New to Talking Books, every Monday we will share a favorite quote from a book. So up first is the thought-provoking opening paragraph from The Beginning of Everything by Robin Schneider:
“Sometimes I think that everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, that the people buying milk in their pajamas or picking their noses at stoplights could be only moments away from disaster. That everyone’s life, no matter how unremarkable, has a moment when it will become extraordinary--a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen.”
(Page 1, The Beginning of Everything by Robin Schneider)
Intrigued? I just started this book this weekend and am really enjoying it. I'm about a third of the way through, and can't help but think that the John Green crowd will devour this one (and if you know me, you know I am a HUGE Green fan!).
I'll be sharing this one during our Fall Booktalks, but in the meantime, you can read the book flap here:
Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: In one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.
No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met—achingly effortless and fiercely intelligent.
Together, Ezra and Cassidy discover flash mobs, buried treasure, and a poodle that might just be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby. But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: If one’s singular tragedy has already hit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?
Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.
