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An author hopes that his/her book will suck you in with the opening line. It is the holy grail of sentences for every writer. The first sentence. No pressure. Think of something amazing.
I did a post awhile back about first lines of Jane Austen's works, but this one includes a bunch of random faves.
Well, here are (only)
1. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." ~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
2. "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it if you want to know the truth." The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board." Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
4. “My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog.” Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
5. "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (you didn't think I wouldn't sneak this one in, did you?)
6. "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
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7. "Call me Ishmael." Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (with a bossy first sentence like that, how could you stop reading?)
8. "You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly." The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (what can I say? still a very funny man, that Mark Twain...)
There you have it. What is one of your fave opening lines? Do share.
Thank you a million for stopping by.
Angela
Obviously I love the opening of HP, but I also love that line from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Makes me want to read the book again!
ReplyDeleteMe too! This was a fun post to write. Thanks for coming by, Kimberly.
DeleteI should have included the opening of Catcher in the Rye on my list (I remember snatching my brother's copy even though he said I was too young to read it and being hooked that opening). I love the beginning of Huck Finn, too. Great list and thanks for stopping by my blog! :)
ReplyDeleteSara at The Page Sage
Thank you, Sara. I love your quote from Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
DeleteI love the beginning of Huck Finn. Twain was so funny. And I've never read Because of Winn-Dixie, but that first sentence makes me want to read it now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my TTT!
Ashling @ Reading, Writing & Anything but Arithmetic
Mark Twain really IS one funny writer. I love the Matilda quote on your Top Ten :)
ReplyDelete