First Chapter ~ First Paragraph (September 4)

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Vicky from I’d Rather Be At The Beach who 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 opening paragraph today comes from The Lost Letters by Sarah Mitchell because I have a longing to read a good dual time-line novel and this sounds like it fits the bill perfectly.

Blurb

What if keeping your loved ones safe meant never seeing them again?

Norfolk, 1940: Sylvia’s husband Howard has gone off to war, and she is struggling to raise her two children alone. Her only solace is her beach hut in Wells-Next-The-Sea, and her friendship with Connie, a woman she meets on the beach. The two women form a bond that will last a lifetime, and Sylvia tells Connie something that no-one else knows: about a secret lover… and a child.

Canada, present day: When Martha’s beloved father dies, he leaves her two things: a mysterious stash of letters to an English woman called ‘Catkins’ and directions to a beach hut in the English seaside town of Wells. Martha is at a painful crossroads in her own life, and seizes this chance for a trip to England – to discover more about her family’s past, and the identity of her father’s secret correspondent.

The tragedy of war brought heartbreaking choices for Sylvia. And a promise made between her and Connie has echoed down the years. For Martha, if she uncovers the truth, it could change everything… Amazon

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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro

ONE

CANADIAN AIRSPACE, RECENTLY

‘… seven, eight, nine…’ Martha Rodwell is counting under her breath. On ten she opens her eyes and her left hand – freckled, slim and workmanlike – slackens its grip on the arm of the airline chair. Little by little the slope of the gangway begins to level and the grinding whine of the engines slows to a growl.

‘Well,’ she murmurs, ‘I guess we can all breathe again now!’ The man in the seat but one from her own lifts his head from the well of a ring binder, spearing her with his light blue eyes. ‘I’m sorry?’ he says. ‘What did you say?’
‘Oh!’ – Martha laughs awkwardly – ‘I… Well, I just… Oh, it was nothing…’

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Well I am hoping the man with the spearing eyes appears more often!

What do you think? Would you keep reading?