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The Muse is the 2016 novel of English actress and author, Jessie Burton. The novel feature's two women, one in 1967 London and the other in 1936 Spain. The novel is about their lives and how a mysterious, long-lost painting conects them together. The novel has been published in 38 different languages.

Plot
On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a typist under the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. During her time at the Skelton, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery. The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of an art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. She grows close to Teresa, a young housekeeper, and Teresa’s half-brother, Isaac Robles, an idealistic and ambitious painter newly returned from the Barcelona salons. A dilettante buoyed by the revolutionary fervor that will soon erupt into civil war, Isaac dreams of being a painter as famous as his countryman Picasso.

Raised in poverty, these illegitimate children of the local landowner revel in exploiting the wealthy Anglo-Austrians. Insinuating themselves into the Schloss family’s lives, Teresa and Isaac help Olive conceal her artistic talents with devastating consequences that will echo into the decades to come.

History
Burton, who had studied English literature at the University of Oxford before embarking on an acting career. Her first novel, The Miniaturist was an international bestseller. After the success that was The Miniaturist, she decided to dive into her second novel. At the time she was interested in the Spanish Civil War, London in the 1960's during the Caribbean immigration, art, and the marketing of art. When writing the 1930's section of the novel, she wanted to portray was it was like for the war to come to people's doorstep.

The novel was first published on July 26th, 2016. The paper back edition of the novel was first published on May 16, 2017. Since publication, the novel has been published in 38 different languages.

Other Works
Other works by Jessie Burton:
 * The Miniaturist (2014)
 * The Restless Girls (September 2018)