Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tuesday Intro: Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

"Iris crossed her brittle ankles and folded her hands in her lap as the diving bell creaked and juddered towards the sea. At first, she could hear Demelza  shouting and cursing as she cranked the winch, but the as bell was cantilevered away from the deck her voice was lost in the wind. Cold air rushed through the open bottom of the bell, bringing with it the rusty smell of The Matriarch's  liver-spotted flanks and the brackish damp of seaweed. The bench Iris was sitting on was narrow and every time the diving bell rocked she pressed against the footrest to steady herself.  She kept imagining that she was inside a church bell and that she was the clapper about to ring out loudly into the water, announcing something. She fixed her eyes on the small window and didn't look down. There was no floor beneath her feet, just a wide open gap and the sea peaked and spat. She lurched downwards slowly, metres away from the side of the trawler, where a layer of barnacles and mussels clung on like the survivors of a shipwreck."*

Diving Belles 
by Lucy Wood

Diving Belles, a short story collection, will be released on August 7. I read the first story over the weekend and found Wood's voice and writing style to be very engaging. What do you think of the intro?

*This quote is taken from an Advance Reading Copy, the final product may be slightly different.

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.

14 comments:

  1. I like the narrator's voice, and we can totally visualize Iris. I'm curious about her story with regard to the diving bell.

    Thanks for sharing, and here's MY TUESDAY MEMES POST

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - There were some magical/mythic elements to the story... very enjoyable!

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  2. Very descriptive! I like to have short story books hanging around for a quick read.

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    1. Nise' - Exactly. There are times when a short story is exactly what I crave!

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  3. This sounds good. The character seems to be so calm. Here's Mine

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    1. Paulita - I'm enjoying the second story now, too.

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  4. Eee, I love this intro which is great b/c I'm reviewing this book later in the month. The cover is so fantastically quirky, isn't it?

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    1. Audra - I nearly squealed with delight at the cover - love it!

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  5. Can I just say, even if I didn't like the intro (and I do), I'd buy the book for the awesome cover:)

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    1. Diane - Great intro, great cover... I'm thinking this will be a winner!

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  6. I love that bit, so descriptive. And I have to agree, the cover's great.

    Carol's Notebook

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    1. Carol - I'm hoping the rest of the stories are just as good as the first!

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  7. I hadn't seen this one around yet - love the cover!

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  8. I liked the intro...I would keep reading!

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