It was very hard to choose these five opening lines – I could have chosen another five altogether! Would anyone like to add some more?
- “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.
embookstuff 
While Pearl Tull was dying, a funny thought occured to her. Anne Tyler, ‘Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant’
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I always say “all good things must come to and end,” is that the book where the saying originates from??
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Hello. That saying is ancient, I believe, going back as far as Chaucer.
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So many good ones, Elizabeth. I love the rich imagery of the first two.
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I love the opening lines of The Goldfinch. But – dare I say it – I wasn’t too impressed by the novel itself. 🤫 Much preferred The Secret History.
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I loved both, Stargazer. I’ve read The Secret History twice!
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God, there are so many out there and so difficult to choose, but nothing beats “last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”
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I can imagine how difficult it was to narrow it down to just five…I shall have to think long and hard about which ones I would put in my top five 🙂
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