Very embarrassing. Well the opening of Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two cities" did vaguely appear together with the feeling that Alan Plater spoofed it nicely in one of his Beiderbecke creations..."It was the best of terms, it was the worst of terms" (at least I think he did!)and my brain conjured up the Covers of other books..so obviously it was trying.... But I'm going to use Chemo brain as an excuse and have cheated and rushed off to browse through a pile of favourite books to see what was it about the opening passages that drew me in. So here follows a few opening lines from a random selection of favourites ...Ok we're still sorting out the den and my favourite books are rather out of reach unless you stand on the squashy sofa on one leg and wobble precariously whilst leaning at an improbable angle..then it's just working out how to get back down again without disaster befalling self or books so balance self and books on the edge of the piano.. leap athletically down (ok clutch any vaguely solid object and tentatively step down)dust them and there task completed ...easy (lol)
"Diary of a Provincial Lady
November 7th- Plant the indoor bulbs. Just as I am in the middle of them, Lady Boxe calls. I say, untruthfully, how nice to see her, and beg her to sit down while I just finish the bulbs"
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M Delafield. 1930
"You either belong to the City of London, that square mile of clerks and typists,brokers and commission men, bankers and company promoters, underwriters and accountants; or like a bowler hat at a boating party, you don't. The individual who, at closing time one weekday afternoon, launched himself out of a back-street pub and was towed into the tideway of humanity about the Bank of England by a bull terrier bitch on the end of a piece of string emphatically didn't; neither did the dog."
Cork in the Doghouse by Macdonald Hastings. 1957
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"It began in a woman's club in London on a February afternoon,-an uncomfortable club, and a miserable afternoon- when Mrs Wilkins, who had come down from Hampstead to shop and had lunched at her club ,took up The Times from the table in the smoking room and running her listless eye down the Agony column saw this :
To Those Who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine.
Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be Let Furnished for the month of April. Necessary servants remain. Z, Box 1000, The Times."
Enchanted April by the Author of "Elizabeth and her German Garden" 1928
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...to be continued (well it's amusing me)
Val, I'm so glad that you picked up on this, I've already been introduced to a few new must-reads from your selection and comments left on mine.
ReplyDeleteNice coincidence - to compensate for missing out on my trip to France, I bought the DVD of The Enchanted April. It really captures the spirit of the book.