First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros ~ The Darlings by Christina Alger

 
Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the sea posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along.   I like this meme and decided to play along with her this week. The Darlings will be published in February of 2012. The following is from an ARC I received from Viking.


"Paul slipped in through the side door just as the applause was ending. He stood at the edge of the ballroom until the clapping faded and the music started up again. His wife, Merrill, was up front near the stage. She looked on as a photographer snapped pictures of his mother, Ines, the gala's chairperson. Around him, partygoers wafted from table to table; a giant amoebic mass, shimmering in the incandescent light of a thousand cocktail glasses and candles. As Paul wended his way toward his wife, he caught a couple of cold stares tossed in his direction. His hand shot reflexively to the knot of his tie, atraightening it. It was one of his favorite ties; part of what Merrill called the "first-string rotation" in his closet. he felt good in it, usually. Tonight, amid the sea of tuxedos, it felt woefully inadequate. He kept his eyes trained on his wife and tried, without luck, to recall the name of Ines's charity."


The first paragraph really set the scene for me and I could picture it easily. What do you think? Would you continue reading or say pffft and toss it aside?