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The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): The Fall by Bethany Griffin


Welcome to The Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.
2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.
3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
4. Post it.
5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.


I'm also taking part in Book Beginnings, a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.  The rules are pretty simple - you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires.  Don't forget to link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.


This week I am spotlighting my current read, The Fall by Bethany Griffin.  It is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher as told from Madeline's perspective.  I haven't read anything else by this author, but I was quite excited to hear about this retelling.  I've always enjoyed the original story (and you can't forget the movie with Vincent Price!).  I'm quite liking it - Madeline is a good unreliable narrator and the story is very atmospheric, even if the narration is a bit disjointed.  By the way, when I say disjointed, I mean it in a good way.  I'm about 40% of the way through and I'm enjoying where Griffin is taking the story and the characters.


My Book Beginnings:

The first thing I notice is that my blanket is gone.  The last of my nightly rituals is to pull it all the way to my chin, and it never falls away, no matter what nightmares I wrestle before I wake.

But something else is wrong; I try to move, and though I don't seem to be paralyzed, my arms are pinned tightly to my sides.  My brain is slow; the horror saturates me gradually.  I struggle, twist to the left, and free one arm.

My 56:

But time moves slowly when you are alone in this house.  Sometimes I suspect it doesn't move at all; I could be reliving the same monotonous days over and over, and I would never know.


Comments

  1. I totally want to read this book. Thanks for reminding me. My Friday Posts

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  2. This sounds really interesting... and scary. I've not read The Fall of the House of Usher either so I might have to have a look into them both.

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    1. It's pretty creepy. You might want to check out both! :)

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  3. I have not read Poe's story. I wonder if this one is better if you have.

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    1. So far I would say you don't have to because it's chronicling her life up until the events of the original short story. (However, chapter one opens with a scene that takes place during the story.) If you have read the original, you'll probably have an idea of where it's going (saying will do what I think it will of course).

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  4. This is now a must read. I loved the original and Vincent price in the movie. I like atmospheric stories. It follows all through the story and does it's own telling.

    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/03/13/the-friday-56-54-the-unspoken/

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  5. I love your post and you have me sold. :-)
    sherry @ fundinmentalFriday Memes

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  6. This one sounds very frightening...and good. But something to read in the daytime...LOL.

    Here's mine: “WHERE THEY FOUND HER”

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  7. That sounds so creepy! This one has been on my TBR really just because of the cover so I'm glad to get a peek at the story itself.

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  8. This is quite different from what I usually read -- and that's good! I'm adding it to my TBR.
    My Friday post features WHAT WE KEEP.

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    Replies
    1. Fantastic - sometimes it is good to get out of your comfort zone.

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  9. I love unreliable narrators, it always makes the story more interesting.

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  10. This looks pretty creepy. I kind of like it though. Even if I can't really recall the Fall of the House of Usher very well. My high school English teacher would not be happy.
    Amanda

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    1. Ha! It doesn't rely upon having read the original.

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