Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
It's funny that the publisher contacted me about reviewing this novel, The Runaway Wife, just as my own novel, Paris Runaway, was about to come out. I noted the similar title and the fact that they are both set in Europe.
I've read a book by this author, Elizabeth Birkelund, before and the writing blew me away, so it was an easy decision to read this one. The previous book I loved, also set in France, was The Dressmaker. I'm about halfway through The Runaway Wife, so look for an upcoming review.
Jim Olsen, you are here. In Switzerland, walking on the rock ledges of the Swiss Alps. If this was not the end of the world, at least it felt like it. In this moonscape ten thousand feet high, in this land of rock and rock and more rock, and sky and sky and more sky, one misguided step and Jim could plunge from one of thousands of vertiginous, crusted cliffs. The only thing that reassured Jim that he was not on a planet in a far-flung galaxy was his ability, on this clear day, to pinpoint several small patches of green that resembled colored pieces in a stained-glass window -- these he knew to be farmland in the Swiss valley far, far below.I don't care for that first sentence where he's apparently speaking to himself in second person. I had to read it several times to figure it out, but the rest of the book is lovely.
I look forward to seeing what everyone else is reading.
I'm also connecting with Paris in July.
12 comments:
Love the cover but not a fan of the writing style:( Hope you like this one.
Interesting. My personal reading is mostly nonfiction, but I'm reading the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (hey, we're expats, so we're behind) out loud with my daughter. She's all big but I still read to her--she finds reading in English to be too much work, the way I feel about reading in French. So I read out loud, still. It's also a good way to talk about ...topics, and it's a treasured few moments of calm together at the end of the day. And a vocabulary lesson hidden in there.
I was a little confused by the first sentence too. I do think this book sounds very interesting. I would keep reading. I love the coincidence in the title to your own. It's almost like it was menat to be. :-)
I'm not sure if this one is for me. Girl Who Reads
Diane, Thanks for stopping by.
Francetaste, What a perfect idea to read an English book to your daughter -- vocabulary and a chance to talk about growing up issues.
Literary Feline, The first line was the worst of the book, I promise. Which is too bad.
Donna H., Thanks for visiting.
I am definitely curious about this one, and the excerpt piqued my interest. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
That first sentence in the paragraph threw me off too. I'm not sure about the rest of the paragraph either. I'd like to read a bit more before committing to the book.
Yes an odd sentence/tense construction but I like it enough to want to know more. Thanks for sharing.
I found it a bit awkward but I'm still curious about the story!
"If this was not the end of the world, at least it felt like it." -- what a cliche!
I'm not convinced by your claim that the book is well-written! I'll pass.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I am intrigued as to how the intro fits in with the title. Going to check it out.
I just finished reading Marcia Muir Mitchell's memoir, French Toast, available on amazon:https://www.amazon.com/French-Toast-Marcia-Muir-MItchell/dp/1522988572. Ms. Mitchell sounds as if she was a supremely materialistic and superficial person who underwent something of a transformation when she decided to live for many years with a younger man (an artist) in a small village in Provence. My reaction to the memoir is mixed. I am full of admiration for her for following a dream, and for writing what seems to be a colorful but honest account of her years in France, even as she now begins to suffer from Alzheimer's - but I found it difficult to accept many of her choices, and to sympathize with her misspent wealth and her alcoholism. A fascinating book for those (like me, I guess) who can't look away from the train wreck. Maybe it's more of a cautionary tale than anything else. Her son is the talented young actor Ben Feldman.
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