# A mysterious book (The Whispering Muse, by Sjón) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051 "2020-09-20T02:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051/1 "2020-09-20T02:40:10Z")
while perusing the mixed media library in my home (books on top, videos on the bottom half, a smattering of video games at the very bottom) in one prong of a multifront effort to pry the vaderling away from xbox and youtube for an evening, I discovered a book I don’t recall putting there. Vaderling denies any and all responsibility for the small and slender hardbacked volume. The Roomies are not the written word type. (They’re not drooling simpletons, they just prefer visual media). Is anyone familiar with a story titled “The Whispering Muse” by Sjón? I don’t need a synopsis or anything like that. I’m looking for opinions about the quality of the story. Is it a good story or should I just put it back and hope it just as mysteriously disappears as it mysteriously appeared? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051/2 "2020-09-20T03:01:05Z")
GoodReads gives it 3 1/2 of 5 stars, Amazon 3.8 of 5. And, hell, it’s only 160 pages, not exactly a heavy lift or lifetime commitment. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051/3 "2020-09-20T03:09:27Z")
true, it is good for an afternoon. It’s just a truly mysterious book that I don’t know where it came from or how it got to my house. That’s why I wanted opinions ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051/4 "2020-09-20T12:31:00Z")
I bought a copy after hearing him read (and compere) an Icelandic literature event several years ago. It was quite interesting but not particularly memorable. I still have it and will probably eventually re-read it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051/5 "2020-09-20T13:25:08Z")
I’ve edited the title, so it’ll more readily be found by those who know it. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mysterious-book-the-whispering-muse-by-sjon/921051/6 "2020-09-20T15:32:53Z")
The book discussion group that I belong to read it in November of 2015. I wonder if we’re the only book discussion group in the U.S. to have read it. We liked it.