The child's name is Melodie.Trespass
Long ago, before Melodie was born, her pretty mother had had a stab at composing music.
Melodie is ten years old and she's trying to eat a sandwich. She prises apart the two halves of the sandwich and stares at the wet, pink ham inside, and at the repulsive grey-green shimmer on its surface. All around her, in the dry grass and in the parched trees, crickets and grasshoppers are making that sound they make, not with their voices (Melodie has been told that they have no voices) but with their bodies, letting one part vibrate against another part. In this place, thinks Melodie, everything is alive and fluttering and going from one place to another place, and she dreads to see one of these insects arrive suddenly on her sandwich or on her leg or to start to tangle its limbs in her hair.
by Rose Tremain
Trespass is my current audiobook and, after this opening scene, Melodie has not appeared again. I have been listening while walking on the treadmill (I hope to be walking outside again soon) and it's definitely holding my interest. The old house in the south of France, full of family secrets and, now, with a mysterious disappearance, has kept me on the treadmill a few minutes longer each day. Does the opening paragraph appeal to you?
Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening paragraph(s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along.
I remember when the first John Grisham book came out. I waited and waited for it at the library, couldn't get into it at all, then got it as an audiobook -- probably one of my first -- and then would walk an extra lap or two to get to the end of a chapter. (Probably on cassette, with a Walkman!) So I respect and admire your approach! :)
ReplyDeleteAudrey - I've spent some time with cassettes and Walkmans, too! Listening while I walk is a great way to get in some extra "reading" time:-)
DeleteI like the opening paragraph - very descriptive. Your audiobook experience is familiar. I often think my audiobooks are better than a trainer in the way they keep me going.
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday Intro is here this week: Quirky Girls Read
Margot - A good book is great motivation to keep walking!
Deleteick, that grey-green shimmer on the ham! LOL
ReplyDeleteJill - Kind of gross, isn't it? I'm not a big fan of ham sandwiches anyway.
DeleteOoh, vivid images! I'll never look at a ham sandwich the same way again...lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Now I want to read this.
Here's MY TUESDAY MEMES POST
Laurel-Rain Snow - Very vivid! There are wonderful descriptions of the French countryside, too.
DeleteI would keep reading. I've put it on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteNise' - Hope you get a chance to read/listen to this. I think I'll be looking for more of Tremain's books.
DeleteI think I might have this one somewhere, definitely got a few of her books on the shelves unread!
ReplyDeleteEllie Warren - Thanks for visiting! I've been meaning to read Tremain for ages and am glad to have finally gotten around to it. I'll definitely be searching for more of her work.
Deletevery descriptive --leaves me curious for more. How is the reader of the audio? Heavy accent?
ReplyDeleteDiane - The reader is very good; a strong British accent is easy to get used to and seems to 'fit' the story.
DeleteThis one definitely piques my interest and makes me want to keep reading or listening!
ReplyDeleteKathleen - I finished Trespass yesterday - WOW!
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