Life Mask
Emma Donoghue
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Buy *Life Mask* online

Life Mask
Emma Donoghue
Harvest
Paperback
672 pages
September 2005
rated 4 of 5 possible stars

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Emma Donoghue selects late eighteenth-century England for her larger-than-life portrayal of rumor, political plots, extravagant spectacle and the contrast of wealth and poverty, all exacerbated by the incipient populist revolution in France. His poor brain addled by incipient madness, King George tenaciously clings to the throne, supported by the arrogant William Pitt, as the Whigs and the Tories face off.

An oppressed population pushes relentlessly against an indifferent upper class, most obvious in the blatant surfeit of the Beau Monde, who fancy themselves "the World." Certainly, the gossip is more vicious in their rarified salons, where character assassination is a talent honed to a fine art, especially when fuelled by a breath of scandal.

Perfectly inhabiting time and place, Donoghue paints the private dramas of three protagonists against this dramatic background with broad strokes: Eliza Farren, a comedic actress; the Earl of Derby, her married suitor; and Anne Damer, a widowed sculptor with vague hints of sexual impropriety staining her impeccable reputation.

As a Member of Parliament, the Earl of Derby is closely tied to the ongoing political upheaval, his politics and the behavior demanded by one of his stature often conflicting. Seeking to introduce the still-virginal Eliza into the esoteric world of the Beau Monde, the Earl is devoted to the beautiful Eliza, slavishly attending to her every whim.

A friend of the Earl's and the perfect guide through the pitfalls of high society, Anne Damer enjoys a singular freedom in her social milieu, avoiding the complications of remarriage but haunted by the persistent rumors of sexual deviance. For her part, Eliza's position is precarious; an indiscriminate faux pas can merit expulsion from the inner circle she so desperately courts. Aspiring to better her prospects in life, Eliza is an outsider who positions herself as advantageously as possible, her future security at stake.

Life Mask is vintage Donoghue. While current events determine the future of a rigidly structured society, Anne's struggles, both as an artist and in her personal relationships, address the interior landscape of a complex, intelligent female. A woman of exquisite sensibilities, Damer views the world through the compassionate lens of the artist.

In this complex, tumultuous period, the boringly predictable Beau Monde submerge themselves in venal gossip, romantic assignations and parlor games, content in “the World." A combination of fact and fiction supported by archival documentation, Life Mask is based on the actual lives of Farren, Damer and Derby, other significant figures of the time in appropriate roles. Against the unpredictable panoply of humanity, Donoghue provides a glimpse into a past that eerily mirrors the present.

Click here for Luan Gaines' interview with Life Mask author Emma Donoghue

© 2004 by Luan Gaines for Curled Up With a Good Book

Also by Emma Donoghue:

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