Favorite First Lines
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover alone. But engaging opening lines can sure pull you in. Here are 10 of our favorites.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
"Call me Ismael."
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
"I am an invisible man."
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possesion of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
"It was a pleasure to burn."
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . ."
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love."
Beloved by Toni Morrison
"124 was spiteful."
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
1984 by George Orwell
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
"Here is a small fact: You are going to die. "