Book Beginnings: Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon, by William Makepeace Thackeray (first published 1844). Also sometimes called The Luck of Barry Lyndon, or The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon. These are the book's opening lines:

CHAPTER I.  MY PEDIGREE AND FAMILY—UNDERGO THE INFLUENCE OF THE TENDER PASSION

Since the days of Adam, there has been hardly a mischief done in this world but a woman has been at the bottom of it.

About the Book:

"Barry Lyndon" is the fictional autobiography of an adventurer and rogue. Born into the petty Irish gentry, and outmaneuvered in his first love affair, a ruined Barry volunteers for the British army. After seeing service in Germany he deserts and pursues the career of a gambler in the dissolute clubs and courts of Europe. In a determined effort to enter fashionable society, he marries a titled heiress but only to find himself easily outwitted.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, that's certainly a very non-PC way of looking at things, isn't it?

I've been looking around for a 19th Century classic to read for the Back to the Classics Reading Challenge, and this might be it. Barry Lyndon has been on my "must read" list for decades. Loved the Kubrick movie, but somehow I've never gotten around to reading the book. Maybe this could be the year.

Happy reading, everyone! And have a lovely weekend.

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

Book Beginnings: The Last Romantics

The Last Romantics, by Tara Conklin (William Morrow, February 2019). These are the book's first lines:

Year 2079
At first I believed the girl to be an apparition. A ghost. She rose from the crowd in the auditorium and walked to the microphone.

About the Book:

When the renowned poet Fiona Skinner is asked about the inspiration behind her iconic work, The Love Poem, she tells her audience a story about her family and a betrayal that reverberates through time. 

It begins in a big yellow house with a funeral, an iron poker, and a brief variation forever known as the Pause: a free and feral summer in a middle-class Connecticut town. Caught between the predictable life they once led and an uncertain future that stretches before them, the Skinner siblings—fierce Renee, sensitive Caroline, golden boy Joe and watchful Fiona—emerge from the Pause staunchly loyal and deeply connected. Two decades later, the siblings find themselves once again confronted with a family crisis that tests the strength of these bonds and forces them to question the life choices they’ve made and ask what, exactly, they will do for love.  (—Publisher's website)

Initial Thoughts:

Haven't started this one yet, so I don't really know what I think of it. But it's an Early Reviewer book from Library Thing, and I've had it for several weeks now — so it's next on my to-read list. I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately, and I'm hoping this one will help nudge me out of it.

We'll see how that goes.

Happy reading, everyone! And have a lovely weekend.

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.