from 2 Hours* Last Christmas
delivery dates Free UK Standard Delivery On all orders over £25 Order in time for Christmas 18th December by 1pm 2nd Class |
20th December by 1pm 1st Class Free Click & Collect From 2 hours after you order*




Published: 02/02/2023

From the author of The Silent Companions and The Shape of Darkness comes a thrilling gothic tale of dangerous bargains and vaulting ambition, as an actress makes a pact with an ancient Greek muse to become the greatest performer of all time.
Signed Edition
A Standard Edition is available here
Be careful what you wish for... it may just come true.
At The Mercury Theatre in London's West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage.
Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature.
On stage, it's as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the Muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders if the rumours are true, and fears that when the Muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN: 9781526661814
Number of pages: 304
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Laura Purcell just gets better and better' - Stacey Halls
'Darkly seductive and artfully realised, this is a novel which in true Purcell style weaves a menacing net of intrigue that makes it very hard to put down. Undoubtedly her best Gothic tale yet!' - Susan Stokes-Chapman
'Spooky, atmospheric, brilliant ... Think I love it the best out of all Laura's books. Watch out for it - but beware...' - Bridget Collins
You may also be interested in...
“A Chilling Victorian Story”
The Whispering Muse is a chilling Victorian Gothic story set in the Mercury Theatre in London telling a spooky story of a cursed watch that everyone who owns it eventually dies after having all their wishes and... More
“Welcome to the theatre”
Having read Purcell note at the end i know why this book is so different from her normal type of story. I'm glad she did this otherwise i would have been very disappointed in this read instead of understanding... More
“Victorian Gothic meets Greek mythology”
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK and ANZ) for the eARC!
The Whispering Muse is a Victorian Gothic tale of theater, myth and classism. We follow the story of Jenny, plucked more or less from...
More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?