First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #125

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

Today I'm featuring my current read, The Book Shop by Penelope Fitzgerald, borrowed from the library.

 

Goodreads Page  

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In 1959 Florence Green occasionally passed a night when she was not absolutely sure whether she had slept or not.  This was because of her worries as to whether to purchase a small property,  the Old House, with its own warehouse on the foreshore, and to open the only bookshop in Hardborough.  The uncertainty probably kept her awake.  She had once seen a heron flying across the estuary and trying, while it was on the wing, to swallow an eel which it had caught.  The eel, in turn, was struggling to escape from the gullet of the heron and appeared a quarter, a half, or occasionally three-quarters of the way out.  The indecision expressed by both creatures was pitiable.  They had taken on too much.  Florence felt that if she hadn't slept at all - and people often say this when they mean nothing of the kind - she must have been kept awake by thinking of the heron.  

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

Initially, I was attracted to this book by its title and cover.  I can certainly relate to Florence's state of mind, having had my own bouts of indecision about the future.  After reading the first paragraph, I want to know more about Florence Green and her book shop plans.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #125 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ encouraged.