Enthralling! The author acknowledges this is loosely based- historical fiction. I enjoy historical fiction, to learn about that period of history, told through the Author's imagination. Although the Author may not tell the 'actual' story, we can still get the flavor of the era-the sights, smells, art, music, architecture, fashion, currents events of that time. And what is the "Actual Story?" Do we ever know?
The story is based on the lives of photographer Man Ray and Vogue model, Lee Miller. This is the author's first book and I think it is exceptionally written. I found it to be a compelling read.
The author brings you into the story of the life of a photographer and model. At age 22, Lee Miller states, "I'd rather take a photograph than be one." She wants to move out of the photo and into the story by becoming an artist- photographer. It is a sweeping saga from 1920's Paris to the battleground of World War II.
Lee meets and begins a life-changing affair with Man Ray, who initially is hesitant, but agrees to take her on as a photography assistant. Man Ray reluctantly agrees to this, after much debate, as he would prefer to 'use' her as a model. The word 'use' is a fundamental quandary throughout the book. Because of her beauty, Lee feels 'used' beginning with her Father, and as she begins to work full time as a model. She sees the shallowness of the 'quick pic' as a way to sell beauty, as if it were a commodity. She wants more.
"Here in Paris where she wants to start over, Lee seems to be another pretty detail in a city where almost everything is artfully arranged. A city built on the concept of form over function, where rows of jewel toned petits fours gleam in a patisserie's window, too flawless to eat. Where a milliner displays exquisitely elaborate hats, with no clear indication of how one would wear them. Even the Parisian women at the sidewalk cafes are like sculptures, effortlessly elegant, leaning back in their chairs as if their raison d'etre is decoration."
Man Ray and Lee Miller enjoy a passionate love affair that is cleverly drawn out, so you feel the trepidation of working with and loving an artist. Lee Miller accidentally discovers a photographic technique, which Man Ray claims was his. So, the melodrama is there and it is fraught with tension and the soliloquy of what underlies the juxtaposition of love and art.
I loved the artsy drama of the book-the quirky characters, the vivid descriptions of Paris, the Salon, the beauty of a photograph and the potential story it tells. Its all there. The ending, summarizes the finesse of the author, who closes with a vivid image. After being apart for decades, Lee Miller and Man Ray reunite at one of Man Ray's final photography exhibits.
"Lee is sitting, eyes closed, when she hears a noise behind her, the squeak of rubber on a hardwood floor. Someone in a wheelchair is rolling into the room. And then as the person gets closer there it is: a voice, his voice gravelly and thin now, but still familiar, a voice she wasn't able to recall until she hears it." "Lee?" Man says. What passes between them will be just a memory. There are no pictures of it.
I look forward to Whitney Scharer's next book.
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