MOON PASSAGE <i> by Jane LeCompte (Harper & Row: $8.95) </i>

Jane LeCompte’s sensual first novel focuses on the relationship between two women in love with the same man. Anne Ellis, the fortysomething wife, is an Earth Mother in a rut, ensconced in their Big Sur retreat while Jay travels from college to college, teaching and philandering. His latest conquest, Ellen Cassidy, impulsively visits Anne in an effort to learn more about her erstwhile paramour. The two women quickly overcome their initial antipathy and become friends, teaching and learning from each other. “Moon Passage” is obviously aimed at a female audience, but its lyrical descriptions and thoughtful characterizations mark LeCompte as a writer of promise.