First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

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

                                                      

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

Today I'm featuring The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki.  It's an upcoming book club read borrowed from the library.

  

Prologue:

"All is Lost"

September 25, 1780

West Point Fort, New York

The tall one, General George Washington, sent word that he would be late to breakfast.  I wonder -- is this the first fraying border of a carefully stitched plan about to unravel?  Or, is it simply a straightforward message: The colonial commander is running behind schedule, have your cook and your lady plan accordingly.  I thank the messenger, a dark-haired favorite of the general, a Mr. Alexander Hamilton, and return to the pantry.  But this change to the schedule seems to portend a larger inevitability.  My insides twist as the suspicion takes root, taunting me -- my mistress is going to fail.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter One:

"Never Anger Miss Peggy"

May, 1778

Philadelphia, PA

Clara knocked on the front door once, twice.  She checked the address scrolled on the worn piece of parchment again.  Her grandmother's familiar handwriting directed Clara to arrive at the Shippen mansion on the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets, deep n the district that housed the city's wealthiest residents.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I'm especially intrigued when the story is about the person (in this case the wife) behind the famous person (in this case Benedict Arnold).  Of equal interest (in this case) is that the author is the daughter of a former governor of New York state.  My feeling is that this will not only be a good read, but that it will make for an interesting book club discussion.

 

 

This post was originally written and published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.