best opening lines in a novel

One great opening line could be 'In a world where the sun never set, the people had forgotten the beauty of the stars.' It immediately sets an unusual and somewhat mysterious setting that makes the reader wonder why the sun never sets and what that means for the people. It also creates a contrast between the sun and the stars, which can be explored further in the story.

One great opening line 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 mood, making the reader wonder about this world where the clocks seem to be acting strangely.

The opening line 'All children, except one, grow up' from 'Peter Pan' by J.M. Barrie is really great. It's simple yet thought - provoking. It makes you curious about that one child who doesn't grow up and sets the stage for the magical world of Neverland.

The opening line of 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville, 'Call me Ishmael.' is iconic. It's a very direct and simple way to start a story. By having the narrator introduce himself so plainly, it gives the reader a sense of intimacy and makes them feel like they are about to embark on a journey with Ishmael, whether it be physical or emotional.

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 of the best opening lines 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.' This line sets the tone for the whole story which is centered around marriage and social status in the 19th - century English society.

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.

The best opening line could be 'We met on a rainy day, when the world seemed grey, but from that moment, our friendship became the brightest color.' This line not only sets the scene with the rainy and grey day but also contrasts it with the idea of friendship being a bright color, highlighting its importance right from the start.