Best first lines of books.

A great first sentence is very important. In a novel, it’s a “promise,” a “handshake,” an “embrace,” a “key.” Great first sentences are celebrated everywhere literature is cherished and mandated everywhere it’s taught. They’re a pleasure and a duty — the “most important sentence in a book,” everyone agrees. But they haven’t always been important. When Daniel […]Spider-Man is action-packed and always thrilling, with a script that was written by David Koepp and then rewritten multiple times until it was perfect. The open lines reflect the dynamic, comic book fun of the rest of the movie and lampshade the origin story it is about to tell. 9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.Jan 17, 2024 · 12 Breathtaking First Lines in YA. “The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.”. – CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare. “On the day Emma Carstairs’s parents were killed, the weather was perfect.”. – CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare. “On the second Sabbat of Twelfthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl fell from the sky ... When telling a story, your opening sentence needs to be catchy, so readers continue. The best first lines of books show us the common devices authors use to grab our curiosity. We analyzed …

Once upon a time…is not the only way to begin a children’s book. L.M. Montgomery opted for a daring 148-word sentence to open her classic Anne of Green Gables, while J. M. Barrie introduced ...Two Questions to Check if Your First Line Is Good Enough. When your reader picks up your book and reads the first sentence, they want to know two things: 1. What is your book about? The first sentence is often a great place to introduce your premise or core idea. Look back at the examples above. The first sentence relates back to the plot every ...

These are the best children’s books of all time, according to a BBC poll. Below are the top 25 opening lines from novels, according to the new poll: 1. ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. Author: Charles Dickens. Percent of votes: 29%. Opening line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”.The pen is mightier than the sword. Since 1982 the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest has challenged participants to write an atrocious opening sentence to the worst novel never written. Our whimsical literary competition honors Sir Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, whose 1830 novel Paul Clifford begins with “It was a dark and stormy night.”.

The first line of a novel needs to accomplish many things: establish the setting, set the tone, and hook readers. Crafting that genius first line is a masterful art that requires many attempts and ...The sense is one of oppression – a central theme in this influential novel, which charts the protagonist’s efforts to rebel against ‘the Party’, a totalitarian government that annihilates all opposition. 7. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”.Jan 29, 2019 ... The clue: The very beginning of a tale that spanned seven magical books and reinvented KidLit. The line: “I am always drawn back to places where ...The Best First Lines from New Novels. Meeting a new book is like meeting a new person—those initial few seconds can entrance you for the rest of your life. This summer’s hottest books came with some unforgettable opening moments. By …Top 10 first lines in fiction. The first words of a story have to do a lot of work in snaring the reader. Novelist Liz Nugent considers some of her favourites. Liz Nugent. …

Aug 9, 2016 · 21 classic opening lines in books. First thoughts that last in our memory from Jane Austen, Hunter S. Thompson, J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, others ... ''It was the best of times, it was the worst ...

Pretty different sector but Brian Greenes book: the fabric of the cosmos is what got me to read Camus. Greene is a physicist and a fantastic science communicator. His books are a joy. In the translation that I read, the opening sentence was, “Maman died today.”. Yeah I felt reasonably sure this was the main version.

In fact 64 per cent have stopped reading a book if the opening didn't grab their attention, while 50 per cent agree there is a lot of skill in crafting a good first line. Some 69 per cent feel a ...Lolita. (Image credit: Everett/REX_Shutterstock) 'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap ...3. Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood. “Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space.”. 4. Blue Nights by Joan Didion. “In certain latitudes there comes a span of time approaching and following the summer solstice, some weeks in all, when the twilights turn long and blue.”. 5.Instead, try one of these 6 ways to hook your readers right off the bat: (N.B. One of the easiest ways to check out the opening pages of nearly any book you want is with the ‘ Look Inside! ‘ feature on Amazon.com .) 1. Make your readers wonder. Put a question in your readers’ minds.Posted by u/Bluecheeseur - 16 votes and 86 commentsVote up the most memorable first lines from fiction below. Source: American Book Review. Most divisive: Robinson Crusoe. Over 2.9K Ranker voters have come …

3. Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood. “Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space.”. 4. Blue Nights by Joan Didion. “In certain latitudes there comes a span of time approaching and following the summer solstice, some weeks in all, when the twilights turn long and blue.”. 5.Here, we delve into ten of the most compelling opening lines from mystery novels, each setting the stage for the riveting narrative that unfolds. "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." - '1984' by George Orwell. Orwell's dystopian masterpiece doesn't fit the traditional mystery genre, but the opening line ...Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky ...When Becky opened the door, she saw a man, who looked very much like a builder, holding a broken tile in his hands. When children are young, there is a chasm that the imaginative ones do not see. When everything else fell away, only one truth remained. If it had been any other day, she would have missed it.With some books, pretty much everyone agrees on what its most famous line is - this is true of the opening line of "Pride and Prejudice," which you'll find on everything from dishtowels to bookmarks. But with others, there isn't one clear winner. For this quiz, we've picked what we feel is the best-known, most-quoted line. Often it's a first ...

Screw up the opening, screw up the book. Like chess, it's really that simple. With a good opening line though, you just know the rest will follow suit. It was like that the other day when I read ...Vote up the most memorable first lines from fiction below. Source: American Book Review. Most divisive: Robinson Crusoe. Over 2.9K Ranker voters have come …

Call a book a Book of A Thousand Days, and open day one with the only window being bricked up slowly? Do you promise? Because I'm yours.These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it." - Alan Paton, "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1948) "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." - William Gibson, "Neuromancer" (1984) The first lines of novels are often memorable. Just reading the words can be enough to …Jul 11, 2012 ... Meeting a new book is like meeting a new person...those initial few seconds can entrance you for the rest of your life.Jan 9, 2014 ... The entire weight of the narrative can sometimes be conveyed in a single statement. Think of, “I had a farm in Africa” (Isak Dinesen's Out of ...When telling a story, your opening sentence needs to be catchy, so readers continue. The best first lines of books show us the common devices authors use to grab our curiosity. We analyzed … Charles B. Harris’s “Introduction to Focus: In the Beginning Was the Word” and “100 Best First Lines from Novels”. Michael Bérubé, Stephen Burn, David Cowart, Jeffrey R. Di Leo, Andrew Ervin, Tom Grimes, Charles B. Harris, Kit Hume, Robert L. McLaughlin, Lance Olsen, Sally E. Parry, Nancy Pearl, James Phelan, James Schiff, Susan ...

The line quoted from Pale Fire isn't even the first line in the book, which is odd. The first sentence of Pale Fire is this: Pale Fire , a poem in heroic couplets, of nine hundred ninety-nine lines, divided into four cantos, was composed by John Francis Shade (born July 5, 1898, died July 21, 1959) during the last twenty days of his life, at ...

April 20, 2023. I could spend all day reading lists of the best first lines of books. In fact, I took longer than I should have to write this article for that very reason. When you study …

I’m definitely going to read this book. Below are fifty great opening lines for you to ponder. We’d love to know if any of these first lines are enough to pique your interest to read the full book. Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 50 of the most impactful opening sentences in literature: Metamorphosis by Kafka:Spread the loveThe first sentence of a story can be powerful. We pulled together some of the most unique, fun, creative, and best opening lines books for children and teens to offer. We hope you will use them to teach writing in your classroom. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” Feed by M.T. Anderson “We went to the moon to have fun, but the …To make a Delta airlines’ seat selection, find the link that reads Select Seats, which appears at the fourth step while booking a ticket. Seats can also be selected by accessing th...Mar 11, 2014 · Tags. 1984 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A Series of Unfortunate Events anthem Art of War austen Ayn Rand Bell Jar Book Book Thief books C.S. Lewis CS Lewis Daniel Handler Dante Dante Alighieri Dante's Inferno David Nicholls Delirium Dr. Seuss f. scott fitzgerald Friedrich Nietzsche gatsby Gay Science George Orwell great gatsby harry ... Best First Line Generators. Opening Line Generator from plot-generator.org.uk; ... Your first line is a crucial part of your book's anatomy. And many of these randomly generated sentences really lack the human element — the feeling and soul that goes into a quality piece of writing. And failing to make a proper first impression can put a bad ...Feb 29, 2016 ... Call me interested: do you have a favorite first line from a novel? “Call me Ishmael,” says the narrator, to begin Herman Melville's Moby ...Nov 24, 2021 ... “I have died three times, and three times been reborn, though I am not yet twenty in the old Earth years by which it is still the fashion to ...Lolita. (Image credit: Everett/REX_Shutterstock) 'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap ... Chosen by: Miriam González Durántez. “Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends. The question of self-pity.”. The Year Of Magical ... As a new month begins, test your knowledge of the best opening lines in literature. Find out here if you are in the first rank – or an April fool. Wed 31 Mar 2010 19.05 EDT. Email link. 1. “It ...Sep 6, 2019 ... 30 great opening lines in literature · 1. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in .....

Charles B. Harris’s “Introduction to Focus: In the Beginning Was the Word” and “100 Best First Lines from Novels”. Michael Bérubé, Stephen Burn, David Cowart, Jeffrey R. Di Leo, Andrew Ervin, Tom Grimes, Charles B. Harris, Kit Hume, Robert L. McLaughlin, Lance Olsen, Sally E. Parry, Nancy Pearl, James Phelan, James Schiff, Susan ... The 10 best first lines in fiction. Our guide to the greatest opening lines of novels in the English language, from Jane Austen to James Joyce. Gallery. Published: 28 Apr 2012Mar 11, 2014 · Tags. 1984 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A Series of Unfortunate Events anthem Art of War austen Ayn Rand Bell Jar Book Book Thief books C.S. Lewis CS Lewis Daniel Handler Dante Dante Alighieri Dante's Inferno David Nicholls Delirium Dr. Seuss f. scott fitzgerald Friedrich Nietzsche gatsby Gay Science George Orwell great gatsby harry ... Some are first lines, others are from the first chapter. Extra credit if you can identify the following lines with the correct book or author. (Answers below.) 1. “It’s not the killing, that’s not the thing.”. Hinting at more than one killing creates immediate conflict.Instagram:https://instagram. dracaena janet craigbait for micer tacosyoutube advertising cost Jul 28, 2012 · Catch-22. by Joseph Heller“The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off.”. The spirit of Bugs Bunny inspires the finale of Yossarian’s adventures with 256th Squadron. It’s ... The 20 Best Book Blogs to Read in 2020. Whether you are a reader or a writer, these book blogs can give you just the inspiration and information you need. The first lines of a story set the mood and draw readers in. This infographic features first lines from some of the most famous books of all time. like a dragon infinite wealth release datewhere to watch duck dynasty May 7, 2022 · So I browsed through the subreddit r/books and rounded up this list of the very best opening lines in literature (and I even added a few of my own favorites). Getty Images. 1. "Here is a small ... mid sized suvs 70 Best Iconic First Lines of Books. Amusing lines, moral lines, shocking lines, lines worth remembering, first lines from popular books and first lines by iconic characters. Mysterious lines, romantic lines, lines from classics and so on and so forth. Whatever you’re looking for you’ll find them all here. Feel free to quote them, and share ... Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt. "Once, in a house on Egypt street, there lived a rabbit who was made almost entirely of china." The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Di Camillo. "The night breathed through the apartment like a dark animal." Reckless by Cornelia Funke.