The Magic of Opening Lines

Have you ever bought a book solely on the basis of its opening line? I have. There is something magical about opening a book, reading the first sentence, and knowing that you have just discovered an incredible story. The promise of adventure, escape, and enchantment, all contained in a few, simple, perfectly placed words.

Ever since dipping my toes into the world of writing a few years ago, I have become even more convinced that the opening line of a story is one of its most crucial elements. I know, it sounds dramatic. But in all honesty I don’t think the magic of opening lines can be emphasized enough.

There are a couple of things that a first line (or first few lines) does for the story, not the least of which is introducing the reader to the author and his or her voice. A long time ago, oral storytelling was viewed as an art, a profession even. The storyteller would capture his audience primarily through his performance. This was the hinge-pin for a story’s success. You might have an amazing storyline, but if you couldn’t deliver it well you would lose your audience. Today, stories are told mainly through written word. So, the opening lines of a book serve as a sort of interview, an opening scene… They are the reader’s first impression of the storyteller’s ability to capture their audience’s attention. Everyone knows how important first impressions can be.

The opening line also contains (or should contain) a little foretaste of everything you will find in the rest of the story. It sets the tone for the rest of the book. Will this story have humor? Will it be serious? Haunting? Magical? Mysterious? The first line should give you a hint of what mood and style to expect. A good opening line won’t just tell you what to expect; it will let you experience it.

Of course, a weak opening line doesn’t necessarily mean a weak story. I have read a few great books whose first lines (and even first pages) did not speak much to me. Some stories improve significantly upon prolonged acquaintance. However, I do think that more often than not, when you have an incredible first line (or first few lines), you can reasonably hope for a great story.

There are a handful of books whose opening lines have seared themselves into my memory because of their sheer brilliance. Some of these books I purchased right after cracking them open and reading their first line (a habit I don’t necessarily recommend unless you trust the author). Others I researched and then bought. This is a shorter post, but I thought it would be fun to share with you all my list of “greatest opening lines.” It is by no means an exhaustive list, and I would absolutely love to hear what you would add to it.

So, without further ado, here are some of the greatest opening lines I have ever encountered in literature (not in any particular order):

1. “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night.” - Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

2. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (This one is hard to quote, since she opens her book with a list of the characters’ names and a brief description of each one. However, the moment I read their names and bios, I knew I was in for a masterpiece of suspense).

3. "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." - Jane Austen, Emma

4. “The ocean has many voices. It sings in the voice of the pilot whale; the voice of the dolphin; the waves on the beach. It sings in the voice of a thousand birds; it cries in the wind that howls through the rocks upon the distant skerries. But most of all, it sings in the voice of the selkie; those people of the ocean clans that hunt with the seal, and dance with the waves, and nameless, go on forever.” - Joanne M. Harris, The Blue Salt Road (Full disclosure: I have not read this book in full yet, so I can’t say if the entire thing is as great as the first line; but when I read this opening, I was enchanted and promptly checked it out from our library).¹

5. “All men by nature desire to know.” - Aristotle, Metaphysics

6. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

7. “You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter.” - Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn

8. “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” - C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

9. “All children, except one, grow up.” - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

I am sure there are more that will come flooding into my mind the moment I hit “publish” on this post. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you! Let me know in the comments what the best opening line you have ever read is.

1. Update: It is not worth reading. But the opening line is still bomb.