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Adult Books - Fiction - Historical Fiction
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Life Class.
Barker, Pat (author).
Jan. 2008. 256p. Doubleday, hardcover, $23.95 (9780385524353).
REVIEW.
First published October 1, 2007 (Booklist).
Barker secured a high literary and popular reputation as the author of the well-regarded Regeneration trilogy of novels (Regeneration, 1991; The Eye in the Door, 1994; The Ghost Road, 1995) about Britain in World War I. As subsequent novels have demonstrated, that marvelous sequence certainly didn’t deplete her reserve of talent. Her new novel returns her fans to the Britain of World War I; like the novels of the trilogy, it is about suffering, setbacks, and sacrifice on a personal level, at a time when the national fabric is under considerable stress. The book opens in a London art academy, where we meet the chief characters, who are embroiled in their little battles as artists and lovers. The bigger war soon—unavoidably—impacts their lives, however, especially as the main protagonist, Paul Tarrant, volunteers for the Red Cross and goes to the front. The point of the novel is the lesson that the war teaches these young men and women: quick, deep personal change is inescapable and probably beneficial in times of dire national change. Some readers may find Barker slow moving; others will appreciate the care she takes in her rich, deliberate character building. — Brad Hooper
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