The Muse

I rate this book between a 4.5 and a 5 stars. This story broke my heart and left me reeling. I loved how cleverly crafted the structure of this novel was. All of the twists and turns were executed beautifully without being too far fetched. The bool carried an emotional authenticity that made the revelations both stunning and deeply saddening at the same time. I think Jessie Burton crafted her characters impeccably. Burtons ability to create two separate stories in different time periods in different countries that intertwine beautifully is genius. She also effortlessly develops all the characters equally, so you feel you spend enough time with each character and each time zone and really have a chance to connect emotionally with all the characters in turn. The ending of the book was a elegant tying up of loose ends, while retaining the integrity of the tragedy and unpredictability of human nature that was explored throughout the entirety of the novel. Just a stunning book that to me smashed her first impressive book The Miniaturist out of the water!