▁ 1 8 , ▁and ▁consequ ently ▁she ▁described ▁her ▁school ▁years ▁as ▁difficult . ▁" I ▁was ▁just ▁difficult , ▁dis rupt ive , ▁good ▁at ▁school ▁work , ▁but ▁r ude , ▁I ▁suspect , ▁and ▁too ▁highly - str ung ", ▁Law son ▁reflected . ▁She ▁was ▁educated ▁at ▁several ▁independent ▁schools , ▁among ▁them ▁I bst ock ▁Place ▁School , ▁Queen ' s ▁Gate ▁School ▁and ▁God olph in ▁and ▁Lat ym er ▁School . ▁She ▁worked ▁for ▁many ▁department ▁stores ▁in ▁London , ▁and ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁gradu ate ▁from ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Oxford ▁with ▁a ▁degree ▁in ▁medieval ▁and ▁modern ▁languages , ▁as ▁a ▁student ▁at ▁Lady ▁Margaret ▁Hall . ▁She ▁lived ▁in ▁Florence , ▁Italy , ▁for ▁a ▁time . ▁ ▁Career ▁ ▁Early ▁work ▁Law son ▁originally ▁worked ▁in ▁publishing , ▁first ▁taking ▁a ▁job ▁under ▁publish er ▁Na im ▁Att al lah . ▁At ▁ 2 3 , ▁she ▁began ▁her ▁career ▁in ▁journal ism ▁after ▁Charles ▁Moore ▁had ▁invited ▁her ▁to ▁write ▁for ▁The ▁Spect ator ▁– ▁her ▁father ▁had ▁previously ▁been ▁editor ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁publication , ▁and ▁her ▁older ▁brother ▁soon ▁would ▁take ▁up ▁the ▁same ▁role . ▁Her ▁initial ▁work ▁at ▁the ▁magazine ▁consisted ▁of ▁writing ▁book ▁reviews , ▁after ▁which ▁she ▁became ▁a ▁restaurant ▁critic ▁there ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 5 . ▁She ▁became ▁the ▁deput y ▁literary ▁editor ▁of ▁The ▁Sunday ▁Times ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 6 ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 2 6 . ▁