Last night I finished reading this good book that I just happened to find at the library. It was a shot in the dark, and within its pages I found a delightful story from two different time periods. One part of the story begins in 1967 in London, a story that involves the main character from Trinidad in the Caribbean, Odelle Bastien. We meet her best friend, Cynth, whom she shares a small flat with. The young women spend their days working in a shoe store, a plight that they see as very unsatisfying. As the story unfolds, Odelle meets a young man named Laurie who is smitten with her, but she isn't very interested in him in the beginning. She gets a job in an art studio as a typist and she feels that her luck is beginning to change. She becomes a good friend and confident to her boss, "Quick," an older woman who treats Odelle much like a daughter. The two become very interested in a painting that Laurie owns and the story behind the painting becomes very intriguing to them all (and to the reader!).
Then the story jumps back to people who were in Spain in about the year 1936, people who were brought together by civil war. We meet Olive, Teresa, Isaac, and Sarah, and we begin to see a commonality between this part of the story and the latter part. Art is also a focal part of this section of the story, and we find the characters trying to find fame and fortune in the art that they, themselves, create. But who actually painted these beautiful paintings? And what do the paintings mean? Who are those people in them? After I read this book for a while I could see how the two stories are interwoven. In the end you will see the relationship between characters in the 1960s and the people in the 1930s. Let's just say that there are characters who turn out to be related to each other, and the conclusion is full of surprises. If you like history or mysteries, you will enjoy this book. Burton does a great job of characterization and she has a very good way with words that makes the story flow smoothly and effortlessly. But what else would you expect from someone who graduated from Oxford? Now I'm interested in reading Burton's other book, The Miniaturist. If it's as good as The Muse, it will be time well-spent.
In my last entry, "When I Look Into Your Eyes," I spoke about our sweet beagle-mix, Nilla. Just so you know, she's doing great except for her red, itchy skin, a problem she's had for about four years. She's currently taking two medications to help relieve this for a little while, and one of them tastes like chicken. No, I haven't actually tasted it myself, but the veterinarian assures me that it is so. And Nilla sure does gobble it up. That is proof enough.
The next book that I will read is a novel set in Ireland, and I'm eager to get going on it. In my next post I will discuss this book as well as a topic that I think you'll be interested in, travel. I won't divulge anything else at this time, so please stay tuned. I want to thank my readers in the UK, Germany, Alaska, France, Russia, and the U.S. for looking at my blog from time to time. Please continue reading, and leave me your thoughts. I enjoy hearing what you think, so in the comments section YOU get a chance to write too.
Until next time, be gentle to yourself...
Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com
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