The Muse is the wonderful story of the beautiful, long-standing friendship between author Nell Dunn and her muse, Josie.
The story is primarily told in the form of letters from Josie to Nell and completed with parts from Nell and other friends.
About twenty years ago I read all of Nell’s early works and they have stayed with me and reading this was like a peek behind the curtain to see into their world and understand their friendship which inspired the wonderful works of Nell Dunn.
It is a perfect book for any fan of Nell Dunn.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating look at a friendship a lifelong friendship a woman who was a muse to the author. Intimate unique look at this friendship.#netgalley#TheMuse

Dunn collates and comments on her extensive letters from and to her muse, Josie, who was the inspiration for Up The Junction and Steaming. It's predominantly letters, mostly Josie's with occasional paragraphs from Dunn to put things in context and give more of a framework for what's going on. It focuses mostly on Josie's travels in Australia and South Africa in the early Eighties with an afterword which brings the story up to date. It's kind of fascinating but I would really have liked a bit more commentary. The letters are rather similar in tone a lot of the time and you know that a lot went on. behind the scenes which would have put rather more meat on the bones of the letters. It held my interest though.

Love this book so much. What unique and precious insight into the friendship between writer and muse, Nell and Josie. And also the cost of living a nonconforming life in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK.