Does Page 1 Foretell a Great Book?
In his blog, Australian author Alan Baxter (www.AlanBaxter.info) writes about a book titled How to Read a Novel. Baxter reasons that the book is a “clumsy grab for cash” as “if you buy [the] book, presumably you can read.”
Baxter later describes a suggestion made in the book: the author writes that if one reads page 69 of a novel and likes it, then he or she will enjoy the book.
I commented on Baxter’s blog entry, saying that page 1—rather than page 69—of any book is a better foreteller of a book’s worth—though I warned not to give up on a book after a single page.
I invite any author-readers of my blog to enter the first pages of their books in the “comments” area to this entry.
Following is the first page to My Lost Summer, my memoir about my recovery from a coma when I was 13.
Chapter 1
The Fall
Flash didn’t stumble as a warning he was going down. The saddle pad, which usually kept Libbi more in tune with her horse, was no help. There was nothing she could do. At one instant Flash was walking, at the next he was on the road.
Being turned, asking her mom if she could run her horse, Libbi was unprepared to catch herself or brace against the inevitable impact with the pavement. Her fall was like a dive—head first over Flash’s right shoulder. Impact was with the right side of her skull, and she was knocked unconscious. Luckily no cars were traveling on Beachler Road at the time. Equally as lucky, Flash didn’t land on her with his full weight, but he did roll over her. Then he rolled back over her to gain the momentum he needed to get his 1300-plus pounds into a standing position.
Elaine quickly and expertly regained control of her horse, who had spooked at the site of his fieldmate falling. She jumped off and, without a word, handed the reins to Earl’s son, who had doubled back when he heard the commotion. She ran to where Libbi lay and grabbed the loose reins to Flash’s bridle and pulled him away from the scene.
Already dismounted, Earl, Elaine’s boyfriend, held the reins to his horse as he knelt next to Libbi, calling her name, asking if she were okay.
Holding the ends of the reins to Flash’s bridle behind her so as not to lead him back, Elaine joined Earl—in position and activity: “Libbi? Libbi?” and then “Li-Bee,” in the singsong she used when she…
Compare page 1 with page 69:
who was shrugging on her jacket to drive him to the dance, “Why’s Mike dressed up?”
Elaine smiled down at her daughter, already in her nightgown for bed. “He’s taking a girl to a dance.”
Immediately, tears erupted. “He doesn’t need another girl. He’s got ME!!”
Automatically, laughing busted from both Mike and his mom, which only made Libbi cry harder.
Sensitive to his sister’s feelings, Mike ceased laughing and took her hand and led her around to the carpeted stairwell that led up to their rooms. The stairwell was where Mike, Chris, and Libbi held conferences among themselves.
Libbi sat on the third step up, and Mike sat on the second so that they were close to eye-to-eye, and he haltingly explained to her as best a fifteen year old could, “Libbi… You see…” He sighed. “Sometimes…Well, when boys and girls get to be my age, they like to do things together.”
Her tears still flowed.
“It doesn’t mean that we,” and here Mike pointed to his little sister and touched his own chest, “will be together less. Me going to this dance won’t take any time away from you and me….” His tone changed to playful, “…because it’s almost your bedtime anyway,” and he scooped Libbi into his arms and carried her upstairs to the big, open bedroom she shared with Chris, and he dropped her on her bed and tickled her.
Libbi laughed.
“I’m late for my date, so I gotta go.” He turned and exited the room.
Libbi hopped off her bed and trailed him down the steps. In the TV room she climbed into her father’s lap. “Bye, Mike.”
“Bye, Libbi. I’ll see you in the morning.” Their bond was secure.
A friend from Elaine’s childhood picked Mike up from the airport and drove him to his mother’s house in Carlisle. During the entire forty-minute ride neither driver nor passenger mentioned Libbi…
Page 69 describes the middle and end of a sweet story from my childhood that exemplifies the close bond between my oldest brother and me, that explains why he collapsed with emotion upon first seeing me in the hospital with tubes and lines running from my unconscious body.
If you’re not an author with a page 1 to post, or even if you are an author, cast your vote: which of the above pages do you think pulls the reader into the story more? Which is more likely to convince a reader to give this book a go?
Baxter later describes a suggestion made in the book: the author writes that if one reads page 69 of a novel and likes it, then he or she will enjoy the book.
I commented on Baxter’s blog entry, saying that page 1—rather than page 69—of any book is a better foreteller of a book’s worth—though I warned not to give up on a book after a single page.
I invite any author-readers of my blog to enter the first pages of their books in the “comments” area to this entry.
Following is the first page to My Lost Summer, my memoir about my recovery from a coma when I was 13.
Chapter 1
The Fall
Flash didn’t stumble as a warning he was going down. The saddle pad, which usually kept Libbi more in tune with her horse, was no help. There was nothing she could do. At one instant Flash was walking, at the next he was on the road.
Being turned, asking her mom if she could run her horse, Libbi was unprepared to catch herself or brace against the inevitable impact with the pavement. Her fall was like a dive—head first over Flash’s right shoulder. Impact was with the right side of her skull, and she was knocked unconscious. Luckily no cars were traveling on Beachler Road at the time. Equally as lucky, Flash didn’t land on her with his full weight, but he did roll over her. Then he rolled back over her to gain the momentum he needed to get his 1300-plus pounds into a standing position.
Elaine quickly and expertly regained control of her horse, who had spooked at the site of his fieldmate falling. She jumped off and, without a word, handed the reins to Earl’s son, who had doubled back when he heard the commotion. She ran to where Libbi lay and grabbed the loose reins to Flash’s bridle and pulled him away from the scene.
Already dismounted, Earl, Elaine’s boyfriend, held the reins to his horse as he knelt next to Libbi, calling her name, asking if she were okay.
Holding the ends of the reins to Flash’s bridle behind her so as not to lead him back, Elaine joined Earl—in position and activity: “Libbi? Libbi?” and then “Li-Bee,” in the singsong she used when she…
Compare page 1 with page 69:
who was shrugging on her jacket to drive him to the dance, “Why’s Mike dressed up?”
Elaine smiled down at her daughter, already in her nightgown for bed. “He’s taking a girl to a dance.”
Immediately, tears erupted. “He doesn’t need another girl. He’s got ME!!”
Automatically, laughing busted from both Mike and his mom, which only made Libbi cry harder.
Sensitive to his sister’s feelings, Mike ceased laughing and took her hand and led her around to the carpeted stairwell that led up to their rooms. The stairwell was where Mike, Chris, and Libbi held conferences among themselves.
Libbi sat on the third step up, and Mike sat on the second so that they were close to eye-to-eye, and he haltingly explained to her as best a fifteen year old could, “Libbi… You see…” He sighed. “Sometimes…Well, when boys and girls get to be my age, they like to do things together.”
Her tears still flowed.
“It doesn’t mean that we,” and here Mike pointed to his little sister and touched his own chest, “will be together less. Me going to this dance won’t take any time away from you and me….” His tone changed to playful, “…because it’s almost your bedtime anyway,” and he scooped Libbi into his arms and carried her upstairs to the big, open bedroom she shared with Chris, and he dropped her on her bed and tickled her.
Libbi laughed.
“I’m late for my date, so I gotta go.” He turned and exited the room.
Libbi hopped off her bed and trailed him down the steps. In the TV room she climbed into her father’s lap. “Bye, Mike.”
“Bye, Libbi. I’ll see you in the morning.” Their bond was secure.
A friend from Elaine’s childhood picked Mike up from the airport and drove him to his mother’s house in Carlisle. During the entire forty-minute ride neither driver nor passenger mentioned Libbi…
Page 69 describes the middle and end of a sweet story from my childhood that exemplifies the close bond between my oldest brother and me, that explains why he collapsed with emotion upon first seeing me in the hospital with tubes and lines running from my unconscious body.
If you’re not an author with a page 1 to post, or even if you are an author, cast your vote: which of the above pages do you think pulls the reader into the story more? Which is more likely to convince a reader to give this book a go?
posted by Elizabeth Evans Fryer at 9:00 AM
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