A Start in Life - Anita Brookner

I always thought Brookner wrote like a painting, then I learned she was (also) an art historian. Well, there we go. Reading Brookner's prose is like visiting a favorite friend and hearing her deliciously gossipy, but nice! stories, while sitting by a lake and sipping a glass of (good) white wine. This is her debut novel, about finding life outside of literature, if that's possible. New copy! Found in the UK.