First impressions competition: March 20 2008

This week’s competition, in which you have to identify a book from its opening sentence, is from a satire on nineteenth-century French society:

“The little town of Verrières could pass for one of the prettiest in the Franche-Comté”

Entries, including postal address, should be sent to First Impressions, The Times Higher Education, 26 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4HQ, faxed to 020 3194 3300 or emailed to chat@timeshighereducation.co.uk

The winner receives a £25 book voucher. The closing date is March 26.

The winner of last week’s competition, who identified Independence Day by Richard Ford, is Ivan Plusnin of Okehampton, Devon