‘Ennis Del Mar wakes before five, wind rocking the trailer, hissing in around the aluminium door and window frames.’ Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx.
‘All night long he would walk the ship, from bow to stern, from dusk until quarterlight, that sticklike limping man from Connemara with the drooping shoulders and ash-coloured clothes.’ Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor.
‘While I was still in Amsterdam, I dreamed about my mother for the first time in years.’ The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
‘”All good things must end,” said Frances Price.’ French Exit by Patrick de Witt.
‘It was love at first sight.’ Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
‘The idea really came to me the day I got my new false teeth.’ Coming Up for Air by George Orwell.
I think that last one is my favourite but then, I’m a big Orwell fan!
What are your favourites? Tell me in the comments – I may discover more great books to read!
I live in Dublin in Ireland and raised a family here. I'm retired now, from work, and from parenting, although grandchildren are huge in my life. There are many beautiful river walks right beside where I live, which is reflected in the poetry and haikus that I write. I also take a lot of photographs on my phone. I'm not a photographer at all but I love to capture trees and plants in various weathers. In 2020 I published a collection of interlinked short stories - "We All Die in the End" which is available from Amazon in paperback and on kindle. The reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are very good, which is encouraging. Earlier this year I published a collection of poetry, "Minus One", which, more or less, charts my life from childhood through to old age. It is also available from Amazon in both formats. And finally, two children's books, "Felix Finds Out", and "Ghosts in Trouble" have just been uploaded to Amazon in both formats as well. Suitable for children 8-11.
elizabethmerry51@gmail.com
@elizabethmerry1 on Twitter
@elizabethmerry on Instagram
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elizabeth-Merry/e/B087NSPN1W/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
View all posts by Pink Roses
Interesting post. First lines are so important in grabbing a reader’s attention. Here’s one I particularly like:
“I smelled it before I saw it.”
A.D. Miller Snow Drops.
embookstuff 
I’m a big Orwell fan too and I love that quote ❤️
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Such a character with his false teeth and his red face!
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Great quotes, Elizabeth!
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Great choices.
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Interesting post. First lines are so important in grabbing a reader’s attention. Here’s one I particularly like:
“I smelled it before I saw it.”
A.D. Miller Snow Drops.
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Nothing beats ‘last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again’ for me😊
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I like the Orwell one too. Otherwise, the only first line that comes to mind right now is “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
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