Yesterday I gave you a bunch of first lines from books and asked for your guesses about what book they were from. Today you get the answers!
1. "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation."
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
2. "124 was spiteful. Full of Baby's venom. The women in the house knew it and so did the children."
Beloved by Toni Morrison
3. "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink."
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.
4. “When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.”
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
5. "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
6. "This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it."
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
7. “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
8. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
9. "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing."
A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
10. "Where's Papa going with that axe?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
11. "I'm pretty much f*cked."
The Martian by Andy Weir
12. “You wake up with the answer to the question that everyone asks. The answer is Yes, and the answer is Just Like Here But Worse.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Well, I was right about the ones I knew! There were a few books I've read but didn't recognize the first line of (probably because I only read them once and it was a while ago) and quite a few I've never read!
ReplyDeleteI managed to get 3 of them - I should have gotten more! I don't necessarily have favorite first lines, but I do have favorite books. Ahab's Wife is one of them. And, here are first lines from three of my favorite books: "I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time." From The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. "Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened." From The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. "The freeze-up on Black Bear Lake is a prelude to winter. The freeze-up is a prelude to hardship. The freeze-up is a prelude to loneliness." From Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille. Fun stuff Bonny - thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI recognized a lot of them . . . but I cannot BELIEVE I didn't recognize Voyage of the Dawn Treader . . .
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I didn't catch Lonesome Dove!
ReplyDeleteOoops, I saw Tuesday's post before Monday's! I did recognize a few ... but not Seven Moons!! I love that first line from Rebecca, and One Hundred Years of Solitude is so good. I heard Barbara Kingsolver say that the first line makes a promise, and I can tell from the collection you've assembled that these books keep that promise!
ReplyDeleteFirst lines or sentences are always interesting. I think Louise Erdrich writes great first lines. Although it's not my favorite, I keep thinking of : "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." from A Tale of Two Cities.
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