Today’s meme:
What are your favourite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its first sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the first line?
The best first line I’ve ever encountered:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
Some close seconds:
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” (Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy)
“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem , a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” (Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck)
“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” (David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
And, the first line from the book I am currently reading:
“What began as coincidence had crystallized into tradition: on the sixth of July, they would have dinner with Ramsey Acton on his birthday.” (The Post-Birthday World, by Lionel Shriver)
As a whole, first lines have little to do with my ultimate evaluation of a book. Still, when it’s a particularly good first line, I get a little thrill.
What do you think the most-recognized first-line is? My guess is probably “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times . . . .”
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I listed the Jane Austen quote too! A lot of people did.
I enjoyed The Post-Birthday World…I’m looking forward to your review.
I agree with you: I too, “get a little thrill” when I encounter a good first line.
I can’t believe I didn’t remember The Tale of Two Cities. Call Me Ishmael is hard to forget, too.
I think the most know first line from a book is the Tale of Two Cities one. That or Austen and 1984 Orwell is pretty popular.
I’m so bad with remembering quotes. I recognize many of the classic first liners, but only after a reminder. I don’t really have a favorite first sentence, but a really good one certainly can get a book off to a great start.
The two greatest first liners I can think of would be ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ and ‘Anna Karenina’ (and that may be just because I’ve taken about 7 Russian literature classes). But they’re both striking.
“I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong hills”, from Out of Africa by Karen Blixen.
And there’s also “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there”, from The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley.
And “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” From The Crow Road, by Iain Banks. That certainly tells you there’s something quirky ahead of you.
Some great ones you’ve got here! I love first lines! :)
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