Comments on: Booking Through Thursday (16)

By: Suey

Suey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:38:48 +0000

Some great ones you’ve got here! I love first lines! :)

By: Becky

Becky — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:02:52 +0000

“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.

By: byuistheshiz

byuistheshiz — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:25:51 +0000

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.

By: Literary Feline

Literary Feline — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:48:38 +0000

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.

By: Confuzzled Books

Confuzzled Books — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:36:39 +0000

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.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:04:21 +0000

I can’t believe I didn’t remember The Tale of Two Cities. Call Me Ishmael is hard to forget, too.

By: Sally

Sally — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:39:11 +0000

I agree with you: I too, “get a little thrill” when I encounter a good first line.

By: jill

jill — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:30:07 +0000

I enjoyed The Post-Birthday World…I’m looking forward to your review.

By: Bluestocking

Bluestocking — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:24:00 +0000

I listed the Jane Austen quote too! A lot of people did.