naked ambition, greed and deals with the devil.

The story is told at a tremendous pace and never loses the reader’s attention. There is naturally (for those familiar with Purcell’s previous work) a streak of the supernatural which pervades the story. But this is essentially a novel about people and their relationships, and the betrayals and dark deeds committed by the self-serving.

There is plenty of gore in this gothic tale and plenty of drama. 😉 The ending is foreshadowed by the story of Faust, performances of which bookend the story, although the retribution appears indiscriminate.

Engrossing and a delight to read.

Jenny, a young woman hoping for a second start after her brother caused her problems, takes a job at the Mercury Theatre in London, dressing rising star and lead actress Lilith Erikson. Jenny has been assigned a secondary task by a jealous Mrs Dyer: spy on Lilith and report back, a woman regarded as unseemly, odd, and too intimate with Mr Dyer. As Jenny works alongside Lilith, she learns of tales of a contract Lilith, like her predecessor, has made for fame and renown on the stage with the tragic muse of Greek mythology, Melpomene, and the bloody, treacherous consequences this has. The setting is ideal. The theatre, full of superstitions and pretend and ambitious, dramatic people jockeying for positions and roles and playing games against one another, perfectly fits into Gothic storytelling. In that context, a magical muse, or perhaps another entity, feels just fitting. With its trapdoors, overhanging platforms, and props, it's also a location full of danger and intrigue.
The book is organised around a series of plays, each serving as an "Act" of the novel. The various catastrophes enacted in the Mercury revealed different elements of our stars as things became increasingly dangerous and terrible.
#disabilityrep #thewhisperingmuse #historicalfictiol #womensfiction

I've read everything by Laura Purcell, she never fails to disappoint me. Her books remind me of Susan Hills short gothic stories but with Purcell it's a full book! This takes place in victorian times in a theatre which in all honesty is my favourite thing about this book, dare I say its her best to date and her others are fantastic. If you like your horror more on the supernatural side you will love this.

A slam dunk 5 star read! Dare I say this may be Laura Purcell’s best yet?! I found this very original and unexpected in terms of story and plot- a flavour of Lovecraft about it. The blend of historical detail, treading the Victorian boards, combined with the horror fantasy is perfectly and skilfully balanced.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gothic mystery set in a Victorian theatre. Purcell effortlessly weaves together an enthralling story which nods to the history of the theatre, incorporating classics Macbeth and Doctor Faustus, and the many superstitions and pressures in the sector at the time.

The protagonist Jenny is likeable and empathetic, and every character is incredibly well-drawn, from the villain to the bit characters of the story and everyone in between. This was a compulsive, atmospheric read - this author has carved a niche for herself and she completely owns it.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ), for the chance to read and advance copy of this wonderful book.

Utterly engaging, gory, mystifying, memorable, shocking and very real.

The story is set in one of the most evocative engaging and atmospheric depictions of Victorian England I've ever read.

Highly recommended, five stars.

First and foremost, I loved loved looooved this book. Absolutely devoured it and I was gutted when I finished it.

Laura Purcell's writing is so perfectly creepy and the book is dark, but not too dark I had to put it in the freezer. They're so much more to the characters and I found myself so invested I couldn't stop reading, even though I wanted to drag the book as long as possible! This was one of my top 2022 reads.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Laura Purcell for the honour of allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Brilliant! This book is so good. The book offers a perfect historical setting of the theatre with all the myth and superstition that surrounds it and especially plays that should never be mentioned helps create a gothic and haunting atmosphere. In addition this book has a whole host of unique characters with all the traits you would expect from theatre darlings. This book never disappoints from beginning to end. A great read.

Another excellent read from Laura Purcell. Great world building, wonderful characters, and a creepy, atmospheric story that keeps you hooked all the way through.

I really enjoyed this possession tale from Laura Purcell. The theatre setting was atmospheric and the tension building worked very well with quite an amount of gore. The main character had guts and although persuaded to overlook her better judgements you would want her on your side. The tale is of betrayal and obsession, with the problems of a theatre owning family being left to solve by a ladies maid, who has herself been treated badly by her brother . She makes her way as a dresser. Paid to spy on the principal actor she learns the danger held by the other owner. But can she save theatre and her family at the same time.

Victorian England. Jenny has lost her job as a maid and finds herself in the unenviable position of supporting her orphaned siblings. Her brother has abandoned them all to run away with an actress and, with no reference, poor Jenny has neither hope nor prospects.

Her saviour arrives in the form of a wealthy theatre-owner, Mrs Dyer, who offers Jenny the role of dresser at The Mercury Theatre. Here we are introduced to the magical world of talented actors, dramatic backdrops and onstage illusions. The theatre is every bit as extraordinary as Jenny had always imagined it to be.

And yet there is also a dark side to the theatre. After Jenny witnesses a horrific scene, a mysterious and powerful object is brought into The Mercury. It promises much to those who possess it, but also threatens to rip their world apart.

'The Whispering Muse' offers a deliciously dark and intriguing slice of drama. Purcell entwines myth and magic with a twisted tale befitting a Shakespearean tragedy. This page-turner would be fabulous for fans of the theatre!

Laura Purcell’s books are a strange one for me. I first read ‘The Silent Companions’ a couple of years ago and found myself strangely drawn to this strange supernatural, out of the ordinary, yet ordinary world. ‘The Whispering Muse’ is the fifth of her books I’ve now read, and I’m still so drawn to the worlds she creates.

‘The Whispering Muse’ follows Jenny’s life as she becomes a dresser after the wife of the theatre owner sends her to spy on the new leading actress, Lilith. This book really makes your head spin with which characters you are meant to like and who you are meant to dislike. As with her other books, I find it so clever how Laura Purcell weaves the gothic into everyday stories and I think that’s why I enjoy them so much. They always have a heart racing moment and this one has a bit of Greek mythology too if that’s your thing, and whilst it’s not really mine, it does create a very spooky plot line…I did want a bit more from the ending but only because I wanted to know what happened next!

I was excited to read this book as I’m a fan of Laura Purcell’s gothic stories.

While I did really enjoy this one, I didn’t love it quite as much as previous books. I’m not sure why. I’d still recommend to those that like historical gothic reads.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BloomsburyPublishing for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Laura Purcell and NetGalley for a copy of the The Whispering Muse.

I absolutely loved reading the book and enjoyed it from the start to the end. I felt that we really get to know all of the characters and feel like we're a part of it all.

Would highly recommend it!

A dark, atmospheric, creepy story, disturbing at times and always gripping.
There's a lot going on in this book and there're powerful and well plotted female characters like Lilith and Jenny.
I couldn't help feeling for Lilith, the artist and the misunderstood woman and I felt for Jenny who's involved in a story that it's not hers.
The theatre is background but it's also a sort of non human characters.
Laura Purcell delivers another great story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The Whispering Muse is an absolutely top-rate historical horror which makes some trenchant points about women's lives being bent out of shape by the society - and especially the men - around them. As I've come to expect from Purcell, we're given nuanced, layered horror, deeply coiled around human lives and circumstances - but also, moments of shocking, scary climax as those human lives crumple and break. It's a heady mixture, making every page both a 'must read' and a 'dare I read?'

Jenny is trying to hold together her family - comprising only her younger brothers and sisters, as their parents are both dead - and is desperate for any work she can get. An offer of a role as a dresser at the Mercury Theatre comes as welcome news, but it will soon bring Jenny face to face with divided loyalties, the prospect of ruin, and indeed utter terror when the company embark on a production of 'The Scottish Play'.

All Jenny's problems trace back, in one way or another, to the men around her. Formerly a lady's maid, she lost her place because of the feckless behaviour of one of those men. Another of them, the manager of the theatre. seems to be taking too close an interest in one of the actresses, but inevitably things go wrong and he demands Jenny's help in managing the situation. Meanwhile, his wife also expects Jenny to break up the relationship (or else). And just when it seems things can't get any worse, another man from Jenny's past turns up threatening to break up her little family.

I loved just how complicated things became for Jenny, but particularly her relationship with that actress - Lilith - to whom she's appointed as dresser. The two women have very different outlooks - Lilith daringly Bohemian, ambitious, willing to flout Victorian morality (but, if she wants her career to progress, does she have any choice?) Jenny more conventional, perhaps, as shown when she's told to turn round three times, spit, and swear because she said 'Macbeth' - and she can't bring herself to do it.

The most moving moments of the book, in counterpoint to the gothic horror, are those when these two women are learning to trust one another, to get to know each other. That doesn't always turn out well, indeed little in this book turns out well, but possibilities open then, experiences are shared and alternative futures open up.

Those moments of respite never last long, though - there is a drumbeat in The Whispering Muse and it is a drumbeat of terror, horror stalking the theatre and its unfortunate cast and crew. What seems at the start like theatrical whimsy and self-indulgence - I thought of the Blackadder parody of that spitting-and-turning round thing - comes back to claim a price, as events grow progressively darker. That darkness is only pointed up by a sort of disjointed reaction from the wider world to the horror taking place. There is a prurient interest in what happens (not going to spell out what that is because spoilers) but a distinct lack of concern, of empathy, with those affected by it. (An attitude I think sadly true to life, not only of the Victorian era but of those since and up to the present day - it would be easy to imagine the cursed Lilith racking up huge numbers of social media followers, rather than stage door Johnnies, all to abandon her as she crashed and burned).

In the end though, and despite The Whispering Muse deploying quite the tide of gory horror (it features productions of both Faust - in two different versions - and MacBeth) I think it's actually in may respects hopeful book, both showing ways in which solidarity and fellowship can defeat, or at least elude, power, and celebrating human companionship and love.

"well this one is a monster sent to torment me. I won't shelter it inside me any longer. Can't you see? I'm suffocating here. I'll shrivel away. And there will be nothing left except this damned whispering inside my head."
Laura Purcell writes her usual impeccable style about a Victorian London family that has lost almost everything until good fortune comes their way.
Jenny is given a chance that almost seems too good to be true to work in the theatre dressing the leading lady by the theatre manager's husband. Several terms are placed upon employment, how far will Jenny go to keep her family from the poor house? And is the manager's wife all she seems too?
It didn't take long for me to feel at home within jenny's world. The writing was beautiful, I found myself sympathetic to the characters which is always something I struggle with, and I found myself eager to find out how the story would play out.

A tale of obsession and betrayal in this enthralling page turner.

When it comes to chilling, atmospheric reads, Laura Purcell shines. The vivid setting intwined with the constant undercurrent of whether something sinister was at play or just superstition was haunting and made for a compelling read. While I wasn’t captured by all the characters, other elements of the story held more weight for my enjoyment of this book.

This was a lush, decadent and completely over the top Gothic story centred around the leading lady in a theatre and a cursed watch...and I really enjoyed it! I thought Laura Purcell did a fabulous job of bringing the theatre setting to life and really fleshing out all of the people involved, given that the book is fairly short. There are some grizzly moments, which I really appreciated and the characters of Jenny and Lilith were fantastic. The development of their friendship was fascinating to witness and I thought that the plot was compelling. My only criticism is that I felt the ending was really abrupt, but other than that, this was a definite win!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am so sorry Ms Purcell but I did not enjoy it.
I expected to love this book after reading the description and having read all of her previous novels, but I found myself rather disappointed.
I loved the idea of a spooky theatre and unusual goings on, but in all honesty I found this dragged and I simply did not care about the characters. I know I'm going against the tide, as so many people have loved it, but I found it hard work to finish. I don't know if my expectations were too high because I've loved the author's previous books, but I had hoped for so much more. Sorry