NONFICTION

The Age of Light

by Whitney Scharer
Little, Brown. Feb. 2019. 384p. ISBN 9780316524087. $28; ebk. ISBN 9780316524094. F
COPY ISBN
DEBUT During a midlife malaise, Vogue writer Lee Miller is given an assignment to pen her previous life with surrealist artist and photographer Man Ray. So begins the this novel's narrative, painting a vivid portrait of bohemian Paris from the 1930s to 1940s. Lee, a former Vogue model, moves to Paris to reinvent herself as a photographer. There she meets Man Ray, who becomes her mentor, tutor, and lover. She becomes his muse. The troubled and intense relationship between the two is described among meetings with other famous artists of the time; in opium dens and smoky bars catering to the artistic and the elite. Lee also reflects on her time as a photojournalist documenting the atrocities of World War II. Her journey is of a woman overcoming the shadows of the men in her life and reclaiming her own story.
VERDICT Scharer's debut is both engrossing and cinematic, a must for readers who enjoy a fictional peek into the lives of real-life artists. Recommend to admirers of Harriet Scott Chessman's Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]
Reviewed by Nanci Milone Hill, M.G. Parker Memorial Lib., Dracut, MA , Jan 02, 2019
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

Blue Remembered Hills
by Sutcliff, Rosemary

To the Linksland (30th Anniversary Edition)
by Bamberger, Michael
NONFICTION

Zora Neale Hurston
by Hopson, Cheryl R
NONFICTION

Alfred Hitchcock, All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
by Benoliel, Bernard & others
NONFICTION

Sturge Town: Poems
by Dawes, Kwame
NONFICTION

What a Fool Believes: A Memoir
by McDonald, Michael
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?