The Age of Light

A Novel

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Pub Date 05 Feb 2019 | Archive Date 30 Apr 2019

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Description

One of the Best Books of the Year: Parade, Glamour, Real Simple, Refinery29, Yahoo! Lifestyle. "A startlingly modern love story and a mesmerizing portrait of a woman's self-transformation from muse to artist." --Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere

"I'd rather take a photograph than be one," Lee Miller declares after she arrives in Paris in 1929, where she soon catches the eye of the famous Surrealist Man Ray. Though he wants to use her only as a model, Lee convinces him to take her on as his assistant and teach her everything he knows. As they work together in the darkroom, their personal and professional lives become intimately entwined, changing the course of Lee's life forever.

Lee's journey of self-discovery takes took her from the cabarets of bohemian Paris to the battlefields of war-torn Europe during WWII, from inventing radical new photography techniques to documenting the liberation of the concentration camps as one of the first female war correspondents. Through it all, Lee must grapple with the question of whether it's possible to stay true to herself while also fulfilling her artistic ambition--and what she will have to sacrifice to do so.
One of the Best Books of the Year: Parade, Glamour, Real Simple, Refinery29, Yahoo! Lifestyle. "A startlingly modern love story and a mesmerizing portrait of a woman's self-transformation from muse...

Advance Praise

“Whitney Scharer’s storytelling is utterly immersive and gorgeous in its details, transporting you into Lee Miller’s life, and her struggles to be taken seriously in a man’s world. This is a powerful, sensual and gripping portrait of the forging of an artist’s soul.”

--Madeline Miller, author of Circe and Song of Achilles

 

"The Age of Light is a bold, intimate and gorgeous novel—at once a vivid romp through the salons and parties of the Paris art world in the 1930s and a breathtaking close up of a woman battling to be both muse and artist, lover and collaborator, and above all, herself. This is a relevant, utterly enthralling debut from a talented writer who understands the complex intersection of ambition and femininity. I was swept off my feet."

--Jessica Shattuck, author of The Woman in the Castle and The Hazards of Good Breeding

 

“An extraordinary young woman discovers love and art and betrayal among the artists of 1930s Paris and documents the horrors of war through her singular camera lens. An uplifting, heartbreaking and altogether immersive read.”

--Helen Simonson, bestselling author of The Summer Before the War and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand

 

“In incandescent prose, Whitney Scharer has created an unforgettable heroine discovering her passion, her independence, and her art—and what she must sacrifice to have them. Sweeping from the glamour of 1920s Paris through the battlefields of World War II and into the war’s long shadow, The Age of Light  is a startlingly modern love story and a mesmerizing portrait of a woman’s self-transformation from muse into artist.”

--Celeste Ng, author of NYT Bestseller Little Fires Everywhere

 

“When I first read The Age of Light, I thought it might have been written expressly for me, since it has everything I love in it: photography, sex, love, war, 1920s Paris, a relationship struggle between two artists, a woman’s journey from model to photographer, and the most exquisite writing. Then I realized: this magnetic, addictive novel will beguile every reader. Read it, read it!”

--Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family

 

“A masterpiece, The Age of Light is a searing, evocative novel of love and war, and a woman's fierce determination to transcend her role as muse and remake the world through her own art. Whitney Scharer is a remarkably gifted storyteller - a major new voice in historical fiction.”

--Dawn Tripp, bestselling author of Georgia and Game of Secrets

“Whitney Scharer’s storytelling is utterly immersive and gorgeous in its details, transporting you into Lee Miller’s life, and her struggles to be taken seriously in a man’s world. This is a...


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Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780316524087
PRICE $28.00 (USD)
PAGES 384

Average rating from 79 members


Featured Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the free review copy of this book.

The Age of Light is about American model and photographer Lee Miller, and her romance with famous surrealist Man Ray in late 1920's Paris. It is based on the true story, and is formatted as flashbacks. The story starts with a middle-aged Lee being asked to write about her time in Paris, and the rest of the book jumps between that romance and Lee's time as a photojournalist during WWII.

It actually took me a few chapters to realize that this was a true story! I knew of Man Ray, but not Lee Miller, and once I looked into her story I was amazed. She led a truly fascinating life. If nothing else, I'm grateful to this book for introducing me to this piece of history. I loved the setting of the art scene in 1920's Paris, which is full of parties, glamour and famous names. I enjoyed the conversations about art and inspiration, as well as the technical photography information. The characters were honestly not super likeable, which was interesting and perhaps more genuine. I did find the timeline of the book a little jarring and disconnected. The war parts were important, but I think maybe the two storylines could have been woven together better.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely made me want to find out more about Lee Miller and that time in history. I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, especially historical romance!

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