YvonnePrologue – Italy – Present Day
The man picked her up in Vernazza, a picturesque village perched along the rugged coastline of the Italian Riviera.
From his salt-and-pepper hair, and his lined face, Maria guessed he was in his early 50s. He bought her a drink, then dinner, then a new dress and a pair of pumps and a few other things, spending lavishly on her in the quaint village shops.
There were no pretenses. They went to his plush villa, which afforded a breathtaking view of the sea. When she asked his name, he looked at her with his brooding dark eyes and said, “Are names important, cara?”
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Chapter 1.1 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 1985
The day Elaine Brogan was born, Patrick Brogan’s life underwent a dramatic change. Patrick Brogan was a construction worker, and his existence consisted of a never-ending blur of brick-hauling and muddy work boots and dented hard hats and drunken bar brawls. He hadn’t given much thought to the baby that had been coming for the past nine months.
Clicking on the book’s cover image, will take you directly to its Amazon page
To discover more about both book and author, click here
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WHAT IS ‘BOOK BEGINNINGS’?
Would the first few lines of your book make you want to read on?
If so, would you like to share them with us, (without revealing too many spoilers of course) ?
Visit your host, Gilion @ Rose City Reader
You can then leave a link to your own book beginnings post, or just browse for some great reads, there are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered.
Don’t forget that Gilion and all the other contributors to this meme love to hear from you, so why not leave a comment or two at the same time?
I can’t wait to do a little blog hopping myself and check out all the great Book Beginnings you have!
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Not my usual genre, but it could be interesting! Happy reading! 🙂
Hi Lauren,
‘Lust’ fits into the general genre range I read, although it is probably on the margins, both in storyline and for the fact that it is basically a short story, which is not one of my favourites.
I am keeping an open mind about the first episode though, before deciding whether or not to delve deeper into the series.
Thanks for visiting today and I hope that you enjoy your weekend 🙂
This sounds interesting – I’m not sure I like the fact it’s a serial but I’m going to give the first part a try. Here’s my Friday meme
Hi Maria,
I must admit that I seem to have recently become involved with several authors who have written serial books, rather than a series of books, which I’m not convinced is a reading route I am eager to take right now.
So as with the others, I am only committing to reading the debut book and see where I go from there. I’m just hoping there won’t be too many loose ends to make it disappointing without me hunting down the next episode.
Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate your comments 🙂
I read it some time ago and loved it, but I never finished the series. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
sherry @ fundinmental Friday Memes
Hi Sherry,
I went back and found your review, there have just been so many good ratings and reviews and that seems to go for all the other books which make up the series.
We are up to book #9 now, so you have some serious catching up to do!
‘Happy Reading’ 🙂
Hum, what do the Italian Riviera and a construction worker have to do with one another? The contrast between pumps and muddy construction boots is intriguing. Sounds like there’s quite a mystery here.
Hi Roberta,
Thank you for visiting today and taking the time to comment, both are genuinely appreciated. I always enjoy ‘meeting’ new people.
I am making the assumption, rightly or wrongly, that either Elaine Brogan and Maria, or possibly Patrick Brogan and the man in Italy are one and the same person?
I’m probably completely off track with both lines of thought, I generally am!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Ha! Well I’ve had salt and pepper hair since my 30s, though I’ll admit it’s far more salt these days. 🙂 This does sound intriguing, but I wonder if it will leave you hanging (being one of three). I don’t mind series (I certainly read enough of them!), but really don’t like when immediate issues aren’t wrapped up.
I’ll spare you the opening lines of my current book since I can almost promise it won’t be one added to your wish list! I hope to review it in the next week or two, so perhaps you won’t have to be curious about it for too long. 😉
Hi Kelly,
I have coloured my hair for so long now, I can’t remember those first strands of grey appearing, although I only have it toned down to my own natural shade of mousey brown, tipped with just a few highlights on the ends 🙂
I’m not sure whether I shall read past the first episode of this long running serial (there are now nine books in total), it all rather depends on just how much the story is left hanging, especially as the first three episodes are essentially short stories, although it looks as though the subsequent installments are full length features.
Just because I may decide not add a book to my own ‘WantTo Read’ list, doesn’t mean I am not interested in what other people are reading. I have quite often had my mind changed after checking out a new to me book. You had better hurry up and spill the beans now, as you have me intrigued 🙂
Have a good weekend!
This is an interesting opening to a book – especially the part of the father unprepared for his daughter’s birth. I wonder what the connection is between the prologue and the first chapter.
I just finished reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s – I liked the style of the writing and word choice, and some of the characterizations… the opening line also really draws you in: “I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighborhoods.”
Hi Hila,
I am still convinced that my theory about Elaine and Maria being one and the same person, might be correct, although I haven’t opened the Kindle link as yet.
I have never read ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’, however who can forget the lovely Audrey Hepburn, in her role as Holly Golightly – she really was the epitome of a true ‘English Rose’ and Hollywood screen legend.
From time to time both hubbie and I will take a trip down memory lane and revisit childhood homes and places from our past. Much has changed in the past 50 or so years, but so much has also stayed the same and brings back instant memories of time and place.
Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your visits and comments 🙂
Sounds interesting, I like the Italian Riviera setting. I’m curious…
Hi Naida,
Dave and other family members have covered more regions of Italy in their travels than I have, however the little I have seen personally has been amazing.
I like that the author has used an actual place in his story and not relied upon a fictional location. There are some stunning images of Vernazza and it does rate a mention in the Lonely Plant guide…
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=vernazza&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKsZDO–fRAhWFDMAKHXNZDgwQ7AkISw&biw=979&bih=472
Thanks for the comments, I always appreciate them 🙂