Tuesday Intro: The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

How angry am I?  You don't want to know. Nobody wants to know about that. 

I'm a good girl, I'm a nice girl, I'm a straight-A, strait-laced, good daughter, good career girl, and I never stole anybody's boyfriend and I never ran out on a girlfriend, and I put up with my parent's shit and my brother's shit, and I'm not a girl anyhow, I'm over forty fu**ing years old, and I'm good at my job and I'm great with kids and I held my mother's hand when she died, after four years of holding her hand while she was dying, and I speak to my father every day on the telephone - every day mind you, and what kind of weather do you have on your side of the river, because here it's pretty gray and a bit muggy too? It was supposed to say "Great Artist" on my tombstone, but if I died right now it would say "such a good teacher/daughter/friend" instead; and what I really want to shout, and want in big letters on that grave, too, is FU@K YOU ALL.

The Woman Upstairs
by Claire Messud

I'll bet that opening got your attention! In addition to receiving high praise from trusted bloggers, this book had spawned heated discussion on the subject of likable characters. After a long wait, I finally reached the top of the library hold list and started reading yesterday. After fifty pages, I am enthralled.

What do you think of the opening? Do you want to read more?

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.