Best first lines of books

I’m definitely going to read this book. Below are fifty great opening lines for you to ponder. We’d love to know if any of these first lines are enough to pique your interest to read the full book. Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 50 of the most impactful opening sentences in literature: Metamorphosis by Kafka:Throughout his career, Lee has written numerous beautiful novels anchored by beautiful opening lines. "The day my wife left me she game me a list of who I was." ( Native Speaker) "From up here, a ...The first line of a novel is arguably the most important of the entire work. As any author knows, the first line can be the difference between a reader won over and a book cast aside. It sets the tone, reveals character, and exposes themes. But some first lines go even further and become part of the collective memory of culture all on their won.As a new month begins, test your knowledge of the best opening lines in literature. Find out here if you are in the first rank – or an April fool. Wed 31 Mar 2010 19.05 EDT. Email link. 1. “It ...When Becky opened the door, she saw a man, who looked very much like a builder, holding a broken tile in his hands. When children are young, there is a chasm that the imaginative ones do not see. When everything else fell away, only one truth remained. If it had been any other day, she would have missed it.Jan 17, 2024 · 12 Breathtaking First Lines in YA. “The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.”. – CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare. “On the day Emma Carstairs’s parents were killed, the weather was perfect.”. – CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare. “On the second Sabbat of Twelfthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl fell from the sky ... As a new month begins, test your knowledge of the best opening lines in literature. Find out here if you are in the first rank – or an April fool. Wed 31 Mar 2010 19.05 EDT. Email link. 1. “It ...We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.I'm on my second novel of the series. Really good stuff. Here's the opening paragraph from the first book in the series, "Killing FLoor": "I was arrested in Eno's Diner. At twelve o'clock. I was eating eggs and drinking coffee. A late breakfast, not lunch. I was wet and tired after a long walk in heavy rain.About This Quiz. Some books come out hot right out of the gate with iconic openers. How many of these literary works can you correctly guess based only on the opening line? START QUIZ. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." "A Tale of Two Cities".The first lines in Stephen King books set the stage for the stories that follow. Over his long career, King has written opening sentences that are funny, informative, scary, and downright odd. But which one is the best? Is it the simple statement about the gunslinger following the man in black through the desert in The Gunslinger, the novel that begins his epic …Oct 9, 2017 · It's been a strong season for books, and the same could be said for those all-important first lines. Here, we celebrate the funniest, darkest, and most mysterious openings of the fall. 02 of 12 From the initial words of Moby Dick to the opening line of Harry Potter, the first sentence of a novel is a reader’s entry point into an awaiting world. All writers—from legendary novelists like Toni Morrison and Stephen King to new authors self-publishing their work—must understand how to start a novel in a …From “The Hellion Bride” by Catherine Coulter. Susan/DC says: October 19, 2007 at 1:29 am. +1. My favorite opening line is from Diana Norman’s “The Vizard Mask”, which definitely is romantic, even if not officially categorized as Romance: “Penitence Hurd and the plague arrived in London on the same day.”.Let the first line radiate the excitement to come. Intriguing “If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.” If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. 2015. The first line relates what is unique about the story. The best opening lines will connect directly to the last line.When an author gets it right, though, the best first lines of books are not a choice at all, but a capturing. These are some of our favorite first lines of books, with explanations why they rank among the very best. “124 was spiteful. Full of a baby’s …From the initial words of Moby Dick to the opening line of Harry Potter, the first sentence of a novel is a reader’s entry point into an awaiting world. All writers—from legendary novelists like Toni Morrison and Stephen King to new authors self-publishing their work—must understand how to start a novel in a …Sep 10, 2021 · Moby Dick — Herman Melville. “Call me Ishmael.”. — Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851) One of the most famous opening lines in the English-language canon is this one from Melville’s tome about whale hunting. Ishmael is the name of the first-person narrator of the story, although he is a relatively minor character in the story itself. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.Tuesday 11 March 2014 01:00 GMT. Comments. Great openers: everyone remembers the first sentence of Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. (aFP/Getty) Raymond Chandler had some good advice for writers ...Perpendicular lines are those that form a right angle at the point at which they intersect. Parallel lines, though in the same plane, never intersect. Another fact about perpendicu...April 20, 2023. I could spend all day reading lists of the best first lines of books. In fact, I took longer than I should have to write this article for that very reason. When you study … 25 of the Best Opening Lines in Crime Fiction. March 25, 2021. Few things enthrall me more than cracking (or clicking) open a novel and reading a first line that catapults me into Chapter 1. A line that reminds me why I read, why I write, what it means to be alive. A line that gives me whiplash. Oct 18, 2019 · The first line of a book is a written invitation addressed to the reader. If the reader likes the invitation, they read on. If they don't like it, they close the book and read something else. Finding the best combination of words for that first line can take a while. Some authors devote months of time to develop the opening line of their book. Mar 9, 2023 · The opening lines of Maggie Blue and the White Crow, my second middle-grade novel (and the second in the trilogy started by Maggie Blue and the Dark World ), go thus: The blue wren was poised on a branch, so light she swayed with it in the breeze that tried and failed to pierce the late June heat. She was watching the girl, as she had watched ... Top 10 first lines in fiction. The first words of a story have to do a lot of work in snaring the reader. Novelist Liz Nugent considers some of her favourites. Liz Nugent. …Phone lines are an essential means of communication in both personal and professional settings. However, just like any other technology, phone lines can sometimes experience faults...10 Tantalizing Opening Lines in Books. 1. “We must, by law, keep a record of the innocents we kill.”. Scythe, by Neal Shusterman. Talk about an opening line that makes you want to keep reading to find out what the heck is going on! 2. “The circus arrives without warning.Feb 19, 2021 · 13 o’clock. “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”. This line launches you into 1984 by George Orwell, the book that introduced the world to the concept ... All the Most Famous Last Lines of Books. “He loved Big Brother.” – 1984 by George Orwell. “I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.”. – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.Oct 17, 2023 ... Mary by Nat Cassidy · The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides · Paradise by Toni Morrison · The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson &mi...Here is a list of 150 of the most compelling opening lines in literature. “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on …So let us flip back to the starting pages of our most beloved books to revisit and celebrate these 40 famous first-line gateways into the literary lands we love to get lost in. 1. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” – “Genesis”, The Bible. Xrayguy1969, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.1. What is your book about? ... The first sentence is often a great place to introduce your premise or core idea. Look back at the examples above. The first ...Dec 2, 2011 · 1. "Cat’s Eye" by Margaret Atwood (1998) “Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space.”. Atwood’s novel about maintaining one’s identity tells the story of painter Elaine Risley, who reflects back on her youth and her toxic childhood friendship with a group of three girls. Famous Novels, First Lines Quiz Question: “All children, except one, grow up.” Answer: J.M. Barrie based his 1911 novel Peter and Wendy on his hit 1904 play Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up.In some later printings, the novel is titled Peter Pan. Question: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want …Don’t you just love it when the first line of a book hooks you instantaneously? You settle in and start reading, devouring the story one chapter at a time. Suddenly you’re flipping pages with a feverish urgency, unable to put the book down. You’re neglecting all your real-life responsibilities. You haven’t answered anyone’s texts in days.Archives: 100 Best First Lines from Novels American Book Review Volume 27, No. 2, published in 2006, featured a list of 100 best opening lines from novels. nina 2022-07-11T17:21:10+00:00Aug 30, 2016 ... I am in invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man ...About This Quiz. Some books come out hot right out of the gate with iconic openers. How many of these literary works can you correctly guess based only on the opening line? START QUIZ. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." "A Tale of Two Cities".An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. First Line: "My big brother reaches home in the dark hours before dawn, when even ghosts take their rest." Named one of the best YA novels of 2015, it's ...In today’s fast-paced world, convenience and ease are of utmost importance when it comes to booking flights. Travelers no longer want to spend hours on the phone or wait in long li...1984. “Freedom is slavery,” “war is peace,” “ignorance is strength"...These are the haunting maxims of George Orwell's classic book, which imagines a futuristic world in which choice and personal freedoms are limited. Regarded as one of literature’s most chilling first lines, 1984 opens with a statement that is foreign, but familiar.Best First Line Generators. Opening Line Generator from plot-generator.org.uk; ... Your first line is a crucial part of your book's anatomy. And many of these randomly generated sentences really lack the human element — the feeling and soul that goes into a quality piece of writing. And failing to make a proper first impression can put a bad ...When telling a story, your opening sentence needs to be catchy, so readers continue. The best first lines of books show us the common devices authors use to grab our curiosity. We analyzed … I’m definitely going to read this book. Below are fifty great opening lines for you to ponder. We’d love to know if any of these first lines are enough to pique your interest to read the full book. Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 50 of the most impactful opening sentences in literature: Metamorphosis by Kafka: May 7, 2022 · So I browsed through the subreddit r/books and rounded up this list of the very best opening lines in literature (and I even added a few of my own favorites). Getty Images. 1. "Here is a small ... A Tale Of Two Cities. By: Charles Dickens. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had ...So let us flip back to the starting pages of our most beloved books to revisit and celebrate these 40 famous first-line gateways into the literary lands we love to get lost in. 1. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” – “Genesis”, The Bible. Xrayguy1969, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Jul 28, 2012 · Catch-22. by Joseph Heller“The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off.”. The spirit of Bugs Bunny inspires the finale of Yossarian’s adventures with 256th Squadron. It’s ... Here, we delve into ten of the most compelling opening lines from mystery novels, each setting the stage for the riveting narrative that unfolds. "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." - '1984' by George Orwell. Orwell's dystopian masterpiece doesn't fit the traditional mystery genre, but the opening line ...Raymond Chandler, Goldfish. I rode a streetcar to the edge of the city limits, then I started to walk, swinging the old thumb whenever I saw a car coming. Jim Thompson, After Dark, My Sweet. When the guy with asthma finally came in from the fire escape, Parker rabbit-punched him and took his gun away.Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash. Never judge a book by its cover, but what about its first line? Writing is not about only plot, it is about the actual art of writing itself — metaphor, world-building, crafted sentences, sharp insight and yanking the reader into Story.A strong first line is necessary — whether it hooks you in your gut and sends …Vote up the most memorable first lines from fiction below. Source: American Book Review. Most divisive: Robinson Crusoe. Over 2.9K Ranker voters have come …Jan 9, 2014 ... The entire weight of the narrative can sometimes be conveyed in a single statement. Think of, “I had a farm in Africa” (Isak Dinesen's Out of ...Lets collect a list of the most celebrated novels, quote the first line from them, and call it the "100 best first lines" list! ... Plus, the best first line of all has been omitted: "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold." Hunter S. Thompson - "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"First Words: 10 Great Opening Lines From Literature · 1. "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, ...5) “Dear Tess, I’d do anything to be with you, right now, right this moment, so I could hold your hand, look at your face, listen to your voice.”. Sister: A Novel, Rosamund Lipton. 6) “ Oh, no, no, no, thought Clara Morrow as she walked toward the closed doors.”. A Trick of the Light, Louise Penny.About This Quiz. Some books come out hot right out of the gate with iconic openers. How many of these literary works can you correctly guess based only on the opening line? START QUIZ. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." "A Tale of Two Cities".Browse through the subreddit r/books and discover the most memorable opening lines in literature, from The Book Thief to The Gunslinger. See how these …Aug 9, 2016 · 21 classic opening lines in books. First thoughts that last in our memory from Jane Austen, Hunter S. Thompson, J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, others ... ''It was the best of times, it was the worst ... From “The Hellion Bride” by Catherine Coulter. Susan/DC says: October 19, 2007 at 1:29 am. +1. My favorite opening line is from Diana Norman’s “The Vizard Mask”, which definitely is romantic, even if not officially categorized as Romance: “Penitence Hurd and the plague arrived in London on the same day.”.9. Everyone is waiting for Father, who may, or may not, come home. –George Chambers, The Last Man Standing (1990) 10. There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air. –Kate Chopin, The Awakening (1899) For a list of awesome novel first line writing prompts check out this post here: 10 Awesome First Line Prompts For ... Charles B. Harris’s “Introduction to Focus: In the Beginning Was the Word” and “100 Best First Lines from Novels”. Michael Bérubé, Stephen Burn, David Cowart, Jeffrey R. Di Leo, Andrew Ervin, Tom Grimes, Charles B. Harris, Kit Hume, Robert L. McLaughlin, Lance Olsen, Sally E. Parry, Nancy Pearl, James Phelan, James Schiff, Susan ... Spider-Man is action-packed and always thrilling, with a script that was written by David Koepp and then rewritten multiple times until it was perfect. The open lines reflect the dynamic, comic book fun of the rest of the movie and lampshade the origin story it is about to tell. 9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.First Lines of Jane Austen Novels ... About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the county of Northampton, and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet’s lady, with all the comforts and consequences of an handsome house ...I'm on my second novel of the series. Really good stuff. Here's the opening paragraph from the first book in the series, "Killing FLoor": "I was arrested in Eno's Diner. At twelve o'clock. I was eating eggs and drinking coffee. A late breakfast, not lunch. I was wet and tired after a long walk in heavy rain.Love it! Every year I go through all the books I read the prior year (novels only) and discuss the opening line from each book on my author blog. (www.dougwalsh.com) The Nightingale was one of my favorite reads of 2016. I can't remember ever highlighting more of a book's opening chapter than I did with that book.The first sentence of Pale Fire is this: Pale Fire, a poem in heroic couplets, of nine hundred ninety-nine lines, divided into four cantos, was composed by John Francis Shade (born July 5, 1898, died July 21, 1959) during the last twenty days of his life, at his residence in New Wye, Appalachia, U.S.A. 3.Enjoy these first line generator ideas for writing a short story. 1. With his background and fierce appearance, no one expected Bruno the mastiff to be a good dog for small children. 2. She frowned thoughtfully at the tarot cards arranged before her. 3.Best debut novels. 1. The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien (1937) Buy now from Amazon. "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit." The words that kickstarted one of the biggest fantasy book and, in turn, movie franchises of all time.We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.Love it! Every year I go through all the books I read the prior year (novels only) and discuss the opening line from each book on my author blog. (www.dougwalsh.com) The Nightingale was one of my favorite reads of 2016. I can't remember ever highlighting more of a book's opening chapter than I did with that book.1. What is your book about? ... The first sentence is often a great place to introduce your premise or core idea. Look back at the examples above. The first ...The 100 Best First Lines from Novels · 1. Call me Ishmael. ·. · 2. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, m...Spider-Man is action-packed and always thrilling, with a script that was written by David Koepp and then rewritten multiple times until it was perfect. The open lines reflect the dynamic, comic book fun of the rest of the movie and lampshade the origin story it is about to tell. 9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.The Stranger - Albert Camus (1942) “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know.”. Raghav Modi Writer. Tweet. Share. A list of 15 legendary opening lines from classics across distinct genres, tackling diverse human emotions.Screw up the opening, screw up the book. Like chess, it's really that simple. With a good opening line though, you just know the rest will follow suit. It was like that the other day when I read ...Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813) Another classic first line from one of the classics of western literature, this opening gives a fair indication of what is to come in this novel that has been cherished by millions of people across the decades. One of the best-loved novels of all time, Austen’s character development of protagonist ...Here are some of the best opening poetry lines according to me: "Let us go then, you and I," from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked," from Allen Ginsberg's "Howl". "Because I could not stop for Death," from Emily Dickinson's …12 Breathtaking First Lines in YA ... “The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.” ... “On the day Emma Carstairs's parents were killed, the weather was ...Oct 27, 2018 ... ... books, I thought the time has officially ... Similar to the opening of Furyborn, the first lines ... IMO the best opening line I've read goes to ...The List of the 15 Most Famous First Lines from Classic Books. 1. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen (1813) “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”. The opening line of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” introduces the theme of …As a new month begins, test your knowledge of the best opening lines in literature. Find out here if you are in the first rank – or an April fool. Wed 31 Mar 2010 19.05 EDT. Email link. 1. “It ...Quotes tagged as "first-lines" Showing 1-30 of 311. “It was a pleasure to burn.”. ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. tags: first-lines , opening-lines. 942 likes. Like. “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”. ― William Gibson, Neuromancer. tags: first-lines.The first line also foreshadows what the plot of the book surrounds, police brutality. 8. “Aliens are stupid.”. — The Fifth Wave by Ricky Yancey. If you enjoy reading mysteries, survival stories, or science fiction, I would recommend trying out the Fifth Wave series.70 Best Iconic First Lines of Books. Amusing lines, moral lines, shocking lines, lines worth remembering, first lines from popular books and first lines by iconic characters. Mysterious lines, romantic lines, lines from … | Chqixebj (article) | Mvgfef.