What are some of the best opening lines of novels?

In '1984' by George Orwell, 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' This opening line is really effective. The fact that the clocks are striking thirteen is immediately jarring and out of the ordinary. It signals to the reader that this is a world that is different from our own, perhaps a dystopian one where normal rules don't apply. It makes the reader curious to find out more about this strange world.

In 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville, 'Call me Ishmael.' is a very famous opening line. It's simple yet it draws the reader in, making them curious about who Ishmael is and what his story will be.

The opening line 'All children, except one, grow up.' from J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan' is great. It's simple yet so effective. It makes the reader wonder who this one child is that doesn't grow up and draws them into the story of Peter Pan right from the start.

In 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens, the opening line 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' is very famous. It creates a sense of contrast and mystery, making the reader wonder what the two different situations are and how they are related, which draws them into the complex world of the French Revolution that Dickens is about to unfold.

One of the best opening lines is from 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...'. This line immediately sets a tone of contrast and complexity, making the reader wonder about the two different states of the times.

A great opening line is 'All children, except one, grow up.' from J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan'. This line is simple yet very effective. It makes the reader wonder about that one special child and why they don't grow up like the others. It also gives a sense of mystery and the promise of an adventure.

One of the best is 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' from George Orwell's '1984'. It immediately sets an off - kilter, dystopian mood.

One more notable opening line could be 'In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.' from 'The Great Gatsby'. This line makes the reader curious about what that advice was and why it has been on the narrator's mind for so long. It gives a sense of a story that has been brewing in the narrator's head for a while.

One famous opening line is from 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen: 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.'

The opening line of 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens is also great: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' It immediately creates a sense of contrast and mystery, making the reader wonder about the two cities and the different situations within them. It's a very thought - provoking start to a complex and epic story about the French Revolution and its impacts.