Friday, November 1, 2013

Eight Cousins - Louisa May Alcott

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For today's Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday 56 post, I'm featuring Eight Cousins. I haven't read the book yet, but at 99¢ for my Kindle, it's a bargain!

Here's the Book Beginning:


Chapter 1 - Two Girls
      Rose sat all alone in the big best parlor, with her little handkerchief laid ready to catch the first tear, for she was thinking of her troubles, and a shower was expected. She had retired to this room as a good place in which to be miserable; for it was dark and still, full of ancient furniture, sombre curtains, and hung all around with portraits of solemn old gentlemen in wigs, severe-nosed ladies in top-heavy caps, and staring children in little bob-tailed coats or short-waisted frocks. 

Louisa May paints a good picture of the room, but those two sentences are really long!
 Would an editor let us write that way today? I don't think so.

Here's the Friday 56 excerpt from my Kindle:

      Presently, Phebe appeared with a card. Rose read it, made a grimace, then laughed and said,
     "I'll see Miss Blish," and immediately put on her company face, pulled out her locket, and settled her curls.


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14 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this book when I was young...I wonder how it would seem now? A few years ago, I reread some LMA books. I still enjoyed Little Women, but Little Men...not so much. I didn't get around to Eight Cousins. I'm curious how you'll enjoy it.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  2. THANKS for stopping by my blog earlier, and thanks for your preview of this book.

    Have a great day.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

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  3. A blast from the past, great choice!

    Happy Movember and happy weekend!

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  4. Hi Sandra,

    I too, read the stock LMA books, as a chld, however 'Eight Cousins' certainly didn't feature on that list.

    I see that you made the same observations about LMA's writing style, as you did about my own featured author this week, Robert Bartram.

    I have to be the worst person in the world for composing long sentences and I love really descriptive writing, so for me, your first lines were absolutely perfect and set the scene so well.

    I hope that you enjoy the book, although for the princely sum of $.99, it isn't the end of the world if you don't.

    Have a good weekend,

    Yvonne

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    1. I guess long sentences must be one of my (many) pet peeves! I do like the description, especially of the portraits lining the walls.

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  5. What a great pick. It is so easy to forget books that were not written recently. Thanks for visiting..

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  6. Interesting beginning and excerpt! You're probably right that most editors would frown upon such long sentences today! lol Thanks for sharing and for stopping by my post earlier!

    Wendy @ Escape Into Fiction

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  7. I remember this book! Loved it. As to the complex sentences, you are right that an editor would chop the heck of it. But my question is, should they?

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    Replies
    1. Even though I prefer shorter sentences, I agree that longer, flowing sentences are appropriate for some genres. Actually, after I get into a book with long sentences, it doesn't seem to bother me so much if the story is good.

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  8. Both of these excerpts are intriguing. Thanks for the visit to my blog.

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  9. I love classic authors like Louisa May Alcott. Enjoy! Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  10. I love long, shaggy opening sentences like those. A book that starts like that makes me want to settle in for a long comfy read.

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  11. I wonder what was on the card.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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