Once again, I’m joining in with the Top 5 Tuesday meme this week! Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Bionic Bookworm, who posts the month’s topics at the start of each month. Today’s topic is Top 5 Opening Lines.
This is such a great topic! So many to choose from… but here are the five that come to mind for me:
1. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
2. There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
3. I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife’s grave. Then I joined the army.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
4. Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked in to the forest, put the gun to someone else’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
5. People disappear all the time.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
And one extra, because how can I leave out this classic?
6. 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 […]
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
What are your favorite opening lines? Let me know, and please share your Top 5 link if you have one!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
Just been doing this on my side of the herring pond! My favourite first line is: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” It’s from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, a wonderfully gothic novel set in Manderley, a grand house in Cornwall.
I love Rebecca, and I agree, it has a terrific opening line! I’ve wanting to try more of her work — do you have recommendations?
My Cousin Rachel has a similarly edgy atmosphere as Rebecca. As almost always in Du Maurier’s books, Cornwall and its coast play a huge role. I know you’re not a big romance fan but I’ve always loved Frenchman’s Creek, the tale of a love affair between a dashing French pirate and Dona St Columb, the lady of the manor trapped in a loveless marriage. It’s not graphic but it’s very passionate and their affair is spiced with danger. Jamaica Inn centres around smuggling. The House on the Strand is about a 20th century scientist who agrees to be a guinea pig for a drug which transports him back in time to 14th century Cornwall. Although it’s dangerous there, he keeps wanting to go back.
You can tell I’m a fan! I’ve been to the Jamaica Inn, where Daphne du Maurier’s typewriter is displayed.
They all sound wonderful! Thanks, Maggie.
“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” – The Old Man and the Sea
That’s fantastic! I really should read that. My Hemingway exposure is pretty limited, but I remember watching a movie adaptation of this when I was a kid.
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The first sentence of Harry Potter is just amazing!
(www.evelynreads.com)
I’m always happy to have a reason to talk about Harry Potter! I’ve been watching the new set of videos, and seeing Daniel Radcliffe reading chapter one was the highlight of my week. 🙂
Wow, Beartown has one hell of an opening line! I love the opening line of The Graveyard Book, too – I read that novel in one sitting, and I remember being hooked from that line onwards.
The Beartown opening was really powerful, and kept me on my toes for the entire book, wondering when we’d find out more. I love the Graveyard Book, and really need a reread!
These are great – thanks for sharing, Lisa! 🙂
Thanks Barbara ! It was another fun topic. 🙂
I love that you have Harry Potter on your list!
I always find a reason to include Harry Potter! 🙂 It does have a terrific opening line.
Makes me want to do a reread!
Have you seen the video series with various HP stars reading chapters? They’ve released six so far, and they’re wonderful!
I havent yet but I plan on watching!
I also ^picked Beartown!!!
Such a powerful opening!
These are great opening lines!
It was a fun topic, and gave me a good excuse to pull these books off my shelf once again,. 🙂
Great choices!!! I love the HP one 😀 I had forgotten it had such a fun first line!
I’ve been watching the new batch of videos on Wizarding World with different HP cast members reading chapters. Chapter 1 was such a treat!