Martha in Paris

In the late 1940s, eighteen-year-old Martha travels to Paris to study painting and the work of artists whose reputations have shaped her ambitions. She approaches the city as material for her art rather than as a romantic adventure, but her independence attracts Eric, a homesick British bank clerk who offers comfort, routine and an attachment she has not planned.

When Martha becomes pregnant, she refuses to allow the expectations surrounding marriage and motherhood to determine the course of her life. She makes a practical arrangement with Eric and returns to England to pursue her career. The novel presents post-war Paris through a young woman who accepts responsibility for her choices without abandoning the work she considers essential.