BOOK BEGINNINGS O FRIDAYS
The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien
Yikes! I did it again. I forgot to post. To be honest, I forgot what day it was and only realized this morning that it is Saturday already and I had forgotten (again) to post Book Beginnings.
There's been a break in my work while I wait for a big decision from the Court of Appeals. But I can't keep track of time or days without a work schedule. If I'm this bad when I'm only on a break, what will it be like when I retire? I better find a good calendaring system!
A big thank you to those of you who come back to add your Book Beginnings on Fridays post late. I'll see all of you back next week when I post on time. I Promise!
MY BOOK BEGINNING
The town takes its name from the river.
-- from The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien.
Edna O'Brien sprang to literary fame, or notoriety, in 1960, with the publication of her first novel, The Country Girls (later expanded to The Country Girls Trilogy). The book scandalized Ireland with its honest portrayal of female sexuality. O'Brien continued to write books for decades, until she was almost 90 years old. The Little Red Chairs was her penultimate book, published in 2015 when she was 85.
I'm reading this now and it is fantastic. It's the story of a mysterious man claiming to be from Montenegro who moves to a small Irish village. Things are not what they seem. It's a great yarn, full of warmth, humor, intrigue, and anguish. I love it and plan to read more of her books.
YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS
Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the linky box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag so we can try to find you.
Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.
Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.
MY FRIDAY 56
-- from The Little Red Chairs:
We were fifteen in all, boys and girls, and we walked in pairs through the town, over the bridge and about one mile more to Killooney Wood. We sang as we walked and when we could remember no more songs, the Doc sang folk songs from his own country, in his own tongue.
FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
One night, in the dead of winter, a mysterious stranger arrives in the small Irish town of Cloonoila. Broodingly handsome, worldly, and charismatic, Dr. Vladimir Dragan is a poet, a self-proclaimed holistic healer, and a welcome disruption to the monotony of village life. Before long, the beautiful black-haired Fidelma McBride falls under his spell and, defying the shackles of wedlock and convention, turns to him to cure her of her deepest pains.
Then, one morning, the illusion is abruptly shattered. . . . The Cloonoila community is devastated by this revelation, and no one more than Fidelma, who is made to pay for her deviance and desire. In disgrace and utterly alone, she embarks on a journey that will bring both profound hardship and, ultimately, the prospect of redemption.
