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artemis_25's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I studied Man Ray in photo school and we briefly cover Lee Miller. I took some time to look at her but after reading this book I realized how much I missed. Will be reading a non fiction book about her now.
jayraams's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warning, this book talks about sexual abuse in depth at times.
A story about life and excess in Paris, France during pre-WWII. Lee's journey to find independence and a sense of self through her art. Her life seems to be moving in an exciting direction when she meets ManRay but how much is she willing to give to this famous artist and how much will he take. Definitely read the epilogue, otherwise, you will miss the ending. A deep look at trauma and pain and how one can lose self because others take too much.
A story about life and excess in Paris, France during pre-WWII. Lee's journey to find independence and a sense of self through her art. Her life seems to be moving in an exciting direction when she meets ManRay but how much is she willing to give to this famous artist and how much will he take. Definitely read the epilogue, otherwise, you will miss the ending. A deep look at trauma and pain and how one can lose self because others take too much.
bethcarol1953's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jazzagewitch's review against another edition
5.0
I loved getting to know Lee and her remarkable history.
novelvisits's review against another edition
5.0
Note: I received a copy of this book from the Little, Brown and Company in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
The Novel’s Structure – I really liked the way debut author Whitney Scharer chose to set up her book. It begins with a prologue set in 1969. In it we see Lee Miller long past her glory days as a Vogue model and a WWII photographer/correspondent. She’s a mess and I immediately wanted to know more. From there the story shifted to 1929 when Miller fled to Paris, abandoning her modeling career and wanting to do something with photography. We see her love for the art and her drive to learn to be better at it. Most of the book spans just the couple of years she worked intensely with Man Ray, first as his assistant, then his muse, eventually his lover, and finally an artist in her own right. The Miller/Ray story in itself was fascinating, but interspersed with it were very short chapters from Miller’s years as a WWII photographer. These were brilliant and gave you just a hint of the trajectory that drove her life to where it was in the prologue.
A Woman in Evolution – I’ve read other stories about Lee Miller and have always admired all she managed to accomplish in her own era. For a beautiful woman to move from in front of the camera to behind it and travel across bloody battlefields was truly a feat. Scharer did a wonderful job highlighting that. Yes, The Age of Light is historical fiction, but it felt like Miller’s true story and her actual feelings, which is exactly what I want in good historical fiction.
“She thinks of telling Man about her picture: the woman’s mouth rounded into a perfect O, her emotions as visible as her flesh. But it is not Man she wants to tell. She wants to tell herself, so she plays it back in her mind, reliving again and again the feeling of power she got when she released the shutter at the exact right moment.”
A Love Story/Not a Love Story – The main focus of this debut is definitely the relationship between Lee Miller and Man Ray. Their’s might be described as a typical artist/muse relationship if The Age of Light wasn’t written from Miller’s perspective. The evolution of their love proceeded exactly as one might expect, until it didn’t any longer. Miller was a complicated woman with an even more complicated past and she wanted more then to be the woman behind a famous man. That fact made her story so much more interesting.
An Epilogue That Works! – As many of you know, I’m not generally a fan of epilogues. I feel like they too often put an unnecessary neat and tidy bow on a story, but in The Age of Light the epilogue worked. Miller’s story had to have some sort of resolution, the circle of her life had to be completed and that’s exactly what Scharer did with the end of her book. I loved it!
What Didn’t
Slower Middle – For me there were a few chapters toward the middle of the book where it sort of lost its momentum. These chapters were important to the growth of Miller, but they might have been a little more succinct. Overall, they slowed the book just a bit.
{The Final Assessment}
You will RARELY hear me say anything like this, but The Age of Light left me wanting a sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Miller during her first few years in Paris, but the hints of what she accomplished later in her career and especially of her years as a war correspondent left me hungering for more. I want to know more about what she did in the years between the early 30’s and the start of WWII and I especially want to travel with her in the harsh years of that war.
“If they knew – they had to know – there is no way they didn’t know –
If she – the smell. She will write of it to Audrey.
One by one the members of the press corps leave. Lee stays. She must bear witness. The film canisters fill her pockets, grenades to send out for publication.”
If that follow up ever comes along, I’ll be first in line to grab it! Grade: A
For more reviews and other bookish news: https://novelvisits.com/
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
The Novel’s Structure – I really liked the way debut author Whitney Scharer chose to set up her book. It begins with a prologue set in 1969. In it we see Lee Miller long past her glory days as a Vogue model and a WWII photographer/correspondent. She’s a mess and I immediately wanted to know more. From there the story shifted to 1929 when Miller fled to Paris, abandoning her modeling career and wanting to do something with photography. We see her love for the art and her drive to learn to be better at it. Most of the book spans just the couple of years she worked intensely with Man Ray, first as his assistant, then his muse, eventually his lover, and finally an artist in her own right. The Miller/Ray story in itself was fascinating, but interspersed with it were very short chapters from Miller’s years as a WWII photographer. These were brilliant and gave you just a hint of the trajectory that drove her life to where it was in the prologue.
A Woman in Evolution – I’ve read other stories about Lee Miller and have always admired all she managed to accomplish in her own era. For a beautiful woman to move from in front of the camera to behind it and travel across bloody battlefields was truly a feat. Scharer did a wonderful job highlighting that. Yes, The Age of Light is historical fiction, but it felt like Miller’s true story and her actual feelings, which is exactly what I want in good historical fiction.
“She thinks of telling Man about her picture: the woman’s mouth rounded into a perfect O, her emotions as visible as her flesh. But it is not Man she wants to tell. She wants to tell herself, so she plays it back in her mind, reliving again and again the feeling of power she got when she released the shutter at the exact right moment.”
A Love Story/Not a Love Story – The main focus of this debut is definitely the relationship between Lee Miller and Man Ray. Their’s might be described as a typical artist/muse relationship if The Age of Light wasn’t written from Miller’s perspective. The evolution of their love proceeded exactly as one might expect, until it didn’t any longer. Miller was a complicated woman with an even more complicated past and she wanted more then to be the woman behind a famous man. That fact made her story so much more interesting.
An Epilogue That Works! – As many of you know, I’m not generally a fan of epilogues. I feel like they too often put an unnecessary neat and tidy bow on a story, but in The Age of Light the epilogue worked. Miller’s story had to have some sort of resolution, the circle of her life had to be completed and that’s exactly what Scharer did with the end of her book. I loved it!
What Didn’t
Slower Middle – For me there were a few chapters toward the middle of the book where it sort of lost its momentum. These chapters were important to the growth of Miller, but they might have been a little more succinct. Overall, they slowed the book just a bit.
{The Final Assessment}
You will RARELY hear me say anything like this, but The Age of Light left me wanting a sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Miller during her first few years in Paris, but the hints of what she accomplished later in her career and especially of her years as a war correspondent left me hungering for more. I want to know more about what she did in the years between the early 30’s and the start of WWII and I especially want to travel with her in the harsh years of that war.
“If they knew – they had to know – there is no way they didn’t know –
If she – the smell. She will write of it to Audrey.
One by one the members of the press corps leave. Lee stays. She must bear witness. The film canisters fill her pockets, grenades to send out for publication.”
If that follow up ever comes along, I’ll be first in line to grab it! Grade: A
For more reviews and other bookish news: https://novelvisits.com/
jackielayla's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read but there was so much emphasis on the love story. I wish there was much more meat about Lee’s years as a war correspondent and more than a snippet of her career struggles after the war.
ifyouhappentoremember's review against another edition
2.0
I was so bored reading this book.
I picked up this book because I was unaware of Lee Miller's contributions to photography, so I was content to let this book serve as my introduction to her. There is far more focus on her personal relationship with Man Ray rather than her artistic process or her life after Man Ray. I did not care about Lee Miller's relationship with Man Ray and I was so bored reading about them.
I am so glad I'm finally finished.
I picked up this book because I was unaware of Lee Miller's contributions to photography, so I was content to let this book serve as my introduction to her. There is far more focus on her personal relationship with Man Ray rather than her artistic process or her life after Man Ray. I did not care about Lee Miller's relationship with Man Ray and I was so bored reading about them.
I am so glad I'm finally finished.
caitlinmchugh24's review against another edition
4.0
The best historical fiction for me is one that has a new perspective on well-known historical individuals or learning about someone largely forgotten from history. Lee Miller was someone I learned about through this novel. Her varied careers in modeling, journalism, and photography and the times she lived through meant that this novel was very interesting. The writing and characterizations of the individuals portrayed were done very well. The only thing that was not the best was the shortness of the chapters not related to her time in Paris and with Man Ray.
I also like that the author included an author's note and listed her sources for those interested in learning more about Lee Miller.
I also like that the author included an author's note and listed her sources for those interested in learning more about Lee Miller.
megs_k's review against another edition
5.0
Lee doesn’t know — or really care — if she has fully understood what Claude was getting at, but she wants to be how the words make her feel: alone but not lonely, needing no one, living her life with intention. ~ Whitney Scharer