Good morning and welcome to another edition of Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by Should Be Reading.
Join this bookish meme by following these guidelines:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.
Today I’m spotlighting a book that I’ll be reading later in the week, but which has been on my TBR stacks for a very long time.
On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan, is a book about marriage, expectations, and lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.
It is 1962 when Edward and Florence, 23 and 22 respectively, marry and repair to a hotel on the Dorset coast for their honeymoon. They are both virgins, both apprehensive about what’s next and in Florence’s case, utterly and blindly terrified and repelled by the little she knows. Through a tense dinner in their room, because Florence has decided that the weather is not fine enough to dine on the terrace, they are attended by two local boys acting as waiters. The cameo appearances of the boys and Edward and Florence’s parents and siblings serve only to underline the emotional isolation of the two principals. Florence says of herself: “…she lacked some simple mental trick that everyone else had, a mechanism so ordinary that no one ever mentioned it, an immediate sensual connection to people and events, and to her own needs and desires….”
They are on the cusp of a rather ordinary marital undertaking in differing states of readiness, willingness and ardor. McEwan says: “Where he merely suffered conventional first-night nerves, she experienced a visceral dread, a helpless disgust as palpable as seasickness.” Edward, having denied himself even the release of self-pleasuring for a week, in order to be tip-top for Florence, is mentally pawing the ground. His sensitivity keeps him from being obvious, but he is getting anxious. Florence, on the other hand, knows that she is not capable of the kind of arousal that will make any of this easy. She has held Edward off for a year, and now the reckoning is upon her.
McEwan is the master of the defining moment, that place and time when, once it has taken place, nothing will ever be the same after it. It does not go well and Florence flees the room. “As she understood it, there were no words to name what had happened, there existed no shared language in which two sane adults could describe such events to each other.” Edward eventually follows her and they have a poignant and painful conversation where accusations are made, ugly things are said and roads are taken from which, in the case of these two, the way back cannot be found. Late in Edward’s life he realizes: “Love and patience–if only he had them both at once–would surely have seen them both through.” This beautifully told sad story could have been conceived and written only by Ian McEwan.
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Teaser: How did they meet, and why were these lovers in a modern age so timid and innocent? They regarded themselves as too sophisticated to believe in destiny, but still, it remained a paradox to them that so momentous a meeting should have been accidental, so dependent on a hundred minor events and choices. p.45
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This blurb and the teaser have aroused my interest in this story that has just been patiently waiting for me on my stacks.
What have you decided to share today?
Great teaser! Your right between the two it sounds like a really good one to check out.
Here is my teaser, from Going Bovine. I hope will visit.
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Thanks for stopping by, Lisa….I am glad that I “rescued” this one from my TBR piles!
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This does sound interesting but in an uncomfortable way. I hope you enjoy the book. Mine are much more “fluffy” this week. My teasers are from Supernaturally by Kiersten White and Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis. Happy reading!
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Yes, Kathy, I do enjoy “uncomfortable,” but I like to mix those books up with “fluffy,” too. I did that this week. Thanks for stopping by.
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This was a good one. Sounds like an interesting book!
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I don’t know why it has taken me so long to get to it, but I bought it because of great reviews by people whose work I admire. So I’m pretty sure it will be awesome. Thanks for stopping by, Harvee.
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Now that’s an intriguing teaser. I might have to check this one out. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for stopping by, creative deeds. I do enjoy reading books that are “off the grid,” as well as those that are not.
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Wow, amazing teaser! I’m intrigued 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by, Aleksandra…hope you enjoy your reading this week.
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I can understand why this one is on your shelf. Both the blurb and your teaser has surely piqued my curiousity.
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Yes, doesn’t it sound unique? And a little bit disturbing? Thanks for stopping by, Cheryl.
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I recently read this book. I hope you enjoy it!
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Oh, I hope so, too, TBM. I do recall why I grabbed it in the first place, but somehow it got buried under other books…sigh.
Thanks for stopping by.
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I’ve read very good reviews about this book. Quite an introspective teaser.
🙂
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Thanks for stopping by, Pooch….hope you enjoy your reading.
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I like the teaser! I read “Atonement” and really liked it so I should really pick up more of this work. Let us know what you think!!
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I have “Atonement” on my stacks too! Thanks for stopping by, Violette.
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Very unique and interesting. Hey, I like disturbing 🙂
Here’s mine – House Millar – TT
Aine
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Thanks for stopping by, Aine…yes, disturbing has a certain appeal, doesn’t it?
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I guess I’m not sophisticated as I still believe in destiny. Good teaser.
Mine is here: Quirky Girls Read
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Yes, I like the idea of “destiny,” too, but often think that life sometimes happens “accidentally.” Hence, the URL of this blog! Thanks for stopping by, Quirky Girls.
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Great teaser! I haven’t heard of this one before, but it is now being added to my TBR list! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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Thanks for visiting, Amy. I found this one after reading a really great review of it.
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An intriguing teaser. Mine: Dracula in Love
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Thanks, Heather…glad you could stop by!
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That sounds like a book I would love! Awesome teaser. I love checking your TT’s out because they are so interesting!
Mine are both creepy this week – unintentionally. I think I need to pick up something funny for next week.
http://alaskanbookcafe.blogspot.com
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Thanks, Cristina…I know what you mean about accidentally picking up “creepy” books. I am trying harder to mix my books up each week. Some heavy, some light and fluffy.
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Ooohhhh…this sounds good. I’m going to add it to my list.
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Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne…I am eager to dive into this one.
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I really liked this book. Of course, I can’t think of a book by McEwan I haven’t enjoyed. 🙂
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That’s good to know, Karen. Thanks for stopping by.
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Love it! Really great teaser this week!
http://www.booksandbarks.com/2011/08/teaser-tuesdaynight-walker-by-lisa.html
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Thanks, Jen…glad you could stop by.
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Great teaser.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Thanks for visiting, Lauren, and glad you liked the teaser.
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Quite deep – really liked it… will have to check it out.
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Thanks, T. F. Glad you liked it, and that you could stop by.
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Nice teaser.
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Thanks, Carol…glad you could stop by!
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Pretty thoughtful teaser you got there!
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Thanks for stopping by, Sonia….I’m glad you liked the teaser.
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This truly sounds wonderful! I recently read Atonement, which seemed to take FORever to finally get to the pull-you-in part for me (in my case, the book was almost over by then), but I DID admire his writing style.
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I finished it and reviewed it at http://laurelrainsnow.wordpress.com/
I have Atonement on my stacks and need to get to it. Thanks for stopping by, Julie.
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