Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tuesday Intro: The Gravity of Birds


August 1963
Alice haunted the mossy edge of the woods, lingering in patches of shade. She was waiting to hear his Austin-Healey throttle back when he careened down the utility road separating the state park from the cabins rimming the lake, but only the whistled conversation of buntings echoed in the branches above. The vibrant blue males darted deeper into the trees when she blew her own sweet-sweet chew-chew sweet-sweet up to theirs. Pine seedlings brushed against her pants as she pushed through the understory, their green heads vivid beneath the canopy. She had dressed to fade into the forest; her hair was bundled up under a long-billed cap, her clothes drab and inconspicuous. When at last she heard his car, she crouched behind a clump of birch and made herself as small as possible, settling into a shallow depression of ferns and leaf litter. Balancing her birding diary and a book of poetry in her lap, she peeled spirals of parchment from the trunks and watched as he wheeled into the gravel parking space at the head of his property.
The Gravity of Birds
by Tracy Guzeman

Birds and art seem to figure prominently in this novel and, although I'm not especially knowledgeable about either, the story is totally absorbing. Alice is a teenage girl fascinated by birds and the man in the car is a soon-to-be-famous artist. Chapter 2 opens forty plus years later when the artist, now a recluse, calls an art historian and a disgraced young authenticator to sell a never-before-seen painting from the summer at the lake. It depicts Alice and her sister, along with the artist. The girls, now women, seem to have vanished. Dark secrets from that fateful summer are bound to emerge...

What do you think of the opening? Would you keep reading?


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. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

28 comments:

  1. Yes, I would keep reading. In fact, I have heard good things about this one and have been wanting to read it.

    I like that opener!

    Here's MY TUESDAY POST

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - This book drew me in from the very beginning. Hope the rest of it is just as good. Thanks for visiting.

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  2. Sounds like a good story...I'd keep reading! Here's my Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/01/first-chapter-first-paragraph-46.html

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    1. Paulita - I love the cover, too. Wish my kindle paperwhite could show it in color!

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  4. I would keep reading! Wonderful word pictures in that first paragraph.

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    1. Grammajudyb - The next few chapters are just as beautiful!

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  5. I would keep reading! A friend of mine loved this book.

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    1. Nise' - That's good to know! I haven't seen many reviews of this book, but I really like it so far.

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  6. This sounds good to me and I love that cover art!!

    Here is my post

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    1. Gautami - The cover is very attractive, I agree!

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  7. I would keep reading. The intro is interesting, the cover really nice and the description has me putting this one on my wish list.

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    1. Literary Feline - I picked this up for $1.99 on a kindle daily deal. How can you go wrong? ;)

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    1. Kelley - I really like it so far. Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. It sounds like Alice is in for something interesting. I certainly am intrigued by this opening.

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    1. James - The next few chapters certainly live up to the promise of this opening… hope the rest of the book does, too.

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  10. I'd like to know more. The opening was beautiful and your description intrigues me.

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    1. Margot - This book hasn't gotten a lot of buzz, but I'm really enjoying it so far.

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  11. I do love the intro, but have to admit that I had a tough time with this one:( Hope you enjoy it Joann. Thanks for joining us this week and glad your back blogging.

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    1. Diane - This one drew me in from the beginning. I saw your review and am hoping the rest of it lives up to my expectations. It's good to be back… 3 weeks is a long time!

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  12. I'm intrigued by both the opener and the premise.

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  13. I think this book sounds fascinating. I would keep reading based on this paragraph. I'm dying to know what Alice is doing there in the woods. Why she doesn't want him to see her.
    I hope you enjoy this entire book!

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    1. Amy - I'm approaching the half way mark now and continue to be impressed with this debut novel!

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  14. If it's purely about birding and art, I'd be most interested to read. However, from what you've described, I've a hunch that the 'dark secrets' may not be that pleasing. I hope I'm wrong about the plot. ;)

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    1. Arti - I finished last night and there were plenty of dark secrets! Overall, I really loved the book (4.5/5 stars) and appreciated the backdrop of art, authentication, and birding.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Be sure to check back, I always respond. Due to a recent increase in spam, all comments are moderated.

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