By 
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a reader in possession of good taste must be in want of a killer opening line.
There’s nothing more effective at pulling in a reader than a solid first line. Here are some of my favorite memorable opening lines from books!
In no particular order…
“There once was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” – C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
“It was a dark and stormy night.” – Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” – George Orwell, 1984
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.” – J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
“It was a pleasure to burn.” – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” – Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca
“Marley was dead, to begin with.” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”– Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (not putting the whole quote because it is looooong
and finally, the one I parodied in my opening….
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife.” – Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice
Frappes and Fiction 
I was waiting for pride and prejudice to appear and it made me so happy when it did LOL and I has no idea ‘it was a dark and stormy night’ was a first line??
Great post!!
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Thanks and yeah “it was a dark and stormy night” is one of my favorite lines lol
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Glad I recognized a few of these! Can’t beat Pride and Prejudice though! Thanks for sharing!
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Yep, P&P has a great opening. Thanks for reading!
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i guessed most of them! my favourite has to be the tale of two cities one ;)) i have memorised, too!
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Wow! Have you read A Tale of Two Cities yet?
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*i meant i’ve memorised the opening line of tale of two cities, lol. yes, i have! I’ve read several books set in the 19th century where they reference dickens and his works so i had to give it a shot!
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Nice! I have read A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, but I need to get to the rest of Dickens’ books because I love his writing style so much, especially in A Christmas Carol. I just procrastinate…
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omg yess i agree with your first line!! a tale of two cities and pride & prejudice’s first lines are so popular haha, i love them! also the voyage of the dawn treader’s line is hilarious lol. Lovely post, emily!! 💖
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Thank you! Yep, they are all so iconic
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That Pride and Prejudice first line is such a classic!
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definitely!
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Wait, “a dark and stormy night” is an opening line. I never knew that lol. Great post!
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yep, it is! Thanks for reading!
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“There once was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” is such a great one! So iconic ❤
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It is perfect!
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very interesting first liners. i should practice mine more thoroughly!! thanks for sharing
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