Cindy Pon tagged me for the "Page 56 Book Meme." I'm supposed to pick up the nearest book, turn to page 56 and post the fifth sentence and a few after that. I have Vanora Bennett's Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Harper trade paperback edition) at hand. Page 56 falls at the end of a chapter; since there is no fifth sentence, here is the concluding paragraph:
It was only late at night, when I was lying in bed (unable to sleep with excitement, my heart bursting at the memory of all that had happened that day and with all the plans I was making for my future with John), that I heard Elizabeth retching behind the closed door of her room, and the scrape of a chamber pot, and William's nasal whispering. I couldn't hear his words, but his tone was the mix of reassuring and nervous you'd expect from any father-to-be. It began to dawn on me what the reason for her sudden discomfort might have been.
Next, I'm supposed to post from page 56 of my manuscript. I don't have The Measure of Silence on this computer, so I'm going to post from my work in progress. And since I don't have 56 pages yet, here's the opening paragraph of Chapter 2:
Anne d’Heilly de Pisseleu, Madame d’Etampes, perched on the bottom step of the sunken pool. Her flushed skin, still hot to the touch from the steambath she had quit moments before, welcomed the cool caress of the tepid water that closed beneath her chin. Her toes curled in delight as the water buoyed her buttocks and legs off the floor; tipping back her head, she released her arms and floated on the surface of the violet-strewn water. Brightened by weekly applications of honey oil, her hair spread like a sun-spun caul, entangling blossoms and bugs alike in its strands. Except for her youngest attendant Cécile, who strummed the lute with deft fingers in the furthest corner of the room, Anne was alone. Gloriously alone.
Thanks for the chance to play, Cindy! Here are the five people I'm tagging:
Enjoy all the snippets. I hope everyone finds some new books to read!
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6 comments:
Hi Julienne,
The snippet from your manuscript didn't show up.
I like the other one, though.
Sorry, Beth, I hit "post" by accident before I was finished. You must have stopped by in the few minutes I was editing! Good to see you again. :)
Thank you, Julianne. I LOVE the excerpts from your writings. You write so beautifully. Okay, here is what it says on p.56, line 5 of "Secrets of Marie-Antoinette: A Compilation of Letters," ed. by Olivier Bernier:
"I hope that the king will find them worthy successors who will also deserve our trust. Never forget that your marriage was brought about by the Choiseuls and you have a duty to be grateful to them."
Julianne,here is mine, but all my tagees have been tagged several times this week - so I'll give them a break for Christmas and try this after the Holidays [see, I can talk American too!]
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde [Well it did say closest book!]
"I suppose you have heard the news, Basil?" said Lord Henry that evening as Hallward was shown into a little private room at the Bristol where dinner had been laid for three.
"No, Harry," answered the artist, giving his hat and coat to the bowing waiter. "What is it? Nothing about politics, I hope! They don't interest me. There is hardly a single person in the House of Commons worth painting, though many of them would be the better for a little whitewashing."
Thanks for playing, Maria Elena and Anita! Though I wish you'd treated us to a snippet of your works, too. :(
The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those books that I've been meaning to read and never have. My husband and daughter both recently read it and loved it. I'll have to add it to my sidebar list so I don't forget.
Okay, I played too, but over in my blog.
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