The 13 Best First Sentences of Famous Books

June 20, 2012 1:00 pm     Posted in College, Homepage Exclusive, Reality  Sam - Emory University g+ page


By Sam

Personally, I love to read, but I know maaaany people who do not share that point of view with me.

The way I typically choose a book is reading the back of it, but recently, I realized that reading the first line of the entire novel can really be a lot more telling.  It sets the vibe for the rest of the entire book, so really how much more important can it get!  Who wants to read something boring and bland?  Not even me, and like I said, I actually LIKE to read.

Reddit actually has a thread of users’ favorite opening lines, and it’s a really diverse, interesting selection.  Even if reading isn’t your hobby — even if you HATE it — I bet you’ll still be semi-interested… Might even inspire you to pick up a book this summer!

FULLSCREEN

    • [Lead image via Jorge Pedro Barradas de Casais /Shutterstock]

    8 Comments on "The 13 Best First Sentences of Famous Books"

    1. Katie Garrity - North Central College says:
      Wed, 20th Jun 20121:10 pm 

      Love this!

    2. Abby says:
      Wed, 20th Jun 20122:15 pm 

      Awesome!
      http://www.onestilettoatatime.com

    3. Callysta says:
      Thu, 21st Jun 201211:08 am 

      I absolutely agree with you. When I read the first sentence and I become interested in, then I am sure I will read the rest of sentences till the end of the book

    4. Celina says:
      Mon, 25th Jun 20125:34 pm 

      "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife."

      Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book. That's my favourite!

    5. Leah says:
      Sat, 7th Jul 20129:37 pm 

      I was surprised there wasn't the famous Pride and Prejudice first line here: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in way of a wife".

    6. Leah says:
      Sat, 7th Jul 20129:37 pm 

      want* sorry

    7. Lauren says:
      Thu, 2nd Aug 20126:16 pm 

      I was expecting Dickens. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" and on and on because Dickens is incredibly long-winded.
      While I liked a lot of these, I found a couple pretty lackluster (for instance, the first two quotes; they're not bad, they're just not astounding).

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