The opening of 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: 'I first met my father in 1945, in the hospital pharmacy where he worked in Barcelona.' It's a simple yet effective start that draws you into the story of the relationship between the narrator and his father and the mystery that will unfold in the streets of Barcelona.
The opening of 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss: 'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow - kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.' This line is a bold start, introducing the protagonist as someone with a lot of stories and adventures, making the reader eager to learn more about him.
In 'The Virgin Suicides' by Jeffrey Eugenides, it starts with 'On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide - it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese - the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope.' This opening line is full of intrigue and immediately makes the reader want to know more about the Lisbon daughters and their tragic fates.
Sure. 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville starts with 'Call me Ishmael.' It's a simple yet powerful opening that draws the reader in, making them curious about who Ishmael is and what his story will be. It has a certain allure that has made it one of the most famous opening lines in literature.
Sure. 'Bonnie & Clyde' is a musical based on the true story of the infamous criminal couple. It shows their life, crimes and the public's fascination with them. Another one is 'Grey Gardens'. It's based on the real - life mother - daughter relationship of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and Edith Bouvier Beale. Their eccentric lives in a decaying mansion were the inspiration for this musical.
There's 'The City & the City' by China Miéville. It's a unique scifi novel that has a strange concept of two cities that exist in the same physical space but are culturally and socially distinct. And 'Flowers for Algernon' by Daniel Keyes, which while not as well - known as some big - name scifi novels, is a very moving story about a man's transformation through an experimental procedure that enhances his intelligence.
'The Pearl that Broke Its Shell' by Nadia Hashimi is a great but less - known Afghanistan novel. It tells the parallel stories of two Afghan women from different generations who both struggle with the constraints placed on them by Afghan society. It's a powerful exploration of gender roles and female agency in Afghanistan.
The opening of 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy, 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' is very thought - provoking. It makes the reader think about family dynamics and what differentiates happy from unhappy families, which is a central theme in the novel as we follow the story of Anna Karenina and her family.
Also, '1984' by George Orwell is quite famous. It's a dystopian novel that depicts a totalitarian society where the government has extreme control over every aspect of people's lives. The concepts in this book like 'Big Brother' and 'doublethink' have become part of popular culture.
Sure. 'Foundation' by Isaac Asimov starts with 'His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before.' It's a simple introduction that draws you into the story of this ordinary person about to be plunged into extraordinary events in a vast galactic empire.
Sure. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a very famous one. It deals with themes of racial injustice in a southern town. Another is 'Gone with the Wind', which tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. 'The Sound and the Fury' by William Faulkner is also well - known. It has a complex narrative structure and delves deep into the decline of a southern family.
There's also 'Go Tell It on the Mountain' by James Baldwin. This novel, while exploring other complex themes, also reflects the experiences of African - Americans during the Great Migration. It looks at family, faith, and the search for self in the context of the migration and the new urban environments that many migrated to.
'Candide' by Voltaire is another well - known 18th - century novel. It's a philosophical tale that satirizes various aspects of society, including religion, politics, and the idea of optimism through the travels and misadventures of the young Candide.