Front Page Fridays Week-57
Front Page Fridays Week-57
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-57. On Fridays I showcase the first page of a new book.
My Front Page Fridays Week-57 guest is Louise Beech with her brand-new novel, Wonderful.
Here’s the opening:
1
Marilyn buys her first house
January 1962, Brentwood, Los Angeles
Chill winds gusted angrily from the ocean as though to reproach the frenzy of journalists pursuing a man and woman along a tree-lined lane. Guiding her, the man led the way, papers scattering like large, white leaves from a folder in his other hand. He abandoned them on the grass verge, looking far more nervous than she appeared to be.
‘Marilyn, Marilyn, Marilyn,’ the mob cried, their words punctuated with the pop of camera flash, and the pounding of footfall on damp tarmac.
She disappeared inside a gate, and the man followed, slamming it shut and leaning on it, breathing hard.
‘Are you OK, Marilyn?’ he asked.
She smiled and nodded, but was more interested in looking up the curved driveway towards the main door of the Mexican-style Colonial Revival house, obviously keen to get to it. ‘I’m used to it, honey,’ she said, and inhaled the scent of eucalyptus trees, bougainvillea vines, and citrus fruits. She tried to let her senses decide her fate. Should she go inside the house with this real estate agent or turn back, fight the paparazzi, and surrender the dream of her own home?
This is the place, the foliage whispered.
She longed for a sanctuary; a secret abode where she could lock the door; a haven where she could stop running and learn to walk more slowly again.
This house, in its secluded position at the end of a cul-de-sac, had enticed her in the brochure with windows protected by wrought iron and tall pines standing guard. It would be the first place she owned if she bought it.
‘Shall we go inside?’ asked the real estate agent, still red-cheeked from their frenzied run.
About Wonderful:
A Hollywood idol. The Virgin Mary. An everyday girl from Hull.
Three women, three eras, surprising things in common...
On 4th August 1962, the night she should have died, Marilyn Monroe – the biggest star in the world – receives a visitor who changes the course of her destiny. The Virgin Mary appears in her kitchen with a curious message. Inspired, Marilyn abandons her home, her life, her fame, and disappears into the night…
Fifty-four years later, in a Hull kitchen, Flora Baker finds Mary, bathed in light. She has a similar message for the working class woman who is on the poverty line and dreaming of a better life. Flora begins to make changes that impact not only her life but the lives of those around her…
Do Marilyn and Flora have more in common than just Mary’s visit? Are they somehow linked across time? And is Mary’s message for all the women of the world?
Purchase Link Wonderful:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wonderful-Louise-Beech-ebook/dp/B0GJ674XWR
About the Author:
Louise Beech is the author of eleven novels and a memoir, Eighteen Seconds (2023). Her debut, How to be Brave, was a Guardian Readers’ Pick; The Lion Tamer Who Lost shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards 2019 and longlisted for the Polari Prize the same year; Call Me Star Girl was Best magazine’s Book of the Year; This Is How We Are Human was a Clare Mackintosh Book Club pick; and the audiobook of her memoir, Daffodils, shortlisted for the Audies23. Her thrillers, End of Story and Lights Out, are written as Louise Swanson; the former was chosen by Sophie Hannah as a Book of the Year in the Daily Mail, and the latter was reviewed by The Times. Her debut play, How to be Brave, toured Yorkshire venues in 2024. Wonderful was released in June 2026. She is also proud to be an Honorary Research Associate at Hull University for the Creative Writing Department.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @LouiseWriter
Instagram: @louise_beech_swanson
Purchase Links Other Books:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eighteen-Seconds-shocking-gripping-forgiveness-ebook/dp/B0BKLV5Q3K/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-How-We-Are-Human-ebook/dp/B08T5LLP4M/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-57. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis – Front Page Fridays Week-17 — Rachel Sargeant
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd – Front Page Fridays Week-18 — Rachel Sargeant
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell – Front Page Fridays Week-19 — Rachel Sargeant
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-20 — Rachel Sargeant
21. The Car Horn revolution by A.J. Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-21 — Rachel Sargeant
22. What Lies Beneath by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-22 — Rachel Sargeant
23. A Safe Place by Stephanie Carty – Front Page Fridays Week-23 — Rachel Sargeant
24. Fatal Image by Brian Price – Front Page Fridays Week-24 — Rachel Sargeant
25. Run For Your Lies by A.A. Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-25 — Rachel Sargeant
26. A Walk in the Park by Natalie Kleinman – Front Page Fridays Week-26 — Rachel Sargeant
27. A Storm in a Teacup by Rachael Gray – Front Page Fridays Week-27 — Rachel Sargeant
28. The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-28
29. A Death in the Afternoon by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-29 — Rachel Sargeant
30. Justice by Madalyn Morgan – Front Page Fridays Week-30 — Rachel Sargeant
31. Let Me Out by Amanda Brittany – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-31
32. A Pocketful of Poisons by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/85orb6bc15cs2voyn37yv3jprw0jec
33. Tribute by Madalyn Morgan – Front Page Fridays Week-33 — Rachel Sargeant
34. Mistress of the Manor by Cara Clayton – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-34
35. Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Chistensen – Front Page Fridays Week-35 — Rachel Sargeant
36. A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet – Front Page Fridays Week-36
37. Beneath the Same Moon by AS Andrejevic – Front Page Fridays Week-37 — Rachel Sargeant
38. The Fallen by Maureen Myant - Front Page Fridays Week-38 — Rachel Sargeant
39. The Bad Women by Jennie Ensor – Front Page Fridays Week-39 — Rachel Sargeant
40. Lies Between Friends by AA Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-40 — Rachel Sargeant
41. Ftal Shot by Brian Brice – My Front Page Fridays Week-41 — Rachel Sargeant
42. The Alibi by Katharine Johnson – My Front Page Fridays Week-42 — Rachel Sargeant
43. The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-43
44. If I Were You by Helen Matthews – Front Page Fridays Week-44 — Rachel Sargeant
45. (Not Quite) Done With Dating by Bella Osborne – Front Page Fridays Week-45
46. Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop by Jackie Baldwin – Front Page Fridays Week-46 — Rachel Sargeant
47. Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley – Front Page Fridays Week-47 — Rachel Sargeant
48. Missing… Rose Malone by Linda Huber – www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-48
49. Fiasco by Nicola Kelsall – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-49
50. 27 Church Street by A.J. Hobart – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-50
51. The Girls of Maple Close by Amanda Britanny – www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-51
52. Growing Old Disgracefully by Karen King – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-52
53. Meet Me At Apple Blossom Lane by Anita Faulkner – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-53
54. Festival Days by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-54 — Rachel Sargeant
55. The Conservatory by Anthony Aberford –https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-55
56. Her Rising Star by Rachel Sargeant – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-56