Tuesday, March 28, 2017

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday: Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa



First Chapter Tuesday is hosted every Tuesday by Diane over at Bibiophile by the Sea. Join the fun by making your own post and linking up over at Diane's blog, or simple check it out to find more new books to read!


Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa

Severina

Chapter 1

What power has love but forgiveness? —William Carlos Williams, "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower,"  Book 3

 "I noticed her the first time she came in the store, and right from the start I picked her for a thief, although that day she didn't take anything. 

On Monday afternoons there were usually poetry readings at La Entretenida, the bookstore I'd recently opened with a group of friends. We didn't have anything better to do and we were tired of paying through the nose for books chosen by and for others, as "eccentrics" like us are forced to do in provincial cities. (There are far more serious problems here, but I don't want to talk about all that now.) So, to put an end to this annoyance, we decided to start our own store."*

Rodrigo Rey Rosa is a prominent Guatemalen writer, and since I don't believe I've ever read any literature from Guatemala, I thought this sounded like a great book to start! This is a short book, more of a novella, in which the narrator -- a bookseller -- tracks the novels a young woman steals and tries to figure out more about her based upon the books she takes. I am rather excited to finish this one up, it sounds wonderfully intriguing. 



What do you think? Would you keep reading either one of these? (And feel free to join in and make your own post!) 
If you're enticed by this chapter, be sure to check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!


*Excerpt taken from the novel itself; I do not claim to own any part of the excerpt.



3 comments:

  1. The opening is well written and interesting revealing an appealing basis for the story. It sounds like there will be some kind of connection between the narrator and the potential thief that will be out of the ordinary. I think I would enjoy it very much. Thanks for sharing. Here's my link for today's intro/teaser: http://wp.me/p4DMf0-1wi

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  2. Now I am curious...and I love that cover! Thanks for sharing. Here's mine: “THE CUTAWAY”

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