Top 10 Favorite Opening Lines

Hey all you literary fans...

Hope you are all having an excellent Sunday night. Padfoot and Prongs are up 'til all hours as usual. But that works out for you, since out of their insomnia/boredom, you get a new post! Tonight's update is dedicated to the tricky art of first lines from novels.
The first line of any written or spoken passage can potentially make or break the point that the author is trying to achieve. A novel's first line can set the tone for the entire book, in either a negative or positive way. Just think, where would A Christmas Carol be if Dickens had started out by saying, "Marley died the other day?" Not nearly as powerful as the alternative. What is important to remember, however, is that just because an opening line is outstanding it doesn't mean that the book is going to be. It is just a jumping off point (albeit a very large jump).

Together we have compiled a list of our top 10 favorite opening lines of books. Just because the opening line is on here doesn't mean it's one of our favorite books (even though some actually are). Rather, for various reasons we feel that these particular openers stand out when compared to others and compel you to read further. Hopefully some of you will recognize one or two of your own favorites. If not, hopefully they will do their job and inspire you to want to read more. Enjoy!

#1. Fear and Loathing by Hunter S. Thompson
"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."
We choose Fear and Loathing to kick us off. Let's be honest...how could you not read on after that? Already, your eye has been bombarded by Steadman's tripped-out pictures. Then, when that first line hits you, it's like BAM! Here we go!

#2. The Stranger by Albert Camus
"Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know."
This pretty much sums up Camus' main character better than I could even begin to describe. This line makes you wonder what kind of heartless, deranged individual could not actually know these details. Following this line, he does not disappoint.

#3. Lord Jim By Joseph Conrad
"He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull."
Padfoot just liked this description. She pretty much wanted to see his 'O Face' from this line alone. Floozy.

#4. Gravity's Rainbow By Thomas Pynchon
"A screaming comes across the sky."
This made the top 10 due to its sheer ingenuity. Not many writers have been able to so fully master the idea of an abstract opening, while still keeping it interesting. Beautiful wording definitely entices you to read further.

#5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
Humor is another one of those openers that is hard to really nail. Lewis did an excellent job of being funny, not being too corny, and still setting up a good lead into the following story. I mean, honestly, who really deserves the name Eustace?

#6. 1984 by George Orwell
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
Arguably one of the best opening lines to come out of a novel. Orwell has already purposefully put the reader into a mood of wonder and excitement with his foreshadowing of a futuristic world. Just excellent!

#7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
"It was a pleasure to burn."
This personally strikes us as one of the most beautiful compilation of words ever put together. Somewhat like the phrase 'Cellar Door,' it is one of those things that you hear and are immediately attracted to. The ordering of these words could not be improved in any way. It is especially powerful when used as an opening.

#8. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
"He was awake a long time before he remembered that his heart was broken."
Although we are not huge fans of Hemingway, there is no denying that he knew how to kick off a book. The reader is already becoming invested in the main character before we have even reached the second paragraph.

#9. Anthem by Ayn Rand
"It is a sin to write this."
Wow. Can you say dynamic? There are very few lines that that can accomplish such an intense reaction in such few words. This is the perfect example that more is not always better. It took Rand 7 simple words and we were hooked.

#10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

"Mr. and Mrs Dursley, of number Four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."
You knew it was coming, so let's be fair. Even though this might not be the most historically revered or profoundly written book, there is an undeniable magic that Rowling has been able to embody in her books. This usually starts with the first line. It was with the single spark of this line that millions of people, both young and old, awakened their love of literature and books and that is truly magical.

Well we hope that you enjoyed our list. Feel free to comment with your own personal favorites or comment about our selections. For a list of the 'Top 100' literary quotes check out this site.
See which ones you agree with.

Mischief managed!