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Teaser Tuesday 01-27-09: The Bonesetter's Daughter

Should Be Reading - Miz B - hosts this weekly event. We throw out a couple of sentences from our current read (without spoilers, of course) to entice you to read the book.


From The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan, page 197, way more than two sentences. I'm such an anarchist.

I was remembering how she taught me that everything, even ink, had a purpose and a meaning: Good ink cannot be the quick kind, ready to pour out of a bottle. You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. That is the problem with modern ink from a bottle. You do not have to think. You simply write what is swimming on the top of your brain. And the top is nothing but pond scum, dead leaves, and mosquito spawn. But when you push an inkstick along an inkstone, you take the first step to cleansing your mind and your heart. You push and you ask yourself, What are my intentions? What is in my heart that matches my mind?
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9 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Love this teaser! I always end up with more than two sentences also - you can't just stop in the middle of a thought!! =)

gwenlyn said...

Oooo....such prose! How could you not break the rules!

Terri said...

Exactly. I also confess, my teasers are rarely random!

G - thought of our writing group when I read this.

Anonymous said...

"What is in my heart that matches my mind?" One could switch the words for a slightly different yet equally meaningful question: What is in my mind that matches my heart?

Jo-Jo said...

Oh my goodness! This is beautiful and almost poetic writing. I haven't read anything by Amy Tan yet but I think I will have to soon. Thanks for the teaser...mine is here.

Serena said...

this is one of my favorite Amy Tan novels. Thanks for sharing this passage.

Wendi said...

Wonderful teaser. My book club read this book and enjoyed it.

Here's my Teaser! ~ Wendi

Caspette said...

Great teaser. I dont think two sentences would have worked nearly as well.

You just live to rebel dont you :)

Anonymous said...

My teasers are rarely random either and two sentences can be quite meaningless. I like your teaser - typing is even easier than writing in ink, but it certainly isn't without effort if you're like me - constant editing etc until I get it right. It would be a complete mess if I had to go back to "real" writing.