Books: First Lines Fridays 22nd November 2024
For this week's First Lines Friday I've picked an adult literary fiction.
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I'm participating in First Lines Fridays as I think it's a great way to highlight more of the books that are on my bookshelves.
What is First Lines Fridays?
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
My Pick For This Week
The first lines of the book:
My mother and father drank. Water, whisky, wine. It was all the same to them. Anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Curiously they never appeared drunk. Instead they existed in a semi-inebriated world, never allowing themselves to fall below a certain level of intoxication as though to do so would be bad manners - like appearing at breakfast not quite fully clothed. They had two children. Two small boys who watched their parents drink. Both grew up to be deeply affected by this habit. That is to say Rory became a teetotaller, and I, an alcoholic.
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
And the book is...
- Publisher : Grove Press; First Edition
- Published : May 10, 2005
- Paperback : 353 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0802142087
- ISBN-13 : 978-0802142085
A stylish, screamingly funny, razor-sharp look at the British aristocracy in decline, Hunting Unicorns introduces us to the owners of the vast Bevan estate: the Earl and Countess-charming and possibly round the bend; Daniel, their eldest son-funny and clever, but a hopeless alcoholic; and Rory-the younger brother mired in the tidying up of his family's well-meaning schemes. Adrift in a rapidly changing world, the Bevans cling to tradition while wrestling with taxes, tree blight, and the need to keep the family skeleton firmly in the cupboard.
Enter Maggie, an opinionated American journalist for the hard-hitting show Newsline. Far happier sending dispatches back from the trenches of war-torn anywhere, Maggie is none too pleased at being forced to research a documentary on the decline of England's upper classes. When these two worlds collide, no one is prepared for the fallout.
The story of two brothers bound by duty, and one woman who feels bound by no one, Hunting Unicorns is a delightful romantic comedy that explores loyalty, family, and, ultimately, having the courage to risk everything in the pursuit of what really counts.
Enter Maggie, an opinionated American journalist for the hard-hitting show Newsline. Far happier sending dispatches back from the trenches of war-torn anywhere, Maggie is none too pleased at being forced to research a documentary on the decline of England's upper classes. When these two worlds collide, no one is prepared for the fallout.
The story of two brothers bound by duty, and one woman who feels bound by no one, Hunting Unicorns is a delightful romantic comedy that explores loyalty, family, and, ultimately, having the courage to risk everything in the pursuit of what really counts.
Where to find Hunting Unicorns by Bella Pollen online:
Have you read this book?
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