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Sharing our love for authors, and the stories they are inspired to tell.

‘The Bird That Sang In Color’
by Grace Mattioli
First Lines

image of a woman sat reading by an open window - caption reads 'will these first few lines capture our imagination' - used as the image for Book Beginnings / First Lines, posts

 

THIS IS A MEME FOR ALL YOU ‘FIRST PAGE BROWSERS’

Cover image of the book 'The Bird That Sang In Color' by author Grace Mattioli

THE BIRD THAT SANG IN COLOR‘ by GRACE MATTIOLI

BOOK BEGINNINGS / FIRST LINES

PROLOGUE

“What pictures will you have of yourself by the end of your life? By pictures, I mean drawings, not photographs. A photograph is easy. A drawing is earned. I’ve begun contemplating this question only in recent years, but once I started, I couldn’t stop, and these days, I’m always seeing my life in pictures. For this, I thank my brother, Vincent. He taught me how to untie my hands so that I could be free to draw. He taught me to draw my own pictures instead of copying somebody else’s. He taught me to use markers because colorful pictures are better than those that blend into the background. And with his unintentional guidance, I made some really great drawings in the style of his own art that hangs on my walls. I look up at it and remember a long-ago time, when he and I sat in his old room in our old house listening to albums. It was before I devised the great plan that would become my life. A time before Frank, my children, my grandchildren. Before I went to college and before I taught in college. It was when I could see the world for what it is and my brother in all humble greatness”

Cover image of the book 'The Bird That Sang In Color' by author Grace Mattioli

So, you have taken a sneak peek, would you read the book?

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Just to give you an extra helping hand, here is the book’s premise …

Image of the author Grace Mattioli - Image revised September 2020

THE BIRD THAT SANG IN COLOR‘ by GRACE MATTIOLI

Cover image of the book 'The Bird That Sang In Color' by author Grace MattioliPart family drama and part self-actualization story, this is about Donna Greco, who in her teens, subscribes to a conventional view of success in life—and pushes her freewheeling, artistic brother, Vincent to do the same. However, he remains single, childless, and subsists in cramped apartments. She harbors guilt for her supposed failure until she discovers a sketch-book he’d made of his life, which prompts her own journey to live authentically.

While this textured story combines serious issues such as alcoholism, death, and family conflict, it’s balanced with wit and humor and is filled with endearing, unforgettable characters.

The story spans decades, beginning in 1970 and ending in the present. Readers will be immersed in this tale as it poses an intriguing question:

“What pictures will you have of yourself by the end of your life?”

A picture button for book beginnings at Rose City Reader

You might also like to visit Gilion, over at ‘Rose City Reader‘, where you can share links to the book beginnings from her own reading schedule and that of many of our fellow bloggers.

There are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered and you never know where that next ‘must read’ is going to come from!

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Written by
Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

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Written by Yvonne