I’m looking for a book likely published in the 1970s to mid 1980s. It takes place in France. I read the book in English (not sure if original or translation); have the impression that the writer was French, and a woman. It’s fiction, and was in the “young adult” section of my local library (mid-1980s).
The main/POV character (I remember the name Pauline, but am not sure of it) is a Lycée student - perhaps aged 15-17 when the story starts. Her family live in Paris with close ties to a rural area where the father (a doctor) grew up. The MC’s best friend Béa is from a rich family and lives alone in a Paris penthouse while her parents are abroad, so that she can keep attending secondary school in Paris.
Through Béa, the MC meets an older man (an artist who may be Béa’s uncle, or a family friend?) and becomes romantically/sexually involved with him. That situation is the main plot driver but there’s also a focus on the MC’s relationship with and loyalty to her family, figuring out her own values as she grows up, and her friendship with Béa.
(I’ve just been reading Vanessa Springora’s Consent and this other book suddenly popped into my head and now I’m curious if I remember it right - but despite some searching online I can’t figure out the title, author, etc. Thanks for any help!)