SERENDIPITOUS FRIDAYS: BOOK BEGINNINGS & THE FRIDAY 56 — JULY 6

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn Book Beginnings, The Friday 56

Welcome to some serendipitous fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

My pick today is Sea Change, by Karen White.

For Ava Whalen, a new marriage and a move to St. Simons Island means a new beginning. But what she doesn’t realize is that her marriage will take her on an unexpected journey into the deep recesses of her past that will transform her forever…

For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-four, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia.

But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. There is much she doesn’t know about Matthew, including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death. And her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband. Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew’s family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place—or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future.

***

Beginning-Prologue-Pamela-St. Simons Island, Georgia – September 1804:Storms bring the detritus of other people’s lives into our own, a reminder that we are not alone, and of how truly insignificant we are.

Chapter One: Ava – 2011: (Antioch, Georgia)-I stood outside my parents’ house feeling the heat from the black asphalt through my leather flats.  My mother’s impatiens bloomed in the clay planters that flanked the front door of the ranch-style house I’d called home for most of my thirty-four years.

***

p. 56:  A rhythmic pounding on the sidewalk forced my attention away.

***

I am not sure what the beginning says to me, except that the two women are somehow connected and I want to know more.

What are you featuring today?  Come on by and share!

16 thoughts on “SERENDIPITOUS FRIDAYS: BOOK BEGINNINGS & THE FRIDAY 56 — JULY 6”

  4. Hi Laurel Rain,

    I love books such as this one, where stories from the past and present interweave and merge from time to time.

    Your words from the present day, almost reminded me a little of ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier.

    I am wondering if she is stood outside her parents house having left the island and her partner and is thinking of returning home?

    Intriguing and a definite for my list, thanks for sharing,

    Yvonne

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  6. I usually like back-and-forth-in-history stories. Sometimes they are difficult, but often they are really interesting.

    Thanks for participating in Book Beginnings on Fridays. I’d like to drum up some more participants, and one idea I had was this: if you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the has tag #BookBeginnings. Maybe in connection with #FridayReads, if you participate in that twitter event. Thanks!

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