May 26, 2015

First Chapter: DIAMOND HEAD by Cecily Wong

First Chapter, First Paragraph is hosted weekly by Bibliophile by the Sea. Share the first paragraph of your current read. Also visit Teaser Tuesdays meme hosted by Jenn.
Diamond Head by Cecily Wong
Published April 14, 2015 by Harper
Genre: historical novel
First chapter, first paragraph:
Inside the care, it smells like hibiscus. It was his mother's idea; something subtle, she told him, but fresh. Something alive. As the man pulls from his driveway he is grateful, just this once, for his mother's meddling. He breathes in. Already, the sweet smell is working on his nerves. 
Teaser: 
There are few things in life as beautiful as a fresh start," Frank whispered, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into his chest, sheltering me from the wind off the ocean, pressing me into his eager heartbeat. "This will be ours."
Book descriptionAt the turn of the nineteenth-century, Frank Leong, a wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But something ancient follows the Leongs to Hawaii, haunting them. 

The parable of the red string of fate, the cord which binds one intended beloved to her perfect match, also punishes for mistakes in love, passing a destructive knot down the family line. 

Now the Leong’s survival rests with young Theresa, Frank Leong’s only grandchild, eighteen and pregnant, the heir apparent to her ancestors’ punishing knots. Told through the eyes of the Leong’s secret-keeping daughters and wives and spanning The Boxer Rebellion to Pearl Harbor to 1960s Hawaii, Diamond Head is a tale of tragic love, shocking lies, poignant compromise, aching loss, heroic acts of sacrifice and, miraculous hope. (publisher)

Based on the first paragraph, the teaser, and the book description, would you read on?

30 comments:

  1. Sounds fascinating! I hope you are enjoying it. My teaser this week comes from the latest in a science fiction series I adore - Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Happy reading!

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    1. Reading it in chapters, Kathy. Not all at once. Have to absorb the history, etc.

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  2. I love the cover, love the blurb, and the idea of this story. I already have this book on my wishlist. I went to Oahu and Maui on my honeymoon and while Oahu is much more touristy, the history of the state itself should be wonderful!

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    1. I'd love to see Maui, having been on the beach near Diamond Head.

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  3. Thanks for sharing! Lovely cover and excerpts....here's mine: “APRON STRINGS”

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  4. A friend of mine read this recently. It's on my tbr list.

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  5. Love the cover and I'd keep reading!

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  6. That is a beautiful cover, isn't it! I read and reviewed this one a few weeks ago. You can read the review here, if you are interested. Hope you enjoy!

    Today I am featuring The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank.

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    1. Will read your review more closely, Kim, once I have finished the book. Looks like a good review!

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  7. This sounds like a family saga -- which I love! I'm ready for a trip to Hawaii, even if it is only through the pages of a book.
    My Tuesday post features Nobody’s Cuter Than You.

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    1. Chinese family sagas are of interest to me as I have my own!

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  8. I've read a couple of really positive reviews of this book. I love the cover and I want to smell hibiscus. :-)

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    1. Glad to hear about the good reviews. I have only just started the book, one of several :)

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  9. This sounds like an absolutely fascinating book! I love it when books span a whole century because so many things happen in a 100 years. The idea of something passing down the line in family is also beautiful! Ugh, I love it all basically! Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great week and that I see you at ABEA!
    My Tuesday post
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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    1. Wish I could be at BEA, Juli, but unfortunately not! Have a great time and take home lots of good books to tell us about!

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  10. Great cover, but I'm not sure about the opening. Would read a few more pages before deciding...

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    1. Yes, it does take a few paragraphs to get to the main characters.

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  11. I like this intro a lot. I smell the hibiscus.

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  12. Beautiful opener. I'd keep reading.

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  13. Really like the setting and time frame. I'd keep reading.

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    1. An immigrant family's story. I am fascinated too, Nise.

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  14. Oh this sounds fascinating! I've heard some things about this one and that combined with the lovely cover and the teaser makes it sound like a book I need to add to my TBR.

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    1. I am making notes as I go along, Katherine, to keep track of the people...

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I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

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