Welcome to First Line Friday! This is a weekly feature hosted by Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower. The idea is very simple: you just share the first line (or lines) of the book you are currently reading.
A slight confession – this may not be my current read but it’s one I intend to start this week! As I’m preparing this post, I’m got a little of my previous book to finish so might still be reading come Friday morning. I’ve chosen The Mischief Makers for my book group to read towards the end of the month so I will be reading it next.
First Lines
Daphne lay in the dark, her heart still thumping. She’d been dreaming of Michael again as he and Rupert walked towards Sanford Pool, the long summer grass in the meadows brushing their feet, the murmur of the weir growing louder as they pass the blistered wooden sign with its black lettering: Beware, Danger of drowning.
Full Book Details
She wrote her stories in his shadow. Now Daphne’s past is catching up with her…
In a beautiful house in the wilds of Cornwall, Daphne du Maurier is on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Tangled in a self-destructive love affair that threatens to unravel her marriage, she is also distracted by worry for the family friend whose shadow looms over her childhood: J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan.
Daphne tries to escape into writing her new book, but the line between fiction and reality blurs dangerously when her own characters start manifesting before her eyes – in particular a woman called Rebecca who looks suspiciously like her husband’s alluring ex-girlfriend.
Daphne must confront the dark truth that lurks beneath the fantasy of Peter Pan and the secret life that has plagued her since she found fame. Unless she can solve these mysteries and reckon with who she truly is as an artist, her next great work may be lost to history . . .
About the Author
Elisabeth Gifford grew up in a vicarage in the industrial Midlands. She studied French literature and world religions at Leeds University. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Oxford OUDCE and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway College. She is the author of five previous historical novels, including The Good Doctor of Warsaw and The Lost Lights of St Kilda. She is married with three children, and lives in Kingston upon Thames.
So that’s my contribution to First Line Friday for this week! Would those first lines entice you to read on? Let me know what you think and if you are taking part in First Line Friday, pop a link to your post in the comments. Happy weekend reading everyone!
