cover image Life Class

Life Class

Elizabeth James. St. Martin's Press, $18.95 (364pp) ISBN 978-0-312-01060-7

Sarah Morgan's artistic talent is the focus of this familiar saga of one woman's notable achievements. Sarah's loving family is shattered by WW I, and when she takes refuge in marriage to a young art teacher, she is more smothered than nurtured by his reverence. With the stillbirth of their daughter, Sarah leaves her husband and their small Welsh mining town for art school in London and a memorably bohemian summer in Paris. Sarah prospers, becoming London's most sought after society portraitist, though at the same time she feels emotionally unfulfilled. This time, it is Stephen Law, a brilliant man of letters, who offers refuge. With a move to New Mexico, Sarah and Stephen flourish individually, artistically, and as a married couple, though a bittersweet ending is in store. Although this narrative follows a worn path, Sarah is a strong and independent woman whose story will sustain the reader's interest. (September 25)