The Muse
by Jessie Burton
Narrated by Bahni Turpin, Maria Elena Infantino
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
Two women, thirty years apart, both hiding the same dangerous secret — and the dual narrators make you feel the distance collapse.
- Great if you want: art world intrigue woven through two richly drawn eras
- Listening experience: slow-burn and atmospheric — rewards patience with real payoff
- Narration: Turpin and Infantino give each timeline a distinct, lived-in voice
- Skip if: you need plot momentum over mood and character
About This Audiobook
Two women separated by decades find their lives intertwined through a mysterious painting in this sweeping dual-timeline novel. In 1967 London, Odelle Bastien, a young woman from Trinidad, begins working at an art gallery under the mentorship of the enigmatic Marjorie Quick. When a lost masterpiece arrives with murky origins, it sets off a chain of discoveries that reach back to 1930s Spain, where aspiring artist Olive Schloss becomes entangled with a charismatic painter and his revolutionary ideals. As secrets about the painting's true creator emerge, both women must confront questions of artistic identity, cultural appropriation, and the price of ambition.
Bahni Turpin and Maria Elena Infantino deliver compelling dual narrations that bring distinct voices to each timeline. Turpin captures Odelle's Caribbean heritage and journey of self-discovery with nuanced authenticity, while Infantino skillfully renders the tension and passion of the Spanish Civil War era. Their contrasting styles emphasize the novel's central themes while maintaining the mystery that connects past and present. The audio format enhances Burton's lush descriptive passages and complex character dynamics, allowing listeners to fully absorb the atmospheric details of both 1960s London and war-torn Spain.