The Age of Light

Scharer simultaneously conjures Paris of the Thirties - whether artists' studios, seedy dives or glamorous parties - with the deftest of brush strokes * Daily Mail *
A startlingly modern love story and a mesmerizing portrait of a woman’s self-transformation from muse into artist -- Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere
Here Scharer tells a vivid story -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mirror *
This gripping insight into the bohemian Paris of the 1930s is packed full of passion and heart * My Weekly *
Captivating * Sunday Express *
This is a sensuous evocation of the adventures of a talented and beautiful artist in the heady ferment of 1930s Paris * Daily Mail *
A multifaceted portrait of a 20th-century icon . . . seductively drawn . . . the tale on one woman's determination to set her own course * Sunday Times *
This intoxicating debut based on real-life model-turned-photographer Lee Miller is hard to put down * Woman's Weekly *
Rapturous and razor sharp all at once . . . Whitney Scharer is a stunning new discovery. This novel sparks on every page -- Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife
Fans of Mrs Hemingway and The Paris Wife will love this one * Elle *
Fascinating * Red Magazine *
Utterly immersive . . . this is a powerful, sensual and gripping portrait of the forging of an artist’s soul -- Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe
I adored The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer, which was every bit as wonderful as I’d hoped it would be. A stunning debut - fascinating, evocative and beautifully written. I loved it -- Jill Mansell
Sumptuous and enveloping and beautifully told. I was utterly absorbed in Lee Miller's life and work, and in the heady atmosphere of 1930s Paris . . . Stunning -- Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
Based on the real-life relationship between iconic model-turned-photographer Lee Miller and surrealist artist Man Ray, this is a deliciously chic feminist take on a legend * Grazia *
The Age of Light is mesmerising, beautifully written and deeply convincing. I loved it -- Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory
Spectacular and riveting . . . The prose is sleek and stylish and purrs along * Daily Express *
Captivating * Good Housekeeping *
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 dazzling novel of decadence, passion, art and betrayal . . . I adored it -- Lucy Diamond
In this sumptuous novel, Whitney Scharer shines a well-deserved light on a fascinating figure * Emerald Street *
This gorgeously written novel uses the relationship between Lee Miller and Man Ray to ask pertinent questions about the relationship between love, ambition and art * i-news *
A collision of creativity, ambition, passion, jealousy and possessiveness . . . played out amid the giddy excesses of the surrealist crowd. Scharer captures the thrill of artistic creation and the swirling hedonism of Paris’s beautiful people * Times *
A gorgeous evocation of the life of Lee Miller. The prose is stunning, the settings perfect - this is the woman that the work only hinted at. Absolutely breathtaking -- Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths
Scharer sets her viewfinder selectively, focusing on her heroine's insecurities as much as her accomplishments as an artist; her hunger to be more than "a neck to hold pearls, a slim waist to show off a belt" is contrasted with her habit of solving problems by simply leaving. The price for Lee is steep, but it makes for irresistible reading. Sexy and moving. * Kirkus *
Scharer’s stellar debut chronicles the tumultuous working and romantic relationships of photographer Man Ray and model-turned-photographer Lee Miller in early 1930s Paris. Scharer’s brilliant portrayal of the complicated couple features a page-turning story and thrillingly depicts the artistic process. * Publishers Weekly *
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 -- Jessica Shattuck, author of The Woman in the Castle and The Hazards of Good Breeding
An uplifting, heartbreaking and altogether immersive read -- Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Before The War and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
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 -- Dawn Tripp, author of Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keefe
Intoxicating . . . Scharer is always alert to the interplay of passion, intelligence, exhilaration, bitterness, and melancholy that fueled this unique woman to create a life of her own. The object of an intense bidding war that resulted in a million-dollar deal, Scharer's first novel more than lives up to its prepublication hype. * Booklist *
Scharer’s wonderful novel is a sensory, sensual feast: a passionate love story, a clear-eyed examination of an artist’s life, and an evocation of the ways people can make and break each other -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Glittering * TLS *