On JPC Allen Writes this month, we’re all about how to write the beginning to your novel. So my bookish question for Monday Sparks is what are the best opening lines from your favorite novels?
When I look at the first page of my favorite novels, it’s a bit of shock to realize that most of them don’t have memorable first lines. Most of my favorite novels are older, so there wasn’t the push that there is now to grab readers’ attention with the first sentence. Authors could take a couple of chapters to slowly reel in readers.
First line of the The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is the one memorable line among my favorite novels:
“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.”
But here some other opening lines from my favorite novels:
“It was an old plan, a four-engine plasma jet that had been retired from active service, and it came in along a route that was neither economical nor particularly safe.” from Fantastic Voyage by Issac Asimov
“The primroses were over.” from Watership Down by Richard Adams
“Grant lay on his white cot and stared at the ceiling.” from The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
“Don’t talk droopy talk,” Archie Carstairs said. “Mother can’t have lost a twelve-pound turkey.” from Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice.
These are all great novel, but they don’t have the hooks contemporary novels expect. So let me hear from you. What are the best opening lines from your favorite novels? And if your favorites don’t have a great opening line, tell me why you like the novel despite a less than stellar hook.
Here are more bookish questions for avid readers.
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