Please vote for your fave opening and, as always, if you know of a great opening you'd rather choose, tell us about it!!
It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were
striking thirteen. 1984, George Orwell
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost
deserved it. Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis
Every summer Lin Kong returned to Goose Village to divorce
his wife, Shuyu. Waiting, Ha Jin
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
It was the day my grandmother exploded. The Crow Road, Iain M. Banks
All children, except one, grow up. Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
My mother is dead. Dad killed her. Playing In Traffic, Gail
Giles
It isn’t true what they say about my brother. That he ate
those children. Dark of the Moon, Tracy Barrett
It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will
die. The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater
I liked "Waiting" the best. I mean, it wasn't flashy, but it had me asking "Why?"
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barret.
ReplyDeleteThese authors certainly know how to hook in a reader. They're all great openings. I really like the last one.
ReplyDeleteI love the opening for Dawn Treader the best, I think. :) Nice poll topic.
ReplyDeletePeter Pan, hands down. My all-time favourite book, and a beginning that completely sets the tone for the entire story!
ReplyDeleteThis one stood out for me : There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost deserved it. Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis
ReplyDeleteNice approach to the challenge!
i wish i knew how to read... got to go with 1984, cause i read it the year it happened and the title.
ReplyDeleteJeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host
Oh No, Let's Go... Crazy
So many good choices! I'll go with: It isn’t true what they say about my brother. That he ate those children. Dark of the Moon, Tracy Barrett
ReplyDeleteTorn between 1984 and The Crow Road, but as the latter hasn't had a vote yet, I'll go with that!
ReplyDeleteJemima at Jemima's blog
Oh, the grandmother exploding is fabulous! These are all great. I also really love the very LARGE beginning of Tale of Two Cities (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.)
ReplyDeleteWhich also, coincidentally, had my favorite ENDING line, too: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
I have read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and while that's a great first line, the exploding grandfather wins for me!
ReplyDeleteCatcher in the Rye for me.
ReplyDeleteThe 1984 opening caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteMark--yeah, that one definitely intrigued me
ReplyDeleteJak--I want to pick that one up. It's some sort of retelling of the minotaur tale
Cynthia--I actually read the book from the last one. Excellent book. Maggie Stiefvater is an awesome author
Kel--Thanks! I love all the Narnia books. :)
Mere--YAY for Peter Pan. It's one of my all time faves as well!
Dot--Yeah, it seemed like polls would be an easy, fun thing for the challenge. And I love the Narnia chronicles. :)
Jeremy--haha. 1984 is such an awesome, yet highly creepy, book
Sus--excellent choice. I'm not sure if you read what I wrote to the other guy, but the book is a retelling of the Minotaur myth, if you like that sort of thing.
Jemima--Excellent choice. I though the Crow Road opening was too cool!
Hart--Hi. Nice to see you on the new blog! And yeah, I wanted to include Tale of Two Cities, but it's pretty long. Love the opening, but (hanging my head in shame) I've never read the book, despite all the excellent things I heard about it.
Alex--Yeah, I loved the exploding grandma too!
Regina--Catcher in the Rye will forever be one of my favorite books!
Sheena Kay--I think the opening line to 1984 is one of the best I've ever read.
Great first lines!
ReplyDelete