Author： William Boyd

Publisher： Bloomsbury Publishing

Amory's first memory is of her father doing a handstand. She has memories of him returning on leave during the First World War. But his absences， both actual and emotional， are what she chiefly remembers. It is her photographer uncle Greville who supplies the emotional bond she needs， and， when he gives her a camera and some rudimentary lessons in photography， unleashes a passion that will irrevocably shape her future.

A spell at boarding school ends abruptly and Amory begins an apprenticeship with Greville in London， living in his flat in Kensington， earning two pounds a week photographing socialites for fashionable magazines. But Amory is hungry for more …

艾默利記憶中的第一個(gè)片段是看到父親在制作一個(gè)倒立小超人。她還記得父親在第一次世界大戰(zhàn)期間休假回家的情景。但是讓她最記憶猶新的卻是父親的缺席。他的叔叔攝影師格雷維爾給了她所需要的情感紐帶，而且當(dāng)他送給她一個(gè)照相機(jī)，并且給她講解了攝影的基礎(chǔ)知識(shí)時(shí)，從此為她開啟了一扇門，徹底改變了她的未來。

艾默利在寄宿學(xué)校的生活戛然而止，取而代之的是在倫敦的學(xué)徒生涯，她與格雷維爾叔叔一起住在肯辛頓的公寓里，靠為時(shí)尚雜志拍攝名流照片，她每周能掙到2英鎊。但是艾默利渴望擁有更多......