Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which I share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers, who do the same.
Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.
To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.
Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!
What a great way to spend a Friday!
Today’s feature is Bitter Orange, by Claire Fuller, a seductive psychological portrait, a keyhole into the dangers of longing and how far a woman might go to escape her past.
Beginning: They must think I don’t have long left because today they allow the vicar in. Perhaps they are right, although this day feels no different from yesterday, and I imagine tomorrow will go on much the same.
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Friday 56: Cara took the cigarette from Peter’s lips. He held the packet out to me and I shook my head. “No, thank you,” I said. “I don’t smoke.”
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Synopsis: From the attic of Lyntons, a dilapidated English country mansion, Frances Jellico sees them—Cara first: dark and beautiful, then Peter: striking and serious. The couple is spending the summer of 1969 in the rooms below hers while Frances is researching the architecture in the surrounding gardens. But she’s distracted. Beneath a floorboard in her bathroom, she finds a peephole that gives her access to her neighbors’ private lives.
To Frances’ surprise, Cara and Peter are keen to get to know her. It is the first occasion she has had anybody to call a friend, and before long they are spending every day together: eating lavish dinners, drinking bottle after bottle of wine, and smoking cigarettes until the ash piles up on the crumbling furniture. Frances is dazzled.
But as the hot summer rolls lazily on, it becomes clear that not everything is right between Cara and Peter. The stories that Cara tells don’t quite add up, and as Frances becomes increasingly entangled in the lives of the glamorous, hedonistic couple, the boundaries between truth and lies, right and wrong, begin to blur. Amid the decadence, a small crime brings on a bigger one: a crime so terrible that it will brand their lives forever.
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Do the excerpts grab you? Would you keep reading?
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Those teasers definitely grabbed my attention. Great choice!
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Thanks, Yvonne, I love the sound of it, too.
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I’m definitely interested! This book is going on my list right now!
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Thanks for visiting, Catherine, and I’m excited about it. Enjoy yours!
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This isn’t the sort of thing I usually read. I hope you are enjoying it. Thanks for visiting my blog and happy reading!
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Thanks for visiting, Kathy, I do hope to enjoy it. Enjoy yours!
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Very intriguing synopsis. Hope you enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
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Thanks, Alicia, I hope to enjoy it, too. Have a great weekend.
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I’ve already read this one. I hope you enjoy it.
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Thanks for stopping by, Nicki, I hope to love it. Have a great weekend.
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This book goes on my list!
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Thanks, Harvee, I couldn’t resist it!
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I’m curious for more. Sounds like a bit of an emotional read, but they are often fantastic! Happy weekend!
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Thanks, Freda, I am looking forward to it.
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Spying on her new friends seems a bit creepy. I am intrigued by the premise, though. Hope you enjoy it.
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Yes, that is creepy, Roberta, thanks for stopping by.
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Happy reading – I definitely want to know more!
Lauren @ Always Me
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Thanks, Lauren, I am excited about it!
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A little dose of creepiness to begin and then we are lulled into the false premise of a glorious summer of champagne and picnics in this occupied country estate, with not a care in the world supposedly, sharing tales of the past, until we learn some of those stories weren’t quite the truth…
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I agree, Claire; I am definitely eager to read this book.
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