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The Age of Light
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
62 posts | 57 read | 76 to read
A sweeping debut set in Paris in the 1930's about the love story between Vogue model turned photographer Lee Miller and the artist Man Ray. "I'd rather take a picture than be one," says Lee Miller, after she arrives in Paris in 1929. Gorgeous and talented, Lee has left behind a successful modeling career to pursue her dream of being an artist. She catches the eye of renowned artist Man Ray, and though he wants to use her only as a model, Lee convinces him to teach her photography as well. Man is an egotistical, charismatic force, and soon their personal and professional lives become intimately entwined. Their romance unfolds against the backdrop of bohemian Paris, with nights spent at smoky cabarets, opium dens, and Surrealist parties, and days spent working together to discover radical new photography techniques. But as Lee begins to assert herself, and moves from being a muse to an artist, Man's jealousy spirals out of control, and soon their mutual betrayals threaten to destroy them both. Told in interweaving timelines of 1930s Paris and war-torn Europe during WWII, this richly detailed, sensuous, and captivating debut by Whitney Scharer brings Lee Miller-- a brilliant and pioneering artist in her own right--out of the shadows of a man's legacy and into the light.
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JenReadsAlot
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this, but nothing super great. My #bookspin for April @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
42 likes1 comment
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JenReadsAlot
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
32 likes1 comment
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Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

This was fine. A bit interesting, but nothing I found overly compelling. It got a bit spicier in the bedroom than I expected, but it doesn't bother me. I knew the name Man Ray going into this, but nothing really about him. Our MC Lee Miller heads to Paris to pursue art instead of being the subject. I never heard of here before this. I was intrigued that Man Ray has some history in New Jersey and Lee some in nearby Poughkeepsie. ⬇️

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Ultimately, this is a glossy overview of their life, but not much of a plot moving things forward beyond how Lee got from point A to point B and what she did along the way. A low pick unless you're really into them & their work.

November #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks #pop21 #AboutArtOrArtist
2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
46 likes2 comments
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InkintheMargins
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Mehso-so

⭐⭐⭐
This book covers the fiery relationship between Man Ray and Lee Miller set against the backdrop of 1930s Paris. I had never heard of either of these artists, so I enjoyed learning about them. Miller's experiences were particularly fascinating. Loved all of the references to art 🎨, photography 📷, and allusions to the creative thinkers of this time. The characters were hard to connect with, but the historical aspects saved this one for me.

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emmaturi
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

This book is mostly set in Paris and details the relationship between Man Ray and Lee Miller. I knew of Man Ray, but had never heard of Lee Miller. I would love to see some of her photographs. #books

25 likes1 stack add
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BeansPage
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Bailedbailed

This book is well written but there really is no plot. It's really just willy-nilly with seemingly no point and I lost interest. The World War II sections were great but unfortunately there's just not enough of them to keep my interest with this one.

marleed I didn‘t realize until I was finished that the characters were people IRL. I think I would have liked this one more had I done a bit of research first. 4y
BeansPage @marleed I know it's based on real people. But for some reason it just couldn't keep my attention and I had to stop. Shouldn't force yourself to read something that's not keeping your attention. Too many other books to read right? 4y
marleed @SumisBooks yep, concur 100%. I‘m always a bit chagrined when I don‘t realize the IRL people of Hf. It reminds of how much history I missed along the way. 4y
53 likes1 stack add3 comments
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perfectsinner
The Age of Light | Whitney Scharer
Mehso-so

A fictionalized account of Lee Miller and Man Ray's time together. Being interested in photography, I enjoyed those aspects of the story. I didn't know until the end of the book that they were real people. This wasn't a ground-breaking novel, but it was pretty decent. Overall I enjoyed it. 3 star.

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perfectsinner
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Why are my pictures showing up sideways now?!? 🤔😡

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AlexGeorge
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

A pleasure from start to finish. Exquisitely done.

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katlyn447
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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My April TBR for #BookSpin #DoubleSpin

I bailed on the March pick, let's see if April is any better!

@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay! You have some good ones on there!! 4y
6 likes1 comment
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canbku
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
Pickpick

I really ended up liking this though it was often slow. The characters were all very self absorbed, but they were very interesting people, so why not. I loved the seeing and the time periods and learning about art and photography.

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kspenmoll
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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#HollyJollyChristmas #Light

I have not read this yet- TBR. But seems to fit. 🕯🕯

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Cinfhen
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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#MOvember #RayOfLight I‘ve been eyeing this #BOTM but lots of mixed reviews 😬A “love” story set in Paris in the 1930's between Vogue model turned photographer Lee Miller and the artist Man Ray.

ferskner Oh my word, I loved that album. 4y
Cinfhen So good right @ferskner 🙌🏻 4y
77 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Verity
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Mehso-so

Distinctly mixed on this. I didn‘t like any of the characters really - but that‘s not a necessity. What is a necessity is feeling like there has been some resolution or outcome at the end of it all. And I didn‘t get that. I felt like a spent a lot of time in the presence of someone very damaged, but I didn‘t feel like I came away understanding her any better than at the start. Or at least not on any deeper level. Disappointing but not terrible

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Verity
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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On a big old interwar novel kick atm...

18 likes1 stack add
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Copwithabook
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Help Littens! I‘m about half way through this one. It feels so slow going, and it‘s taken me forever just to get this far. Should I keep going? Is the end worth it? #toreadornottoread #dnf?

marleed I didn‘t realize this book was based on IRL people I wish I had known that as I read. Perhaps if you google a bit about the MC you will have renewed interest in the book‘s conclusion. 5y
Copwithabook @marleed that is such a good idea! Thank you 5y
18 likes2 comments
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TheBookHippie
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

Finished in two days.
I wish this was an actual biography -it was good.
Helpful that I have extensive true knowledge of Lee Miller, this made the read easy quick and interesting. Worth the time.
FYI her son has written on her and it‘s very good.

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Lindy
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Mehso-so

I thought this would be right up my alley because I love reading about artists in Paris. Especially women artists. That part of this novel is great, especially the references to Lee Miller‘s & Man Ray‘s works. The steamy sex is a bit much but most disappointing is the degree of fictionalization. The author‘s disclaimer: “Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author‘s imagination or are used fictitiously, and👇

Lindy (Continued) any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.” I believe historical fiction that centres on real people should stick more closely to facts. 5y
ValerieAndBooks I have not read this but I totally agree with you! If it‘s going to veer that far from the facts, just give them different names! 5y
Lindy @ValerieAndBooks Exactly! Like Myla Goldberg did in 5y
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Kazzie
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
Pickpick

Took a bit. She seemed very unhappy. But ultimately good story, engaging

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swishandflick
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Mehso-so

I was into it at first but lost interest along the way because there isn't much of a plot and it got tedious. Lee's later experience as a war correspondant is fascinating, but those chapters were few and far between and they felt like more of a displaced afterthought than anything of substance. #BOTM

(PS: couldn't think of a better Parisian setting than the Arc de Triomphe inspired arch in Washington Square Park 😄)

Leftcoastzen I want to be there now! 5y
megnews I‘ll be there in a couple weeks! 5y
swishandflick @megnews Nice! 👏🏽 5y
104 likes3 comments
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swishandflick
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Loving these moments when I'm running early for personal training and have time to sit and read on the Highline for a bit first ❤️

Finally getting around to this February #BOTM pick and enjoying it so far! I figured I'd chip away at my backlist while *still* waiting for June's box 😄

squirrelbrain I‘d always be early, if I could sit and read on the Highline! 😁 5y
Scochrane26 I love the HighLine. I walked most of it last yr when I was there, l was rushed & want to go back. 5y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Love you're tshirt 5y
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swishandflick @squirrelbrain I know right!! Only problem is that it's already an early (for me) start so the alarm clock + subway situation have to line up just right 😂 5y
swishandflick @Scochrane26 I love it too!! ❤️ 5y
swishandflick @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Thank you! Gotta love Out of Print 😄 5y
86 likes6 comments
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BookBumming
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

(Continued review in comments)
The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer is a very steamy historical fiction that centers around the relationship of two real life photographers and their time in Paris during the 30s. It took me awhile to get into this read, but once I researched the people and their works I got very invested! (Famous picture of Lee Miller in Hitler‘s bathtub)

BookBumming They are some very talented artists for sure. I felt that this was a fairly shallow way to tell their story. But perhaps their story is just that. Shallow! There is a lot more to Lee Miller than her affair with Man Ray. She was a war correspondent for World War II for goodness sake! But that was only lightly touched upon. 5y
BookBumming Despite that fact I found myself throughly enjoying the drama and passion of this novel. I was constantly looking up new artists from the era that I‘ve never heard of and it was kinda awesome. I learned a lot reading this, and now I want to know more about these people. 5y
4 likes2 comments
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KtBenReadingBooks
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
Mehso-so

Meh- overall very interesting story. I never knew about either of them so it was fascinating to learn more about them and pulled back in time and there were some parts that stuck with me but felt that it dragged on and went into too much incessant detail around certain things that caused the story to slow down.

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BookishTrish
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Morning reading view #audiocommute

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BookBumming
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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21 week baby bump.. featuring my newest romantic read and my little bff playing in her sand box in the background. ❤️

The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
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She went to Paris to start over, to make art instead of being made into it.. "I'd rather take a photograph than be one," she declares after she arrives in Paris in 1929, where she soon catches the eye of the famous Surrealist Man Ray.

MoonWitch94 Sounds like a good read! Your bump is too cute, btw ☺️ 5y
BookBumming It‘s interesting! Thank you so much!!! 💘😭 5y
11 likes2 comments
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Jeannineth
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Next up is The Age of Light. I thought historical fiction would be nice after a string of thrillers.

sudi I just finished this yesterday, loved it 😊 5y
80 likes1 stack add1 comment
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SuburbiaInterrupted
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

An exquisite story from beginning to end. Whether searching for the perfect light to photograph or perfect life to live, we are all searching for something. I love that THE AGE OF LIGHT ended with a sense of self acceptance over a fairy tale, perfect ending. Beautifully written and highly recommend.
🌸🌸
*Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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dfieb
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

I loved this book!! I was ignorant of both artists, Man Ray and Lee Miller, who lived through exciting and tragic times. I was enthralled with the writing style, and she had me captivated from beginning to end. I was teary at the end. Every time I read a book that I love, I slow down so that the I can make the book last longer. A beautiful book that I highly recommend.

7 likes1 stack add
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jpellet
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Mehso-so

I got stuck in this book!! It took weeks to read. I have a hard time bailing on books, but if I did bail on books, this would have been one of them! Although, I did enjoy the last 50 or so pages.

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Kate.Braithwaite
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Just starting this ❤️❤️❤️ #historical #paris #photography

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kitteh_reads
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Mehso-so

It was different from what I was expecting. I enjoyed the technical aspects of the photography they described and the descriptions of Paris

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thebluestocking
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

This debut is an impressively immersive experience. I got caught up in Lee‘s path to becoming an artist in the Paris 20s and her fervent love affair with her mentor. I was occasionally pulled out of the narrative by the framing pieces of her as an older woman and as a WWII correspondent. Also, I felt that Lee‘s character arc ends just as she turns a corner. I wanted more of the denouement. But the writing was, at all turns, well done. #botm

77 likes2 stack adds
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Dogearedcopy
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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I admit that when I opened my birthday present and saw the cover of the tagged book, I was bemused. This doesn‘t seem like my kind of book, and it made me wonder, after 25+ yrs of marriage if my DH really knew me; but then I realized from the jacket copy that it‘s about Lee Miller!

Guess my DH knows me pretty well after all 😉

SamAnne I‘m reading Ninth Street Women right now and loving it. Have this on hold at the library! 5y
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Jbakesmcgee3
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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🥰

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cathygee
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

#BOTM I was excited about my monthly pick. I do not know much about Lee Miller or Man Ray. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I would get bogged down at times with the photography descriptions. It is not all ritz and glamour of Paris in the 20s. There is a sadness that I am left with for Lee after I reflect on the story.

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Bookish_B
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

I love expat artists in Paris so I chose this book on that alone. I enjoyed it but think one of the main reasons is that it introduced me to a bunch of new (real) people I had not known of before, particularly Lee Miller. I love googling names and looking at pictures of the real people and their work and then doing deep dives later (I've got a bunch of nonfiction stuff on my TBR now) so I'm really glad I made this my BOTM pick!

Tanisha_A Sounds super interesting! 5y
cathygee This was my #BOTM and I google while I read as well! 😂 I am not quite finished and I can't wait to see how it wraps up! 5y
36 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Hestapleton
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

It took me about 150 pages to really get into this book, but the story is captivating. I got much more into it once I realized that Lee Miller is an actual person, who I had somehow never heard of before. She was so fascinating and her photography (via Google searches) is captivating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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BookishMarginalia
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Sunday morning reading brings a mention of the single piece of literature I have ever despised: Lautreamont‘s Les Chants de Maldoror. I had to read it and write about it in an undergraduate lit class... I HATED it. (So does Lee Miller; Man Ray adores it.)

Scochrane26 Only one piece you‘ve ever despised? I definitely have a few. 5y
Factaddict73 Thanks to Le Bon Dieu I have never HAD to read it, therefore I don‘t hate it.... if I dislike something that much, I just put it down; my hate slots are empty: it takes too much energy to dislike anything that much- I just avoid things/people as soon as I realize they belong in my dislike category. 5y
133 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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echalpan
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

Happy I made this my #BOTM pick for February. I loved that it was based on real artists. I loved the setting - 1930s Paris. Such an intriguing book that totally captured my attention.

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BookishMarginalia
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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About 40% in — took me a few chapters to get into it, and honestly, neither Man Ray nor Lee Miller are particularly appealing characters for me. I‘m interested enough to keep reading, though. 🤓

IamIamIam It looks like a great premise! I'm interested to see how you feel at the end! 5y
catebutler Curious to hear your final thoughts. I have this on my list! 5y
JamieArc I‘m really curious about other people‘s reviews on this. There were parts I loved (1930s Paris and photography) but it ended leaving me feel like a had an absinthe hangover, and not sure at all how I felt about it. 5y
Cathythoughts Gorgeous cover & title 5y
BookishMarginalia @IamIamIam @catebutler @JamieArc Overall it‘s a pick, basically because the stuff about art and the creative process was compelling. However, I really didn‘t like any of the characters, nor felt emotionally connected to them. And the Bohemian lifestyle aspect just bores me. Still, well-written and worth reading. I learned quite a bit that I didn‘t know about Lee Miller‘s war photography too. 5y
147 likes1 stack add5 comments
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TorieStorieS
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Pickpick

This wasn‘t my official #BOTM pick, but as an extra- and I have to say that I overall enjoyed it! Focusing on the relationship of Lee Miller and Man Ray, this historical fiction novel moves along at a fast pace and reads like a romance novel with glimpses of heavier historical fiction! It‘s those glimpses that may leave the reader wanting more. I know I felt that way, but to me this was a satisfying extension of Francine Prose‘s The Lives Of Muses

k.reads.5 Great review, I've seen a lot of buzz about this one! Will have to check it out when I'm in the mood for historical fiction. 5y
TorieStorieS @pl.2886 Thanks!! ☺️☺️☺️ 5y
67 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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sherri
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Cold night. Hot chocolate. Book. Journal. I have mastered winter nights.

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BookishMarginalia
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Happy Sunday, dear Littens! Just starting this one.

dgingo Is that a cappuccino? It looks delightful! ☕️ 5y
marie3blue Looks like a nice start to the day 😊☕️ 5y
157 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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sherri
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Diving in. I'm excited for this one because I've been getting back into my own photography, and this is a historical fiction about photographers Lee Miller and Man Ray, whom I know nothing about.

Briget66 Tell me more about the notebook you have in back. Is it what it looks like? A place to write about the books you‘ve read? And to date your reads? 5y
sherri @Briget66 I pulled out a notebook to track characters in a book I was reading a few months ago. I have trouble keeping them straight when there are many. But I found I enjoyed having a few notes, so I'm trying it out with more of my reading now. This time before starting to read the book, I wrote down what made me choose it. I'm making notes along the way about timeline, characters, and thoughts about the writing. 5y
16 likes2 comments
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Sydsavvy
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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I'm sooooo behind on my #tbr from #botm!! Any suggestions on which to read first?? #help #amreading #readingsuggestions

Redwritinghood I‘ve seen a lot of good reviews of 5y
cariashley I‘ve heard the Hank Green is great! 5y
8little_paws Oh I loved the far field!! 5y
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sherri I put BOTM on hold in December and January because I was behind. I'm still behind, but got The Age of Light for February. About to start reading it now! 5y
swishandflick A Ladder to the Sky is excellent!! 5y
Sydsavvy Y'all are not making it easier lol!!!! But I definitely have a good group to plow through! 5y
Briget66 Eek I only made it half way through the Hank Green one. Maybe it was just me? 5y
shutterbug_mama I‘m almost finished with A Woman is No Man and I‘m really enjoying it! 5y
Sydsavvy @shutterbug_mama that's the one that stuck with me after a first page perusal. There's just something about it! 5y
ErikasMindfulShelf I just finished The Far Field and it was amazing!! 5y
Sydsavvy @irre ok enough have said that--i need to make it next! 5y
47 likes11 comments
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echalpan
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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Wishing it was still the weekend, so I could curl up with my girl and read my new #BOTM pick without a care for the time 💛

CoffeeNBooks Cute pup! 5y
echalpan @CoffeeNBooks thank you! 5y
Erofan Cutie 🐕❤ 5y
echalpan @Erofan thank you 😊 5y
36 likes4 comments
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MeganAnn
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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#BOTM box was delivered this morning. I‘ve been seriously considering canceling my subscription, but then the selections this month were phenomenal. It‘s the first time in quite awhile that I‘ve had a hard time choosing just three books. 🤷‍♀️📚

The_Heeler_Booklife I‘m almost finished Enchantèe and it is super good 5y
63 likes1 comment
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BookishTrish
The Age of Light: A Novel | Whitney Scharer
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2. #cupidgoespostal and #happilyeverafterswap opening - I love seeing people open presents I chose. 3. None 4. John 5. Will do!

Chrissyreadit I love seeing the opening of packages too! 5y
71 likes1 comment