Favourite openings from books

[3dcheapskate]

I've recently had a series of YouTube book readings playing in the background. Not a particularly sensible idea because I'm not actually following what's going on, so on the rare occasions that I do pay attention I don't usually have a clue what's happening. Rather like real life really. However, I happened to be paying attention when a new story started, and for me this is one of the best openings I know of (I first read the story many, many years ago):

"Conradine was ten years old and the doctor had pronounced his professional opinion that the boy would not live another five years. The doctor was silky and effete and counted for little, but his opinion was endorsed by Mrs De Ropp whose opinion counted for nearly everything."

I'm sure that other people have their own favourites, so how about posting them here ?

 

[3WC]

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

 

[3dcheapskate]

Is that The Gunslinger, the first (I think) book of Stephen King's Dark Tower series ? I read it many, many aeons ago...

(Yup, it was simply the word 'gunslinger' that made me think that )

 

[robert952]

"Call me Ishmael."

Three words that set the premise of a story teller. Almost a command. Very active language. (Imagine 'My name is Ishmael.' Passive voice.) Then the story immediately begins.

 

[Miss B]

Ahhh, Moby-Dick! Brings back memories, though I never read Herman Melville's original book.

 

[KageRyu]

"The vast majority of people hold the consensus that any good story should begin at the beginning and and at the ending with a substantive middle. I think I prefer to begin in the middle, and then meander sideways from topic to topic until I arrive at a point of interest. I find it is far more exciting and interesting this way. So do try, if you will, to keep up."

~Unpublished, Untitled work by Unknown Author.

 

[Miss B]

I once read a book, can't recall the title off-hand, where the first chapter of the book was about an accident and how it happened, but then went back to give the reader the information on what lead up to the accident. After that it went on with what happened to the characters after the accident to the end of the story.

I wish I could remember the title, but it will come back to me eventually. All I do remember is, it was made into a movie which ended slightly different, but also started off with the accident as the book did.

 

[3dcheapskate]

I once read a book, can't recall the title off-hand, where the first chapter of the book was about an accident and how it happened, but then went back to give the reader the information on what lead up to the accident. After that it went on with what happened to the characters after the accident to the end of the story.

I wish I could remember the title, but it will come back to me eventually. All I do remember is, it was made into a movie which ended slightly different, but also started off with the accident as the book did.

Was the movie "11:14" ? I remember watching that on DVD without knowing anything about it and being really impressed.

 

[3dcheapskate]

"Call me Ishmael."

Three words that set the premise of a story teller. Almost a command. Very active language. (Imagine 'My name is Ishmael.' Passive voice.) Then the story immediately begins.

Rather oddly I'd just looked that up - trying to work out how my imaginary book Adobe Mick might start...

Ahhh, Moby-Dick! Brings back memories, though I never read Herman Melville's original book.

You do realize how funny that sounds don't you ?

 

[3dcheapskate]

"The vast majority of people hold the consensus that any good story should begin at the beginning and and at the ending with a substantive middle. I think I prefer to begin in the middle, and then meander sideways from topic to topic until I arrive at a point of interest. I find it is far more exciting and interesting this way. So do try, if you will, to keep up."

~Unpublished, Untitled work by Unknown Author.

That brings to mind Gene Wolfe's "Soldier Of The Mist", which was what the movie "Memento" brought to mind when I first saw it. Great movie, great book.

 

[Miss B]

Was the movie "11:14" ? I remember watching that on DVD without knowing anything about it and being really impressed.

No I don't think that was the title. The accident was about a young girl riding her horse across a little used road that a truck was rambling down.

 

[robert952]

Rather oddly I'd just looked that up - trying to work out how my imaginary book Adobe Mick might start...


You do realize how funny that sounds don't you ?

Oh a-pun my word. ROFL. How about...
"Call me Imagereal."
Pronounced. Image ree owl.

 

[Miss B]

The accident was about a young girl riding her horse across a little used road that a truck was rambling down.

I FINALLY remembered the name of the book and movie with the unique opening scene I was thinking about earlier. The book is Nicholas Evans' The Horse Whisperer, and the movie, circa 1998, starred Robert Redford.

 

[3dcheapskate]

Nicholas Evans' The Horse Whisperer

According to this excerpt...

"There was death at its beginning as there would be death again at its end."

That's an intriguing start

 

[3dcheapskate]

Oh a-pun my word. ROFL. How about...
"Call me Imagereal."
Pronounced. Image ree owl.

Nice idea... but my muse just ran off in a different direction cackling "Call me Ishmael one more time and I'll slap you !"

 

[3dcheapskate]

I've been googling opening lines and came across this gem, apparently from Viewfinder by Raymond Carver:

"A man without hands came to the door to sell me a photograph of my house."

I also found a page of quotes from Saki (my first post was the opening of his short story Sredni Vashtar) - so many classics there!

 

[Miss B]

According to this excerpt...

"There was death at its beginning as there would be death again at its end."

That's an intriguing start

Actually, the movie ended differently than the book.