Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which I 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 56 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 The Heirs, by Susan Rieger, a riveting portrait of a family, told with compassion, insight, and wit, The Heirs wrestles with the tangled nature of inheritance and legacy for one unforgettable, patrician New York family. Moving seamlessly through a constellation of rich, arresting voices, The Heirs is a tale out of Edith Wharton for the 21st century.
Beginning: (Eleanor, He that dies pays all debts)
When he was dying, Rupert Falkes had the best care money could buy. His wife, Eleanor, saw to that. After the last round of chemo failed, she installed him in New York-Presbyterian in a large, comfortable, private room with a window facing the Hudson. She could have put him in hospice but she knew that in his rare moments of lucidity, he’d want to be in a hospital. He’d fought the prostate cancer tooth and nail, and even when it took over his bones, inflicting almost unbearable pain, he fought on. He wasn’t ready to go.
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Friday 56: “I don’t think mother and daughter have much to say for themselves,” Rupert said to Eleanor as they crossed the park in a cab. He stopped, remembering his late mother-in-law. “It’s good for your father. Mrs. Cantwell is so very fond of him. The way she looks at him must give him happiness.”
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Synopsis: Six months after Rupert Falkes dies, leaving a grieving widow and five adult sons, an unknown woman sues his estate, claiming she had two sons by him. The Falkes brothers are pitched into turmoil, at once missing their father and feeling betrayed by him. In disconcerting contrast, their mother, Eleanor, is cool and calm, showing preternatural composure.
Eleanor and Rupert had made an admirable life together — Eleanor with her sly wit and generosity, Rupert with his ambition and English charm — and they were proud of their handsome, talented sons: Harry, a brash law professor; Will, a savvy Hollywood agent; Sam, an astute doctor and scientific researcher; Jack, a jazz trumpet prodigy; Tom, a public-spirited federal prosecutor. The brothers see their identity and success as inextricably tied to family loyalty – a loyalty they always believed their father shared. Struggling to reclaim their identity, the brothers find Eleanor’s sympathy toward the woman and her sons confounding. Widowhood has let her cast off the rigid propriety of her stifling upbringing, and the brothers begin to question whether they knew either of their parents at all.
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What do you think? Do the snippets pique your curiosity?
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I like the synopsis but I think the opening paragraph is rather poorly written. What do you think of the writing?
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Thanks for visiting, Anne, and now that I reread it, there is a certain flatness to it, a dry expression of the facts. I thought the 56 was better. Enjoy your pick!
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The excerpts caught my attention–I’ll be on the lookout for this book.
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Thanks, Catherine, and I hope you enjoy your reading. Glad you could visit.
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Not my usual, but the description sounds great!
Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for stopping by, Lauren, and I was pulled in by the description. Enjoy yours!
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Intriguing, if not a little depressing – but it does sound like it’s full of family drama and lots of exciting things to come!
Here is mine: https://alternative-read.com/2017/09/22/tgif-friday56-read-with-instagram56-bookbeginnings-thetasteofbluelight-by-lydiaruffles-followfriday/
The Taste of Blue Light – it’s a like a young adult’s version of The Bell Jar!
Luv Sass
🙂
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Yes, I agree that there will be some family drama, which I always enjoy. Thanks for visiting, Sassy, and enjoy your pick.
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Oh, the beginning of this one starts off too sad for me, but the blurb does sounds good. I would love for you and your readers to check out mine . . . http://tinyurl.com/LisaKsBookReviewsSOTJ
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Thanks, Lisa, and I hope you are enjoying your pick.
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Sounds like the makings of a great story! 🙂 Happy weekend!
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Thanks, Freda, I think so, too. Thanks for hosting…and for visiting.
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I love family dramas, and this sounds like a good one. I’m definitely interested.
My Friday post features Half Broke Horses.
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Thanks, Sandy, and I loved your pick today, too. Jeannette Walls is an author I enjoy. Have a great weekend!
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I’d definitely keep reading – that segment of society fascinates me.
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Thanks for stopping by, Kathy, and the inheritance issues intrigued me as well.
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I am curious. This isn’t the sort of book I would usually choose but it sounds like it has intriguing characters. I am featuring The Hunt by Chloe Neill this week. Happy reading!
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Thanks for stopping by, Kathy, and I am hoping to enjoy this one. Have a great weekend.
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Between the opening and the synopsis, it definitely grabbed my attention. Another book for my wishlist 🙂
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Thanks for visiting, Yvonne…what fun we will have reading all the books we see today!
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LOVE the cover, and LOVE the synopsis.
ENJOY…sounds very good.
Elizabeth
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Thanks, Elizabeth, I love these events…and seeing books I MUST buy! Thanks for visiting.
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I think maybe because this is not my genre of choice to read usually I kind of didn’t like the beginning, it sounds a bit depressing. But I do like the sound of the synopsis!
Here’s my Friday Reads
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Thanks for visiting, Priyanka…I liked the blurb better than the beginning, too.
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This sounds like it could be a very interesting read. The synopsis has me intrigued. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Thanks, Ashley, I am enjoying it so far. Have a great weekend!
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Those snippets definitely pique my interest!
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Thanks, Patty, I am enjoying the book so far….interesting family drama.
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Love the cover for this one. Is it meant to invoke an image of a family tree? Enjoy the weekend!
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Thanks, Alicia, and I think it does symbolize (or evoke) a family tree. The book is interesting so far.
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I like the idea, but the prose doesn’t grip me.
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Thanks for visiting, Nicki, and I’m enjoying it so far.
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Oh, definitely my interest is piqued! I enjoy stories like this, that test family bonds and bring secrets to light. Seeing how everyone deals with them and learns to accept and adjust. I will keep my eye out for this one. I hope you have a great weekend, Laurel-Rain!
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Thanks for visiting, Wendy….the story is fascinating, as it goes back and forth in time and shows the characters at different ages.
The pivotal moments are the death of the father and the claims of the other woman…but how each of the characters react makes it interesting, and seeing them at different life stages helps us understand those reactions.
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