Best First Line in a Novel Add Answer

"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."

5 years ago by quijibo

Page: 1 2 3 Next ›

Rank Your Votes

Your ballot is empty. Sign in to vote on this topic and rank your ballot!

22 434 p	1984 #1 It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Add a comment
15 293 p	Tale of Two Cities #2 Charles Dickens - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... Add a comment
11 208 p	Moby Dick #3 Call me Ishmael. Add a comment
10 196 p	"Fight Club" (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk #4 "Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler's pushing a gun in my mouth and saying the first step to eternal life is you have to die." Add a comment
10 193 p	Atlas Shrugged #5 Who is John Galt? Add a comment
9 177 p	"Lolita" (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov #6 "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins." Add a comment
8 156 p	Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury #7 It was a pleasure to burn. Add a comment
5 99 p	"The Stranger" - Albert Camus #8 "Mother died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know." Add a comment
4 78 p	"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak #9 The night Max wore his wolf suit... a long-time favourite of mine... maybe not a "novel" in the traditional sense, but one of the opening lines that has stuck with me through the years. Add a comment
4 78 p	The Great Gatsby #10 In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had. Add a comment
4 72 p	Ulysses #11 Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. Add a comment
3 59 p	Skinny Legs and All (1990) by Tom Robbins #12 It was a bright, defrosted, pussy-willow day at the onset of spring, and the newlyweds were driving cross country in a large roast turkey. Add a comment
3 58 p	Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote #13 I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighbourhoods. Add a comment
3 57 p	It Was A Dark and Stormy Night #14 from the novel-in-progress that Snoopy is always working on. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...stormy_night Add a comment
2 40 p	Cannery Row-Steinbeck #15 "Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream." 1 Comment