Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which we share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers who do the same.
Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s 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 56D and excerpt anything on the page.
Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists! What a great way to spend a Friday!
Today’s feature is a relatively new book: Finding Mrs. Ford, by Deborah Goodrich Royce.
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Book Beginnings: (Susan – Thursday, August 7, 2014)
Watch Hill, Rhode Island
A single gunshot cracks the air.
Seagulls flutter and levitate above the sand as Mrs. Ford’s dogs rise, barking. She, too, jumps just a little in her Adirondack chair and her feet lose their perch on the seawall. The echo reverberates across the sea and back to her at its edge. Mrs. Ford reaches down to pat the dogs.
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Friday 56: Inside, the place was dark and sticky. The lights were on but even at their maximum capacity, the interior couldn’t be called bright.
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Synopsis: Mrs. Ford leads a privileged life. From her Blenheim spaniels to her cottage on the coast of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, she carefully curates her world. Hair in place, house in place, life in place, Susan Ford keeps it under control.
Early one morning in the summer of 2014, the past pays a call to collect. The FBI arrives to question her about a man from Iraq—a Chaldean Christian from Mosul—where ISIS has just seized control. Sammy Fakhouri, they say, is his name and they have taken him into custody, picked up on his way to her house.
Back in the summer of 1979, on the outskirts of a declining Detroit, college coed Susan meets charismatic and reckless Annie. They are an unlikely pair of friends but they each see something in the other—something they’d like to possess. Studious Susan is a moth to the flame that is Annie. Yet, it is dazzling Annie who senses that Susan will be the one who makes it out of Detroit.
Together, the girls navigate the minefields of a down-market disco where they work their summer jobs. It’s a world filled with pretty girls and powerful men, some of whom—like Sammy Fakhouri—happen to be Iraqi Chaldeans.
What happened in that summer of 1979 when Susan and Annie met? Why is Sammy looking for Susan all these years later? And why is Mrs. Ford lying?
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Would you keep reading? I am eager to dive into this one.
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Oh my. I have this book and look forward to reading it. I bought this one for myself.
It sounds very good.
Thanks for stopping by and for sharing.
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Thanks, Linda, I have it tucked away on my device and stumbled upon it! Can’t wait to read it now. Enjoy!
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Hi Lorraine,
As a debut novel, this one sounds really good and intriguing, and I wouldn’t hesitate to add it to my own list – Apart from the fact that it also has a beautiful cover!
I am intrigued to reconcile the premise with the gun shot though. I presume that is the FBI shooting at Sammy as they capture him!
Can’t wait to read it for myself, thanks for sharing and enjoy 🙂
Yvonne xx
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Thanks, Yvonne, I am also eager to find out more, and I could kick myself for not reading it sooner!
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Love that beginning!!! Sounds like a great read right from the start! Happy weekend!
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Thanks, Freda, I think it will be, too!
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This is a new-to-me title–it sounds like a great read!
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It was new to me, too, Catherine, which is why I sort of forgot about it!
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Those snippets really pulled me in. Thanks for sharing! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
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Thanks, Ashley, I hope you enjoy your reading!
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I was just thinking how pretty the cover is, especially the flowers. I hadn’t heard of this one before. The opening is an attention grabber with the gunshot. It definitely seems out of place. I hope you enjoy this one, Laurel-Rain! Have a great weekend.
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Thanks, Wendy, I hope so, too!
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I remember hearing about this one maybe a year ago, and thinking it sounded like a great read. This makes me even more interested! And it certainly does have a lovely cover. I would definitely go on reading, and I’m adding it to my already-enormous “must read” list. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Joy, I am happy to have this one to look forward to!
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Oooh, I really like that cover! A great start, too. Grabs your attention right off.
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I do, too, Sammie. I actually liked the cover more than the story, but it was okay, too.
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