Book Beginnings (10) - Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything by Daniela Krien

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything by Daniela Krien 

(translated from German by Jamie Bulloch)

Published by MacLehose Press

'It is summer, a wonderfully hot summer. At the farm the buildings are ranged around three sides of a yard. In the middle is the long, detached house, which has two floors and a large attic; the barn, on the left-hand side, has large wooden doors at the front and back. A few metres behind it is a wide, low wooden building - the sawmill. Meadows and pastureland stretch down to the river; a short way upstream, just before a weir, is a dilapidated shed.'

I've been really looking forward to reading this one, and I'm intrigued by what I've read so far. The setting and the period both appeal to me. I think the opening places a lot of importance on the sense of place. Looking forward to reading on!

Synopsis from goodreads:

It is summer 1990, only months after the border dividing Germany has dissolved. Maria, nearly seventeen, moves in with her boyfriend on his family farm.

A chance encounter with enigmatic loner Henner, a neighbouring farmer, quickly develops into a passionate relationship. But Maria soon finds that Henner can be as brutal as he is tender – his love reveals itself through both animal violence and unexpected sensitivity. Maria builds a fantasy of their future life together, but her expectations differ dramatically from those of Henner himself, until it seems their story can only end in tragedy.

Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything is a bold and impressive debut in which love and violence, conflict and longing, are inextricably entwined.

Book Beginnings (9) - The Wild Girl - Kate Forsyth

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth

Published by Allison & Busby

'"Wild by name and wild by nature," Dortchen's father used to say of her. He did not mean it as a compliment. He thought her headstrong, and so he set himself to tame her.'

I am so excited about reading this book! I read Bitter Greens by this author, earlier this year, and it was a great book, so I have been anticipating this new book with great relish; it sounds wonderful, and the other blog reviews I've read so far have been very positive too. Also, as with Bitter Greens, isn't the cover gorgeous?! I'll be reviewing The Wild Girl on 21st August  here on the blog as part of the book tour.

Here's the synopsis:

The Wild Girl interweaves the true story of Dortchen Wild, the girl who loved Wilhelm Grimm, with the fairytales she told him as they grew up together in war-stricken Germany.

A beautiful and dramatic love story, Dortchen Wild was the source and muse for many of the Grimm Brother’s compelling fairytales such as Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel & Gretel. As Napoleon’s war rages on, the Wild family and the Grimms battle poverty, ill health and the loss of loved ones, bound together by the magical fairytales they created and that still resonate today.

Book Beginnings (8) - Little Exiles - Robert Dinsdale

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

Little Exiles by Robert Dinsdale

Published by HarperCollins

'The boy standing vigil at the end of the lane, a Christmas lantern in his hand, still believes his father is coming home. Christmas, he has been taught, is a time of family, when errant sisters might come back to the fold, when black-sheep brothers might go carolling with the mothers they say they despise.'

I feel like this is tinged with sadness, that the boy's father isn't going to arrive, and that Christmas brings people together but under difficult circumstances...

I'm interested in reading this novel partly because of the settings - Leeds and Australia - and partly because of the factual background to the events. (see below)

Synopsis from goodreads:

Jon Heather, proud to be nearly nine, keeps a vigil at the end of his lane. Determined not to be beaten by the cold he stands and waits for his father. It is Christmas Eve, 1948. Christmas, a time of family and a time of miracles. Although he has never once seen his father, Jon knows that he is coming home.

But Jon’s father does not return, and one evening no longer able to cope, his mother leaves him by the door above which the legend reads, Chapeltown Boys Home of the Children’s Crusade. Several weeks later, still believing his mother will return for him, Jon finds himself on a boat set for Australia. Promised paradise and a new, better life, Jon soon realises the reality is very, very, different.

Epic in scope, LITTLE EXILES is the incredibly moving and heartbreaking story of one boy’s struggle to get home. Rooted in historical fact - based on the forced child migration between Britain and Australia that took place after WWII - this novel shines a light on the appalling human cost of the Children’s Crusade.

Book Beginnings (7) - The Twelfth Department - William Ryan

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

The Twelfth Department by William Ryan

Published by Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan

'Patriarch's ponds was one of Korolev's favourite corners of Moscow - a small park with a square shaped lake around which, especially on a hot summer's day like this, white-shirted men and their befrocked womenfolk strolled with slow steps. At the southern end a white colonnaded pavillion stood where, for a reasonable price, a citizen could sip a glass of tea and sit and watch the ducks. '

I'm really excited to be reading this and I can't wait to see what challenges Captain Korolev will face in this latest installment - I loved the first two novels in this series set in 1930s Russia (see below for links to my reviews). I think it's safe to assume that as we meet him again, Korolev will have more on his mind than just sitting and watching the ducks...

Here's the synopsis from goodreads:

Captain Alexei Korolev has nothing to complain about. He has his own room in an apartment, a job in the police force that puts food on the table, and his good health. In Moscow in 1937, that’s a lot more than most people have to be grateful for. But for the first time in a long time, Korolev is about to be truly happy: his son Yuri is coming to visit for an entire week.

Shortly after Yuri’s arrival, however, Korolev receives an urgent call from his boss—it seems an important man has been murdered, and Korolev is the only detective they’re willing to assign to this sensitive case. In fact, Korolev realizes almost immediately that the layers of sensitivity and secrecy surrounding this case far exceed his paygrade. And the consequences of interfering with a case tied to State Security or the NKVD can be severe—you might lose your job, if you’re lucky. Your whole family might die if you’re not. Korolev is suddenly faced with much more than just discovering a murderer’s identity; he must decide how far he’ll go to see justice served . . . and what he’s willing to do to protect his family.

In The Twelfth Department, William Ryan's portrait of a policeman struggling to survive in one of the most volatile and dangerous eras of modern history is mesmerizing.

You can read my reviews of the first two novels featuring Captain Korolev here:

The Holy Thief

The Bloody Meadow

Book Beginnings (6) - The Orchardist - Amanda Coplin

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

'His face was pitted as the moon. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and thick without being stocky, though one could see how he would pass into stockiness; he had already taken on the barrel-chested sturdiness of an old man. His ears were elephantine, a feature most commented on when he was younger, when the ears stuck out from his head; but now they had darkened like the rest of his sun-exposed flesh and lay agains his skull more than at any other time in his life, and were tough, the flesh granular like the rind of some fruit.'


What an intimate and detailed first few lines, quite vividly introducing the man who will be the main character in the novel. I've just started this one and it's beautifully written so far. 

Here's the synopsis from goodreads:

At the turn of the 20th century in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest, a solitary orchardist, Talmadge, tends to apples and apricots as if they were loved ones. A gentle man, he's found solace in the sweetness of the fruit he grows and the quiet, beating heart of the land he cultivates. One day, two teenage girls appear and steal his fruit from the market and later return to the outskirts of his orchard to see the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared, and very pregnant, the girls take up on Talmadage?s land and indulge in his deep reservoir of compassion. Just as the girls begin to trust him, men arrive in the orchard with guns, and the shattering tragedy that follows will set Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past. Transcribing America as it once was before railways and roads connected its corners, Coplin has woven a tapestry of secluded people who come together in the wake of unspeakable cruelty and misfortune. She writes with breathtaking precision and empathy, and in THE ORCHARDIST has crafted an astonishing debut novel about a man who disrupts the lonely harmony of an ordered life when he opens his heart and lets the world in.

Book Beginnings (4) - The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff

Published by Harlequin Mira

'The sun has dropped low beneath the crumbling arches of Lehrter Bahnhof as I make my way across the station. A sharp, late-autumn breeze sends the pigeons fluttering from the rafters and I draw my coat closer against the chill. The crowds are sparse this Tuesday evening, the platforms bereft of the usual commuter trains and their disembarking passengers. A lone carriage sits on the track farthest to the right, silent and dark.'


This is a very atmospheric opening passage, it really sets the scene. I wonder who the narrator is as we know little yet. I'm excited that the setting is Germany (Berlin, in fact) and I wonder who might emerge from the lone carriage in the dark. I'm about a third of the way through this book so far and I'm finding it interesting and easy to read.

Here's the synopsis from goodreads:

Paris, 1919.The world's leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly.

Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiancé she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all.

Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job—and also a reason to question everything she thought she knew about where her true loyalties should lie.

Against the backdrop of one of the most significant events of the century, a delicate web of lies obscures the line between the casualties of war and of the heart, making trust a luxury that no one can afford.

Book Beginnings (3)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett (Alma Books)

Hay-on-Wye, Wales, Wednesday, 15th February 1995

'Wales could be cold in February. Even without snow or wind the damp winter air permeated Peter's topcoat and settled in his bones as he stood outside one of the dozens of bookshops that crowded the narrow streets of Hay. Despite the warm glow in the window that illuminated a tantalizing display of Victorian novels, Peter was in no hurry to open the door. It had been nine months since he had entered a bookshop; another few minutes wouldn't make a difference.'

I like this opening; I can feel the cold and imagine this man stood on one of the streets in Hay. A wonderful place for a booklover, so a very alluring setting for a novel, and we have intrigue straight away as to why this man hasn't been in a bookshop for so long. I'm really looking forward to reading more of this novel. 

The synopsis from the Alma Books website:

After the death of his wife, Peter Byerly, a young antiquarian bookseller, relocates from the States to the English countryside, where he hopes to rediscover the joys of life through his passion for collecting and restoring rare books. But when he opens an eighteenth-century study on Shakespeare forgeries, he is shocked to find a Victorian portrait strikingly similar to his wife tumble out of its pages, and becomes obsessed with tracking down its origins. As he follows the trail back to the nineteenth century and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter learns the truth about his own past and unearths a book that might prove that Shakespeare was indeed the author of all his plays.

Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books and literature – in particular the golden age of Shakespeare, Jonson and Marlowe – The Bookman’s Tale is a sparkling novel and an engrossing exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries.

Book Beginnings (1)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

I keep meaning to join in with this and this week I have finally managed it! I've got a few books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here. 

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog.

My Book Beginning

'It is the smallest details that come to her: the damp grass underfoot threaded with buttercups, the air humming with insects, the snap of her nightdress catching in the breeze. As she wanders out of the cottage and down towards the mirrored surface of the lake, her senses are heightened.'

This is the start of the short prologue to the novel, and instantly had me wondering and asking, who is this woman, where is she now and where is she headed to? The mention of the cottage and the lake makes me think this may be a countryside location and I can already begin to picture the scene and imagine the sounds just from this brief description. 

I'm enjoying this mysterious story so far, and will share my thoughts in a review once I've finished reading it.

Published by Orion

~~~~~

Here's the story synopsis from goodreads:

On a sultry summer’s day in 1980, five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage hidden deep in the English countryside. For Kat and her friends, it offers an escape; a chance to drop out for a while, with lazy summer days by the lake and intimate winter evenings around the fire. But as the seasons change, tensions begin to rise and when an unexpected visitor appears at their door, nothing will be the same again.

Three decades later, Lila arrives at the same remote cottage. With her marriage in crisis, she finds solace in renovating the tumbledown house. Little by little she wonders about the previous inhabitants. How did they manage in such isolation? Why did they leave in such a hurry, with their belongings still strewn about? Most disturbing of all, why can't she shake the feeling that someone might be watching her?

The Shadow Year is a story of secrets, tragedy, lies and betrayal. It’s a tale that explores the light and dark of human relationships and the potential the past has to not only touch our present, but also to alter our future.