Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.
My current read is Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Blurb
Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. At the core of this rich, expansive, layered novel, Lauren Groff presents the story of one such marriage over the course of twenty-four years.
At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love and destined for greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but with an electric thrill we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have seemed. With stunning revelations and multiple threads, and in prose that is vibrantly alive and original, Groff delivers a deeply satisfying novel about love, art, creativity and power that is unlike anything that has come before it. Profound, surprising, propulsive and emotionally riveting, it stirs both the mind and the heart. Amazon
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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro
A thick drizzle from the sky, like a curtain’s sudden sweeping. The seabirds stopped their tuning, the ocean went mute. House-lights over the water dimmed to gray.
Two people were coming up the beach. She was fair and sharp in a green bikini, though it was May in Maine and cold. He was tall, vivid; a light flickered in him that caught the eye and held it. Their names were Lotto and Mathilde.
Please note that this was taken from a proof copy
Do you want to know more? The writing style is a little quirky and took some getting used to!
Please leave your thoughts and links in the comment box below
Cleopatra Loves Books 
Would I want to read more just based on that opening? Not really. It needed a bit more work to make those characters seem believable and interesting enough to want to know more. Saying ‘green bikini’ for example – a really good author would have found a more interesting colour so we can see the scene more clearly. What shade of green – emerald? grass? jade? And there is no way that an ocean goes mute – quieter yes, but completely silent? not possible
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Loving the critique BookerTalk – the language throughout this book is quite unusual so that opening paragraph does give a good idea of what is in store!
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That second sentence is unique. I like how the ocean going mute kind of affects your senses.
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It does, doesn’t it? This is a book full of sentences like this.
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This book will have to be exceptional to live up to that blurb! The opening doesn’t seem vibrantly alive so far – a bit pedestrian in style, although a man with a light flickering in him is rather hard to imagine, especially as it was raining. I’m looking forward to your review.
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Thank you Margaret – I found the writing style a little hard to get used to.
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The intro doesn’t wow me, but I DP want to read this based on the description.
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It is very different to my normal choices and I really was unsure at first but once I got into the rhythm I wanted to keep reading.
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I’m not sure about the writing style, Cleo, if I’m being honest. But the blurb sounds intriguing. I’ll be interested in what you think of it when you’ve finished.
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I’m still unsure Margot! I actually stopped and read some reviews after getting a few pages in as it was a struggle but in many ways I’m glad I persevered.
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Not sure — the opening doesn’t grab me.
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Yes the style seems to overpower the words in many ways – I’m glad to say I got into the flow after the first couple of chapters….
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The opening doesn’t grab me either, but I’m intrigued enough by the blurb to continue. This book is already on my wish list.
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I do hope you enjoy it 🙂
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OK, I do want to know more, based on the blurb. I’m curious as to what kind of book this is. Regular fiction or something darker. I’ve been hearing about it, but have not heard much about the story, except that it’s about a marriage over a long period of time. So, yes, I’m curious. 🙂
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It is a story about a marriage but it is also dark in parts…
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It’s very descriptive. I might choose to keep reading. Thank goodness, you gave the blurb.
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Haha yes this one definitely needed the blurb 😉
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You had me at the part about the secrets, rather than the truths, being the key to a great marriage. I am already itching to get this one. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
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It is complex marriage full of secrets…
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The blurb got my attention although the opening doesn’t really grab me. But I would keep reading to see where this story goes.
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It was worth persevering with 🙂
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The blurb promises a lot. LOL I don’t know about this one. I did like the intro you shared though. If just based on that, I probably would have kept reading.
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Indeed it does, quite off-putting but there is lots to admire…
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I’d keep reading!
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🙂
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I would read on!!
mine: https://storytreasury.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/teaser-tuesday-ancillary-sword/
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Excellent news 🙂
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It sounds like it might be a nice summer read. Girl Who Reads
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It’s quite a dense book so I wouldn’t recommend it as ‘light’ reading but great if you want to immerse yourself in the story.
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The summary grabs me more than the intro.
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🙂 I’m not sure I’d have requested this one if I’d read the opening paragraph…
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It is kind of an odd writing style, and I’m not sure I’d be fully captivated if this is all I read of the book. Who knows though! I hope you enjoy it.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
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I got used to the writing style after a while but it was very stylistic….
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