Don't forget to drop by Bibliophile By the Sea and read Diane's selection this week and be sure to visit and read the contributions of other participants in this terrific meme who can be found in the comments!
The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson
The bride and groom had two wedding receptions: the first was in the basement of the Lutheran church right after the ceremony, with punch and cake and coffee and pastel mints. This was for those of the bride's relatives who were stern about alcohol. The basement was low-ceilinged and smelled of metallic furnace heat. Old ladies wearing corsages sat on folding chairs, while other guests stood and managed their cake plates and plastic forks as best they could. The pastor smiled with professional benevolence. The bride and groom posed for pictures, buoyed by adrenaline and relief. There had been so much promised and prepared, and now everything had finally come to pass.
By five o'clock the last of the crowd had retrieved their winter coats and boots from the cloakroom and headed out. It was January, with two weeks of hard-packed snow underfoot and more on the way, and most of them had long drives from Grenada, over country roads to get back home. The second reception was just beginning at the American Legion hall, where there would be a buffet supper, a bar, and a dance band.
What are your thoughts about these 2 opening paragraphs? Would you read this book based on these paragraphs?
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They are just factual - they had 2 receptions and that's all. No suspense build up. Don't know if I'd read on.
ReplyDeleteNothing really grabbed me but I think I would read a few more pages to see where this is going.
ReplyDeleteI love the title of this one and like how we're immediately dropped into the story here -- I'm definitely planning to read on!
ReplyDeleteThe first two paragraphs don't grab my attention. I might read a bit more to see if something interesting develops.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to read this one, and yes, the intro grabs me. It sounds like a wedding from maybe the 1940's or 1950's???
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for your review Amy.
I like it! It set the tone -- I can totally imagine that first reception with just the one paragraph!
ReplyDeleteI would read it based on those two paragraphs, and it sounds like you will too! Great choice for today!
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