I started reading "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. I read the first paragraph of the prologue and was immediately hooked. The prologue starts with:
"Only three people were left under the red and white awning of the grease joint: Grady, me, and the fry cook. Grady and I sat at a bettered wooden table, each facing a burger on a dented plate." (Gruen, 1).
I felt like I was at a circus reading that first passage. And the book only got better. In the prologue, the action immediately sets in. Disaster strikes. The band starts playing "Starts and Stripes Forever" which is a code saying that disaster has struck. All the animals have been let loose. All the circus workers jump into action, trying to corral all the strange animals keep at the circus.
The narrator of this story searches frantically for a woman, Marlena. He finds her fairly quickly, but of course it seemed like forever. However, as soon as he finds her he sees her grabbing an iron stake and killing someone. How's that for drama in the prologue? The prologue ends with the narrator saying that that day still haunts him, and that he never mentions his time in the circuses despite the fact the he spent seven years there. I've always loved historical fiction, so this book seemed like a good choice for me. Hopefully I'll enjoy the rest of the book as much as I've enjoyed the beginning.
No comments:
Post a Comment