Irish author Emma Donoghue has turned 18th Century London into a world of her own. Her last novel "Slammerkin" would have done Dickens proud in its detailed depiction of slum kids forced into grueling labor (and even worse) just so they can survive. This time around, Donoghue (who now lives in Canada) takes a look up the London social ladder with "Life Mask." First and foremost, Donoghue's canvas is larger. "Life Mask" approaches the 700-page mark. Yet Donoghue's skills as a historical novelist are so sharp that you will not notice the pages as they fly by. The first of Donoghue's upper class subjects is Mrs. Damer, a young widow who spends her time at the eccentric (for a woman) task of sculpting. Then there is the Earl of Derby, wealthy yet horribly unattractive. Finally, there is Miss Eliza Farren, born of modest means in this class-obsessed society, who has managed to procure for herself a prominent spot at the Drury Lane Theatre. Donoghue sets these three characters loose in a time of deep conflict and even terrorism, between the world powers of France and England. All of Donoghue's characters ultimately are forced to confront profound personal as well as political questions. Donoghue's strength as an author is that she is aware that there are no easy answers to the very questions she, and her characters, pose. ($26 / 650 pages / Harcourt)