The Muse

暨《娃娃屋》之後，
作者再次嶄露過人的說故事魅力！
兩位年輕女子，遙遙相隔於兩個時代，
分別身處在西班牙與倫敦兩地，
命運卻因為一幅神秘畫作緊密相繫......

　　她們一位是詩人，一位是藝術工作者，都為了渴求的創作生命而砥礪自我，不甘受到環境所束縛，不論是社會的期待、階級的限制、性別的命運或者種族的成見... 以流暢的筆觸穿梭於不同時空背景，完整重現那個年代的獨特迷人氛圍，讓個人的覺醒成長與人類文化史進程緊密交織，角色刻劃令人難以忘懷。

 　　《娃娃屋The Miniaturalist》作者最新小說！

　　一幅畫，隱藏了千言萬語，更跨越世代，引發數十年後的一場災難……。

　　1967年，奧黛莉在倫敦一家藝廊找到一份打字員工作；在那裡，她遇見神秘的馬喬，馬喬讓奧黛莉對工作充滿信心，也鼓勵奧黛莉追求成為作家的夢想，但奧黛莉總覺得馬喬背後隱藏了什麼秘密。而當「魯菲娜與獅子」這幅失蹤已久的西班牙名畫被帶到畫廊時，奧黛莉開始懷疑這幅畫背後的來歷可能與馬喬的神秘有關。

　　追尋「魯菲娜與獅子」，必須回到 1936 年西班牙的一棟鄉間大宅，這棟房子住著知名的藝術經銷商哈洛德、妻子莎拉以及他們的女兒奧莉芙。奧莉芙與年輕管家泰瑞莎很親近，也熟識泰瑞莎年輕卻又才氣縱橫的畫家弟弟艾薩克。艾薩克同意為奧莉芙及莎拉繪製肖像畫，以作為給哈洛德的驚喜，但沒想到此舉竟引發數十年後的一連串災難……。 （文／博客來編譯）

　　A picture hides a thousand words . . .

　　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 tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn't know she had, she remains a mystery - no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.

　　The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . .

　　Seductive, exhilarating and suspenseful, The Muse is an unforgettable novel about aspiration and identity, love and obsession, authenticity and deception - a masterpiece from the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist.