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The best 100 opening lines from books
Literature's finest first words
There's nothing quite like a book that has you gripped from the very first line. As the first thing the reader reads, it's been said that the opening line sells a book whislt the closing line sells the author's next one.
With this in mind, we've raided the Stylist book shelf to put together our 100 best - and, in some cases, the most iconic - first lines from some of our favourite works of literature. From classics such as Little Women and Emma and landmark novels such as Virgina Woolf's A Room Of One's Own through to modern day works including Harry Potter and Atonement, these are lines to capture the imagination.
'Click an image to launch the gallery. Once you've worked your way through these, take a look at our list of the 100 best closing lines from books here.''
Or come see suggestions from Emerald Street, our daily email service, on 20 books you must read
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The Catcher in the Rye
“If you really want to hear about it, the… More details
The Catcher in the Rye
“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."
The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
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Anna Karenina
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy… More details
Anna Karenina
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
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Pride & Prejudice
“It is a truth universally acknowledged,… More details
Pride & Prejudice
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen
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A Tale of Two Cities
“It was the best of times, it was the worst… More details
A Tale of Two Cities
“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.”
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
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Mrs Dalloway
“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the… More details
Mrs Dalloway
“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”
Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolfe
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Back When We Were Grownups
“Once upon a time, there was a woman who… More details
Back When We Were Grownups
“Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person.”
Back When We Were Grownups, Anne Tyler
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The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my… More details
The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
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The Bell Jar
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer… More details
The Bell Jar
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York.”
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
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Moby-Dick
“Call me Ishmael.” Moby-Dick, Herman… More details
Moby-Dick
“Call me Ishmael.”
Moby-Dick, Herman Melville
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to…
"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the… More details
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun."
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
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The Metamorphosis and Other…
“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from… More details
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories
“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, Franz Kafka
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Harry Potter and the Philos…
“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet… More details
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
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The Curious Incident of the…
“It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog… More details
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
“It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears' house. Its eyes were closed.”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon
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The Time Travellers Wife
“Clare: It’s hard being left behind.… More details
The Time Travellers Wife
“Clare: It’s hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he’s okay. It’s hard to be the one who stays.”
The Time Travellers Wife , Audrey Niffenegger
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The Lord of the Rings: The …
“When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced… More details
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
“When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventyifirst birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkein
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
"We were somewhere around Barstow on the… More details
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S Thompson
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The Color Purple
“You better not never tell nobody but… More details
The Color Purple
“You better not never tell nobody but God.''
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
“Ships at a distance have every man’s… More details
Their Eyes Were Watching God
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.”
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
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Bridget Jones's Diary
"I will not drink more than fourteen alcohol… More details
Bridget Jones's Diary
"I will not drink more than fourteen alcohol units a week."
Bridget Jonses’ Diary, Helen Fielding
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A Room of One's Own
"But, you may say, we asked you to speak… More details
A Room of One's Own
"But, you may say, we asked you to speak about women and fiction."
A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolfe
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The Secret Life of Bees
"At night I would lie in bed and watch the… More details
The Secret Life of Bees
"At night I would lie in bed and watch the show, how bees squeezed through the cracks of my bedroom wall and flew circles around the room, making that propeller sound, a high-pitched zzzzzz that hummed along my skin."
The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
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The Divine Secrets of the Y…
"Tap-dancing child abuser. That’s what… More details
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
"Tap-dancing child abuser. That’s what The Sunday New York Times from March 8, 1993, had called Vivi."
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebeca Wells
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Eat Pray Love
“I wish Giovanni would kiss me.” Eat… More details
Eat Pray Love
“I wish Giovanni would kiss me.”
Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
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A Certain Slant of Light
"Someone was looking at me, a disturbing… More details
A Certain Slant of Light
"Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you’re dead."
A Certain Slant of Light, Laura Whitcomb
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Emma
"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich,… More details
Emma
"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her."
Emma, Jane Austen
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Frankenstien
"You will rejoice to hear that no disaster… More details
Frankenstien
"You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings."
Frankenstien, Mary Shelley
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Revolutionary Road
“The final dying sounds of their dress… More details
Revolutionary Road
“The final dying sounds of their dress rehearsal left the Laurel Players with nothing to do but stand there, silent and helpless, blinking out over the footlights of an empty auditorium.”
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
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Love in the Time of Cholera
“It was inevitable: the scent of bitter… More details
Love in the Time of Cholera
“It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.”
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
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Wuthering Heights
"1801 – I have just returned from a… More details
Wuthering Heights
"1801 – I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.”
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
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The Voyage of the Dawn Trea…
"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence… More details
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis.
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Vanity Fair
"As the Manager of the Performance sits… More details
Vanity Fair
"As the Manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards, and, looks into the Fair, a feeling of profound melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place."
Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
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Alice’s Adventures in Won…
"Alice was beginning to get very tired of… More details
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the riverbank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book', thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversation?"
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll
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Little Women
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any… More details
Little Women
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug."
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
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Lolita
"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my… More details
Lolita
"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins."
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
"The studio was filled with the rich odour… More details
The Picture of Dorian Gray
"The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn."
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
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Charlotte's Web
"'Where's Papa going with that axe?' said… More details
Charlotte's Web
"'Where's Papa going with that axe?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
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A Clockwork Orange
"'What’s it going to be then,… More details
A Clockwork Orange
"'What’s it going to be then, eh?'"
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
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Matilda
"It's a funny thing about mothers and… More details
Matilda
"It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful."
Matilda, Roald Dahl
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Atonement
“The play – for Which Briony had… More details
Atonement
“The play – for Which Briony had designed the posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crêpe paper – was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a breakfast and a lunch.”
Atonement, Ian McEwan
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Where the Heart Is
"Novalee Nation, seventeen, seven months… More details
Where the Heart Is
"Novalee Nation, seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight - and superstitious about sevens - shifted uncomfortably in the seat of the old Plymouth and ran her hands down the curve of her belly.”
Where the Heart Is, Billie Letts
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The Princess Bride
“This is my favorite book in all the world,… More details
The Princess Bride
“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.”
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
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Peter Pan and W3endy
“All children, except one, grow… More details
Peter Pan and W3endy
“All children, except one, grow up.”
Peter Pan, JM Barrie
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A Series of Unfortunate Events
"If you are interested in stories with happy… More details
A Series of Unfortunate Events
"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book."
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler
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Breakfast of Champions
"This is a tale of a meeting of two… More details
Breakfast of Champions
"This is a tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast."
Breakfast of Champions,Kurt Vonnegut
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Choke
"If you're going to read this, don't… More details
Choke
"If you're going to read this, don't bother."
Choke, Chuck Palahniuk.
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The Crow Road
"It was the day my grandmother… More details
The Crow Road
"It was the day my grandmother exploded."
The Crow Road, Iain Banks
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Dirk Gently's Holistic Dete…
"This time there would be no… More details
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
"This time there would be no witnesses."
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams
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The Godfather
Amergo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court… More details
The Godfather
Amergo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonor her.
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
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Gone With The Wind
"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men… More details
Gone With The Wind
"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were."
Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
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1984
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the… More details
1984
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
1984, George Orwell
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The Invisible Man
"The stranger came early in February, one… More details
The Invisible Man
"The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking as it seemed from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand."
The Invisible Man , H. G. Wells
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Ishmael: An Adventure of th…
"The first time I read the ad, I choked and… More details
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
"The first time I read the ad, I choked and cursed and spat and threw the paper to the floor."
Ishmael, Daniel Quinn.
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The Meaning of Night
After killing the red-haired man, I took myself… More details
The Meaning of Night
After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off Quinn's for an oyster supper.
"The Meaning of Night", Micheal Cox
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Thank You for Smoking: A Novel
"Nick Naylor had been called many things… More details
Thank You for Smoking: A Novel
"Nick Naylor had been called many things since becoming the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, but until now no one had actually compared him to Satan."
Thank You for Smoking: A Novel, Christopher Buckley
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Gravity's Rainbow
"A screaming comes across the… More details
Gravity's Rainbow
"A screaming comes across the sky."
Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
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Scaramouche
"He was born with a gift of laughter and a… More details
Scaramouche
"He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad."
Scaramouche, Raphael Sabatini
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2001 - A Space Odyssey
"Behind every man now alive stand thirty… More details
2001 - A Space Odyssey
"Behind every man now alive stand thirty ghosts, for that is the ratio by which the dead outnumber the living."
2001 - A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke.
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Northanger Abbey
"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland… More details
Northanger Abbey
"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine."
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
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Middlemarch
"Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which… More details
Middlemarch
"Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress."
Middlemarch, George Elliot
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Cat's Eye
"Time is not a line but a dimension, like… More details
Cat's Eye
"Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space"
Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood
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Catch-22
"It was love at first… More details
Catch-22
"It was love at first sight."
@Catch-22', Joseph Heller
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Herzog
"If I am out of my mind, it's all right with… More details
Herzog
"If I am out of my mind, it's all right with me thought Moses Herzog."
Herzog, Saul Bellow
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The Big Sleep
"It was about eleven o’clock in the… More details
The Big Sleep
"It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills."
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
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All The Pretty Horses
"The candleflame and the image of the… More details
All The Pretty Horses
"The candleflame and the image of the candleflame caught in the pierglass twisted and righted when he entered the hall and again when he shut the door.”
All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy
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Old Man's War
“I did two things on my seventy-fifth… More details
Old Man's War
“I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife's grave. Then I joined the army.”
Old Man's War, John Scalzi
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American Psycho
“ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE is… More details
American Psycho
“ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE is scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the Chemical Bank near the corner of Eleventh and First and is in print large enough to be seen from the backseat of the cab as it lurches forward in the traffic leaving Wall Street and just as Timothy Price notices the words a bus pulls up, the advertisement for Les Miserables on its side blocking his view, but Price who is with Pierce & Pierce and twenty-six doesn't seem to care because he tells the driver he will give him five dollars to turn up the radio, ‘Be My Baby’ on WYNN, and the driver, black, not American, does so.”
American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
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The War Of The Worlds
“No one would have believed, in the last… More details
The War Of The Worlds
“No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were being scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.”
The War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells
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The True Confessions of Cha…
“Not every 13-year-old girl is accused of… More details
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
“Not every 13-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty.”
True confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi
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This Side Of Paradise
“Amory Blaine inherited from his mother… More details
This Side Of Paradise
“Amory Blaine inherited from his mother every trait, except the stray inexpressible few, that made him worth while.”
This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
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The Thief of Always
“The great gray beast February had eaten… More details
The Thief of Always
“The great gray beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive.”
The Thief of Always, Clive Barker
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Room
“Today I'm five.” Room, Emma… More details
Room
“Today I'm five.”
Room, Emma Donoghue
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The Exorcist
"Like the brief doomed flare of exploding… More details
The Exorcist
"Like the brief doomed flare of exploding suns that registers dimly on blind men's eyes, the beginning of the horror passed almost unnoticed; in the shriek of what followed, in fact, was forgotten and perhaps not connected to the horror at all."
The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty
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The Grapes of Wrath
"To the red country and part of the gray… More details
The Grapes of Wrath
"To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth."
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
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Farhenheit 451
"It was a pleasure to burn." Fahrenheit… More details
Farhenheit 451
"It was a pleasure to burn."
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
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I Am Legend
“On those cloudy days, Robert Neville was… More details
I Am Legend
“On those cloudy days, Robert Neville was never sure when sunset came, and sometimes they were in the streets before he could get back.”
I am Legend, Richard Matheson
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Swann's Way
"For a long time, I went to bed… More details
Swann's Way
"For a long time, I went to bed early."
Swann's Way from In Search Of Lost Time, Marcel Proust.
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The Bible
"In the beginning God created the heavens… More details
The Bible
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
The Bible
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Jane Eyre
“There was no possibility of taking a walk… More details
Jane Eyre
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte.
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The Road To Wellville
“Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of the… More details
The Road To Wellville
“Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of the cornflake and peanut butter, not to mention caramel-cereal coffee, Bromose, Nuttolene and some seventy-five other gastronomically correct foods, paused to level his gaze on the heavyset women in front of him.”
The Road to Wellville, T. Coraghessan Boyle
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Life of Pi
“My suffering left me sad and… More details
Life of Pi
“My suffering left me sad and gloomy.”
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
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Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal …
"To Sherlock Holmes she is always the… More details
Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia
"To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman."
Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia , Arthur Conan Doyle
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Slaughterhouse-Five
“All this happened, more or… More details
Slaughterhouse-Five
“All this happened, more or less.”
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
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Smilla's Sense Of Snow
"It’s freezing - an extraordinary 0… More details
Smilla's Sense Of Snow
"It’s freezing - an extraordinary 0 Fahrenfeit - and its snowing, and in the language that is no longer mine, the snow is qanik - big, almost weightless crystals falling in clumps and covering the ground with a layer of pulverized white frost.”
Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg
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Watership Down
"The primroses were over." Watership… More details
Watership Down
"The primroses were over."
Watership Down , Richard Adams
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Captain Corelli's Mandolin
"Dr Iannis had enjoyed a satisfactory day in… More details
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
"Dr Iannis had enjoyed a satisfactory day in which none of his patients had died or got any worse."
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
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Twelfth Night
"If music be the food of love, play on, Give… More details
Twelfth Night
"If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die."
Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare
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Desert Of The Heart
"Conventions, like clichés, have a… More details
Desert Of The Heart
"Conventions, like clichés, have a way of surviving their own usefulness."
Desert of the Heart, Jane Rule
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Enduring Love
"The beginning is simple to… More details
Enduring Love
"The beginning is simple to mark."
Enduring Love, Ian McEwan
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Disgrace
“For a man of his age, fifty-two, divorced,… More details
Disgrace
“For a man of his age, fifty-two, divorced, he has, to his mind, solved the problem of sex rather well.”
Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
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A Christmas Carol
"Marley was dead, to begin with." A… More details
A Christmas Carol
"Marley was dead, to begin with."
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
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The Dain Curse
“It was a diamond all right, shining in the… More details
The Dain Curse
“It was a diamond all right, shining in the grass half a dozen feet from the the blue brick wall.”
The Dain Curse, Dashiell Hammett
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The Clown
"It was dark by the time I reached Bonn, and… More details
The Clown
"It was dark by the time I reached Bonn, and I forced myself not to succumb to the series of mechanical actions which had taken hold of me in five years of traveling back and forth: down the station steps, up the station steps, put down my suitcase, take my ticket out of my coat pocket, pick up my suitcase, hand in my ticket, cross over to the newstand, buy the evening newspaper, go outside and signal for a taxi."
The Clown, Heinrich Böll
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The Blind Assassin
"Ten days after the war ended, my sister… More details
The Blind Assassin
"Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge."
The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
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The Austere Academy
"If you were going to give a gold medal to… More details
The Austere Academy
"If you were going to give a gold medal to the least delightful person on Earth, you would have to give that medal to a person named Carmelita Spats, and if you didn’t give it to her, Carmelita Spats was the sort of person who would snatch it from your hands anyway."
The Austere Academy , Lemony Snicket
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Bastard Our Of Carolina
"I've been called Bone all my life, but my… More details
Bastard Our Of Carolina
"I've been called Bone all my life, but my name's Ruth Anne."
Bastard Out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison
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Lady Chatterley's Lover
"Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we… More details
Lady Chatterley's Lover
"Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically."
Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H. Lawrence
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The Sound And The Fury
"Through the fence, between the curling… More details
The Sound And The Fury
"Through the fence, between the curling flower spaces, I could see them hitting."
The Sound and The Fury, William Faulkner
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The Satanic Verses
"'To be born again,' sang Gibreel Farishta… More details
The Satanic Verses
"'To be born again,' sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, 'first you have to die."
The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
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The Tell-Tale Heart
"True! - nervous - very, very nervous I had… More details
The Tell-Tale Heart
"True! - nervous - very, very nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?"
The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe
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Bridge Of Birds
"I shall clasp my hands together and bow to… More details
Bridge Of Birds
"I shall clasp my hands together and bow to the corners of the world."
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
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