Comments on: First Line: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

By: First Line: A Prayer for Owen Meany « some smart, some don't

First Line: A Prayer for Owen Meany « some smart, some don't — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:56:33 +0000

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By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:39:26 +0000

Thanks, I’m glad you like it. And don’t worry, I’ll definitely be focusing on first lines that aren’t famous (or at least not to me). I also won’t just be focusing on good first lines, as there are plenty of terrible ones out there as well.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:38:08 +0000

I had a similar experience when I first cracked it open. I didn’t know what to think, but once I realized it was intentionally dry, funny, and faux-historical I was hooked.

Also, a quick google search reveals that as Making Money (Discworld Series) by Terry Pratchett. Is that right?

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:34:47 +0000

Thanks Shawn, this is an excellent contribution. You can really see the unique voice of the characters/stories from their respective opening lines. It would be an epic post to analyze them all, but I might have to do it over several days at some point!

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:31:49 +0000

It really is a well crafted book – which only makes sense considering she spent a Tolkien amount of years writing it.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:30:32 +0000

Yeah, ending line’s would definitely have a lot to offer, but the spoiler thing is a problem. Plus I always catch myself rereading the last line, but not so much the first line, so I figured I give the first line some long overdo love.

Then again, there’s always Finnegans Wake where the first line is the last line.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:28:29 +0000

That’s a good idea – if I ever have anything worthwhile to give away, I’ll definitely do this.

By: Mome Rath

Mome Rath — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:26:15 +0000

Nice feature. While some first lines of books have become famous in their own right (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…; It is a truth universally acknowledged…; Call me Ishmael, or text me), most get forgotten by the end of the book. I look forward to reading more of your impressions from first lines.

By: heather g.

heather g. — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:07:56 +0000

i really enjoyed this book. i remember not being certain about it, but the first few lines intrigued me – and it wasn’t much longer before i was hooked.

the first two sentences from the book i’m currently reading just for fun:
“They lay in the dark, guarding. There was no way of measuring the passage of time, nor any inclination to measure it.”

By: Shawn FH

Shawn FH — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:07:37 +0000

Excellent idea. I recall we discussed this topic re: Hyperion last fall. [Aside: Author Dan Simmons, style of Canterbury Tales, thus multiple first lines.] So in that vein, here’s the first line (plural in one case) from all the substories:

~ “Sometimes there is a thin line separating orthodox zeal from apostasy,” said Father Lenar Hoyt.

~ It was during the Battle of Agincourt that Fedmahn Kassad encountered the woman he would spend the rest of his life seeking.

~ In the beginning was the Word. Then came the fucking word processor.

~ Sol Weintraub and his wife Sarai had enjoyed their life even before the birth of their daughter; Rachel made things as close to perfect as the couple could imagine.

~ I knew the case was going to be special the minute that he walked into my office.

~ I climb the steep hill to Siri’s tomb on the day the islands return the the shallow seas of the Equatorial Archipelago.