Top 5 Opening Lines | Top 5 Tuesdays

Hello again! It’s Tuesday, and of course that means it’s time for a Top 5 post. Top 5 Tuesdays and their topics are brought to you by Shanah @ the Bionic Bookworm. Check out her blog, she’s awesome, and this page for the list of topics for May!

My least favorite part of the writing process is figuring out where to begin, which means that I’m always envious of those authors that really know how to start a book with a bang. I have a favorite mug with famous first lines. They really get ya when they’re good and you don’t forget them. They also can really grease the wheels and get you excited for what’s to come.

So, without further ado, here are five of my favorite first lines!

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

I mean, this line is killer! It just flows so well and it’s so memorable. I often think of this line first when people talk about great first lines. I love Austen, and though this isn’t my favorite of hers, this is my favorite first line from all of her books.

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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

“Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17–, and go back to the time when my father kept the ‘Admiral Benbow’ inn, and the brown old seaman, with the sabre cut, first took up his lodging under our roof.”

I know, a long one! But that’s why I love it, because it sets up so much of the story! Stevenson really knows how to set up a story, and adventure! I love this story so much and I love how this first line really evokes all my emotions about the book.

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Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

“That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me.”

Okay, I had to include one of my favorite books ever. I just love this story and I love how strong Ella comes across, even from the first sentence! It’s such an emotive sentence. It also sets up the story perfectly – gets right to the crux of it. It’s short, sweet, but to the point. Perfect to begin a story.

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The Princess Bride by William Goldman

“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.”

Another short, but sweet one! I know many prefer the movie adaptation to the book, but I really love Goldman’s book. I think it’s still so fun and so perfect. And I really love this line. You don’t know quite what to expect from it, and any book lover would be intrigued. When I first read this book, this sentence really did draw me in.

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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.”

I had to include this book in here. This sentence is almost as iconic, I think, as the first sentence of Pride & Prejudice! It comes to mind for me so clearly, probably because I’ve read this book so many times, but it’s so memorable to me! It’s my childhood, but it’s also just a really great first sentence. It intrigues and it begs you to read more. I love it!

Thoughts & Thanks!

Well, that’s the list! What do you think of the first lines I’ve chosen? Perhaps some of them have made it onto your list. Let’s chat about it in the comments! I’d love to know what you think about them.

Thank you for reading this post. And, as always, happy reading!