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?
I'm horrible about remembering these kinds of things! The first one that comes to mind is from the Great Gatsby, the book I picked as my "favorite" my junior year of high school. I haven't really picked a new one since, just added more.
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
I can't recall any books I liked specially for their first line, I'm sure I've read some books that started out promising and didn't end that way. I can't remember any though!
What's your favorite first line?
My two favourites are:
ReplyDelete"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." (Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca)
and
"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." (C.S. Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Fine choice - Gatsby is a wonderful book! I didn't remember that it had such a good opening.
ReplyDeleteOk so my ffavorite right now has got to be from the book Tan Lines by J. J Salem.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can post it here but you can check out the video on my blog and find out what the line is. LOL
Court- That first one sounds vaguely familiar. I really like that second one too!
ReplyDeletejlshall- Yeah! I guess I always try and reread it and usually get so far as the first page so it's stuck in my memory!
cheryl-Oh I saw that video! LOL!