12 Popular Opening Lines from 12 Popular Novels

People wonder why the novel is the most popular form of literature; people wonder why it is read more than books of science or books of metaphysics. The reason is very simple; it is merely that the novel is more true than they are.
― GK Chesterton

 

Opening lines can be extremely powerful. From the word go, a novel can capture our attention and we give it undivided. Take, 1984, for instance that is written in simple language but which sets the ball rolling, while laying the groundwork for our foray into a dystopian world with the use of bright, cold to describe the day and the use of number thirteen that usually has a negative connotation. Or the fairy-tale-ish, Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person in Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups. Here is a list of 12 of them: