Friday, June 15, 2012

Book Beginnings: The Wet Engine


Please join me every Friday 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. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

Leave a link to your post. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING


My son Liam was born nine years ago.
-- The Wet Engine: Exploring Mad Wild Miracle of the Heart by Brian Doyle, published by OSU Press.

Doyle is a prolific author with a magpie's interest in all sorts of subjects.  His book The Grail (reviewed here) recounts his year spent at a winery in Oregon.  His debut novel, Mink River, is a charming story about the quirks and magic of life in a small coastal village. 

The Wet Engine is something different altogether.  It is Doyle's very personal, ruminative account of his son, born with a heart defect, and the surgeon who saved his life.

17 comments:

  1. Sounds like an interesting read.

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  2. I love a good bio/memoir...I'll keep an eye out for this one.

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  3. One sentence is not enough... I really don't know what to think about it...

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  4. Thanks for sharing this great beginning.

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  5. Seems like it might be a very intense and emotional read. Have a good weekend.

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  6. Mink River really sounds like a good title. I like to read about small villages.

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  7. Sounds interesting.
    At first I thought that I couldn't possibly read this if it was going to be about him losing his son, but if the surgeon saved his life, then it can't be too sad.

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  8. Hard to say what to think about the book except that it focuses on his son Liam. Looking forward to your review!

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  9. Sounds a bit like Bill Bryson with the magpie mind. I hope you are enjoying it. Happy reading!

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  10. Sounds interesting...and possibly intenses!

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  11. Hi Gilion,

    I don't read memoirs often, if at all, they really just don't appeal to me.

    I think that the subject matter is so personal in this particular case and the child so young, that I just don't think it appropriate to air all the details in public.

    I really don't have a good or convincing argument to substantiate my view, it just is!

    I hope that you find the book inspirational and not too intense or distressing.

    Have a good weekend,

    Yvonne

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  13. Sounds like an interesting read!

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  14. Personal memoirs like this can be searing but ultimately affirming.

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  15. Looks like an interesting book. I might have to check it out.

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  16. this sounds like an an amazing, touching read! have a wonderful weekend, gilion!
    (for some reason blogger kept spitting out my comment :( )

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