Tuesday, April 16, 2013

First Paragraph, Tuesday Teaser -- Bitter Almonds


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.
I'm not sure what snagged me with this little book Bitter Almonds by Laurence Cossé. Of course, it's set in Paris so that made me pick it up, but I swallowed it in one bite. Here's the intro:
There's a ring at the door. Édith is at work on the dining room table. I won't get it, she thinks, the hell with it. Who could it be? It's almost dark. But she gets up, goes to open.
The opening wouldn't grab me at all, but the simple, straightforward writing (translation) just moves along and I went with it. The story is about a middle class French woman who decides to help her Moroccan house maid to read. As the story unfolds, they learn about each other's lives.
Also this week is Teaser Tuesdays. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Open to a random page of your current read and share a teaser sentence from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers:
Here's mine from page 31:
She cannot tell the i apart from the other letters. Clearly there is nothing distinctive about a dot above a letter. As for "above," it's as if Fadila hadn't a clue what she meant by it. 
Like I said, I enjoyed this novel.

9 comments:

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

This does sound fascinating. I love books that have great settings (Paris!) and the themes in this one grabbed me.

Here's MY TUESDAY MEMES POST

JoAnn said...

The intro doesn't grab me, but when combined with the description, I'm tempted!

Beth F said...

The description is definitely better than the intro.

Kathy Martin said...

Not my kind of book but I am glad you enjoyed it. Come see my teasers for Sharp by Alex Hughes and The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd. Happy reading!

Nise' said...

I agree, the description grabbed my attention.

Catherine @ Book Club Librarian said...

I like the premise and setting...so I would continue to read on.

Here's my Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2013/04/first-chapter-first-paragraph-9-and.html

kayerj said...

the opening didn't grab me but your explanation following did. I hope you enjoy the book. kelley—the road goes ever ever on

Bonnie said...

The intro didn't grab me but I would keep on reading as the story sounds great!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Ohhh you are beating me to this one. I bought it.

The intro doesn't grab me either, but based on the overview I know it must get lots better....can't wait to read your review.

Cockadoodle Doo or Cocorico?

 We stood in the middle of the road, having walked together 13 miles that day and Claudine grasped my forearm. "Mais non! It doesn'...