Fiction_L Archives Opening lines Dates: 1/28/00,8:41 AM  through  2/8/00,11:15 AM  (41 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to January 2000 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: "Fran Tracey" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 8:41 AM

Help!

I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
fiction?

TIA

Fran Tracey

[removed]@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

FROM: "Winfield Public Library" <[removed]@horizon.hit.net>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 9:46 AM

Our copies are all checked out, so I can't really reference it, but how
about Catcher in the Rye - ...all that David Copperfield crap...

Joan Cales
Winfield Public Library

At 02:45 PM 01/28/2000 GMT, you wrote:
>Help!
>
>I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
>So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
>Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
>fiction?
>
>TIA
>
>Fran Tracey
>
[removed]@hotmail.com
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>
>
>
Joan Cales
Special Services Librarian
Winfield Public Library
<<A HREF="http://www.wpl.org">http://www.wpl.org</A>>
email <[removed]@horizon.hit.net>

FROM: "Karen Traynor" <[removed]@midyork.lib.ny.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 10:30 AM

"Ahab's Wife" by Sena Jeter Naslund (1999) starts out with one of the best
lines I have ever read:

"Ahab was neither my first husband or my last"


How's THAT for a line to pull you into reading a book???

Karen Traynor
Sullivan Free Library
519 McDonnell Street
Chittenango, NY 13037
-----Original Message-----
From: Fran Tracey <[removed]@hotmail.com>
To: [removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org <[removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org>
Date: Friday, January 28, 2000 9:45 AM
Subject: Opening lines


>Help!
>
>I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
>So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
>Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
>fiction?
>
>TIA
>
>Fran Tracey
>
[removed]@hotmail.com
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>

FROM: "Lynn Silence" <[removed]@imail.slcl.lib.mo.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 10:37 AM

It may be a bit too obscure to be famous, but I love the opening line of I
CAPTURE THE CASTLE, by Dodie Smith.

lks

At 02:45 PM 1/28/2000 GMT, you wrote:
>Help!
>
>I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
>So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
>Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
>fiction?
>
>TIA
>
>Fran Tracey
>
[removed]@hotmail.com
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>
>
>
Lynn K. Silence Manager, Collection Development
St. Louis County Library
300 Clarkson Road, Ellisville, Missouri 63011
Voice: 636-227-1138, Fax: 636-227-9632
"To my thinking, a great librarian must have a clear head, a strong hand
and above all a great heart...most of the men who will achieve this greatness
will be women." Melvil Dewey

FROM: "Bruce Bumbalough" <[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 11:26 AM

It was a dark and stormy night. :)

Fran Tracey wrote:

> Help!
>
> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
> fiction?
>
> TIA
>
> Fran Tracey
>
> [removed]@hotmail.com
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
1201 Municipal Way
Grapevine, TX 76051
Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3080
E-mail: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The views are mine, not those of the City of Grapevine.

If you have ever flown to or from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, you
have been in Grapevine. Stop and say howdy next time.

FROM: "Roberta S. Johnson" <[removed]@nslsilus.ORG>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 11:30 AM

One of the most often repeated opening lines in science fiction:

"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

>From William Gibson's Neuromancer.

And my favorite classic:

"Marley was dead, to begin with."
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.

This makes me want to go back to some of my favorite reads, and see if it was the
opening line that captured me.

Roberta


Roberta S. Johnson
Adult Services Librarian
Des Plaines Public Library
[removed]@nslsilus.org
www.fictional.org
Opinions my own.

FROM: "Ken Warner" <[removed]@wichita.lib.ks.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 11:53 AM

The opening lines of Alice Walker's _Color Purple_ are very powerful.


Ken Warner
General Reference
Wichita Public Library

FROM: "Cynthia Grady" <[removed]@mailserv.mvlc.lib.ma.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 12:26 PM

I f you're interested in children's novels, Charlotte's Web has a great opening
line . . .

Winfield Public Library wrote:

> Our copies are all checked out, so I can't really reference it, but how
> about Catcher in the Rye - ...all that David Copperfield crap...
>
> Joan Cales
> Winfield Public Library
>
> At 02:45 PM 01/28/2000 GMT, you wrote:
> >Help!
> >
> >I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
> >So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
> >Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
> >fiction?
> >
> >TIA
> >
> >Fran Tracey
> >
> [removed]@hotmail.com
> >______________________________________________________
> >Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
> >
> >
> >
> Joan Cales
> Special Services Librarian
> Winfield Public Library
> <<A HREF="http://www.wpl.org">http://www.wpl.org</A>>
> email <[removed]@horizon.hit.net>

FROM: <[removed]@ccfls.org>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 1:11 PM

FROM: "Kate Kehoe" <[removed]@umich.edu>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 1:45 PM

I can't think of any opening lines off the top of my head, but here is a
webpage that might be helpful. It is set up as a quiz which is pretty fun.

<A HREF="http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/">http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/</A>

Kate Kehoe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
University of Michigan Law School
Admissions Office
371 Legal Research
625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM: "Cathy Reid" <[removed]@ccpl.lib.oh.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 2:39 PM

I think you MUST include "Call me Ishmael..." from Moby Dick!

Cathy Reid
Clark County Public Library
Springfield, OH

FROM: "Blair Ratsoy" <[removed]@picnet.org>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 2:47 PM

For openers:

"A screaming comes across the sky."
Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

"Amobae leave no fossils."
Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

"The bench on which Dobbs was sitting was not so good."
B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

"The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there."
L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between

"They threw me off the haytruck about noon."
James Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice

"I don't want to go to the Zoo anymore."
Russell Hobam, Turtle Diary

Blair, Pickering Public Library

Fran Tracey wrote:

> Help!
>
> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
> fiction?
>
> TIA
>
> Fran Tracey
>
> [removed]@hotmail.com
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

FROM: "Ann Boles" <[removed]@yavapaicold.lib.az.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 2:57 PM

I am enjoying all the "opening line" posts, but please include the actual
opening line quote as well as the title of the book. I don't have all the
books close by so that I can just look them up, and my curiosity is
aroused. Thanks


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ann M. Boles
Yavapai County Library District
172 E. Merritt, Ste. E
Prescott, AZ 86301
520-771-3191
[removed]@yavapaicold.lib.az.us
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

FROM: <[removed]@park-ridge.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 4:17 PM

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own
way. Anna Karenina

-----Original Message-----
From: [removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org
[<A HREF="mailto:owner-fiction_l@maillist.nslsilus.org]On">mailto:owner-fiction_l@maillist.nslsilus.org]On</A> Behalf Of Kate Kehoe
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 1:51 PM
To: [removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org
Subject: Re: Opening lines


I can't think of any opening lines off the top of my head, but here is a
webpage that might be helpful. It is set up as a quiz which is pretty fun.

<A HREF="http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/">http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/</A>

Kate Kehoe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
University of Michigan Law School
Admissions Office
371 Legal Research
625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM: "Beth Postema" <[removed]@ci.fargo.nd.us>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 4:19 PM

Maybe it's just because I read so often that I liked
"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, though men seldom realized it when
caught up in her charms as the Tarleton twins were."
Gone with the Wind
Beth E. Postema
Public Services Coordinator
Fargo Public Library


-

FROM: "Denis McGilvray" <[removed]@tulsalibrary.org>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 4:48 PM

Hello,
I hate to let the author of "It was a dark and stormy night..." go
unknown. That line was penned by Sir Edward George Bulwer Lytton (a very
distant relation to me) in his novel "Paul Clifford" circa 1830. He was a
prolific writer and quite well thought of in his day, but the opening
chapter of this book does leave much to be desired. You can read it at:

<A HREF="http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/clifford.htm">http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/clifford.htm</A>

Have fun reading!

Denis

>It was a dark and stormy night. :)
>
>Fran Tracey wrote:
>
>> Help!
>>
>> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
>> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
>> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
>> fiction?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DENIS MCGILVRAY
Media Center
Tulsa City-County Library
400 Civic Center
Tulsa, OK 74103
918-596-7937
[removed]@tulsalibrary.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM: "Dick Taylor" <[removed]@montana.com>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 4:48 PM

"Call me Ishmael."

FROM: "Mary Mcgavick" <[removed]@knox.net>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 5:26 PM

Oh, yes! Friends are frequently surprised by what I know (hey, I'm a
librarian!), but my memorization of this line just stuns them.
Mary McGavick
PL of Mount Vernon & Knox County, Ohio

Beth Postema wrote:

> Maybe it's just because I read so often that I liked
> "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, though men seldom realized it when
> caught up in her charms as the Tarleton twins were."
> Gone with the Wind
> Beth E. Postema
> Public Services Coordinator
> Fargo Public Library
>
> -

FROM: "Denise M. McFarland" <[removed]@webryders.com>
REC'D: 1/28/00, 7:06 PM

One of my all time favorite openers is from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
by C.S. Lewis:
"There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost deserved
it."

Denise McFarland
Sullivan PL
Sullivan, NH

FROM: "Anjan Ray" <[removed]@usa.net>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 3:17 AM

My all-time favorite is from "The Golden Gate" by Vikram Seth

"To make a start more swift than weighty
Hail Muse. Dear Reader, once upon
A time, say circa 1980
There lived a man called John."

Cheers
Anjan

> Help!
>
> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
> fiction?
>
> TIA
>
> Fran Tracey
>


____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at <A HREF="http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1">http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1</A>

FROM: <[removed]@infoave.net>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 6:38 AM

How about the opening of One Hundred Years of Solitude?

Debbie Spear
Greenville (SC) County Library

FROM: "Wendy Crutcher" <[removed]@monroe.lib.mi.us>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 8:23 AM

This is certainly not contemporary, but don't forget "Moby Dick."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wendy Crutcher
Adult Services Librarian voice: (616)423-4771
Van Buren District Library fax: (616)423-8373
200 North Phelps Street
Decatur, MI 49045
Internet: <A HREF="http://sites.netscape.net/wcrutcher/bookwormcorner/bookworm.html">http://sites.netscape.net/wcrutcher/bookwormcorner/bookworm.html</A>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Fri, 28 Jan 2000, Fran Tracey wrote:

> Help!
>
> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
> fiction?
>
> TIA
>
> Fran Tracey
>
> [removed]@hotmail.com
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>
>

FROM: "Kathy Loucks" <[removed]@cml.lib.oh.us>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 10:22 AM

I've heard the first line of Thomas Pynchon's GRAVITY'S RAINBOW cited as a famous first line: "A screaming comes across the sky."

FROM: <[removed]@aol.com>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 12:16 PM

How about Anna Karenina, something about all happy families being alike ...

Sherri McCarthy

FROM: "Lisa DavisCraig" <[removed]@metronet.lib.mi.us>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 1:46 PM

I can't think of any genre fiction, but Winston Groom's _Forrset Gump_
comes to mind--
Let me say this: bein a idiot is no box of chocolates.

Lisa D-C, [removed]@metronet.lib.mi.us
"Books are food, libraries so many dishes of meat, served out for several
palates... We eat them from love or necessity, as other foods, but mostly
from love." Holbrook Jackson

On Fri, 28 Jan 2000, Fran Tracey wrote:

> Help!
>
> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
> fiction?
>
> TIA
>
> Fran Tracey
>
> [removed]@hotmail.com
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>
>

FROM: "Nancy A. Weitendorf, PSL-A/PRG" <[removed]@ESCHER.dnet.cuyahoga.lib.oh.us>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 2:37 PM

How about Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: "It was a pleasure to
burn."

Always one of my favorite opening lines!

Nancy Weitendorf Adult Services Librarian
Cuyahoga County Public library
Parma Ridge Branch
Parma Ohio

FROM: "Thelma Stone" <[removed]@pub-lib.ci.fort-worth.tx.us>
REC'D: 1/29/00, 3:47 PM

They aren't famous but two opening lines in genre fiction that stuck with
me are from Jan Burke's Goodnight, Irene - "He loved to watch fat women
dance" and Barbara Hambly's The Silicon Mage - "The worst thing about
knowing that Gary Fairchild had been dead for a month was seeing him every
day at work." The first is a mystery and the latter a fantasy.

FROM: "Sarah Flowers" <[removed]@scinet.co.santa-clara.ca.us>
REC'D: 1/30/00, 9:18 PM

This isn't famous at all, but one of my all-time favorite opening lines is
from a picture book: Russell Hoban's "Mole Family Christmas": "Harley
and Delver Mole did straight mole work: they tunnelled and they dug and
they brought home the groceries."

Sarah Flowers, Community Librarian
Morgan Hill Public Library
17575 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill CA 95037-4128
[removed]@scinet.co.santa-clara.ca.us
*** All standard disclaimers apply ***

FROM: "Marla" <[removed]@orion.mtgr.mtlib.org>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 8:20 AM

I've always liked "In the beginning God created...." (Bible).

BYE!

Marla/Great Falls Public Library/Acquisitions
301 2nd Ave N
Great Falls, MT 59401-2593
[removed]@orion.mtgr.mtlib.org

FROM: "Paula Davino" <[removed]@kentnet.dtcc.edu>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 9:06 AM

I stun four year olds with...I am Sam, Sam I am, Would you like Green Eggs
and Ham?

I'm just feeling a little silly this Monday morning!! 8-)

Paula Davino
Assistant Director
Dover Public Library
Dover, Delaware
[removed]@kentnet.dtcc.edu


On Fri, 28 Jan 2000, Mary Mcgavick wrote:

> Oh, yes! Friends are frequently surprised by what I know (hey, I'm a
> librarian!), but my memorization of this line just stuns them.
> Mary McGavick
> PL of Mount Vernon & Knox County, Ohio
>
> Beth Postema wrote:
>
> > Maybe it's just because I read so often that I liked
> > "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, though men seldom realized it when
> > caught up in her charms as the Tarleton twins were."
> > Gone with the Wind
> > Beth E. Postema
> > Public Services Coordinator
> > Fargo Public Library
> >
> > -
>
>

FROM: "Bill Crowley" <[removed]@email.dom.edu>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 10:52 AM

Greetings:

If it has already been posted, I apologize. The book is only so-so
but the opening line was cited as "unbeatable" in every one of my
creative writing classes.

"He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was
mad."

SCARAMOUCHE -- A Romance of the
French Revolution by RAFAEL SABATINI


Bill Crowley, Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Dominican University
7900 West Division Street
River Forest, Illinois 60305
[removed]@email.dom.edu
708.524.6513
FAX: 708.524.6657

FROM: "Lisa Price" <[removed]@MtLaurel.Lib.NJ.US>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 11:14 AM

Another source you might want to investigate: we have a book, Great
Beginnings:opening lines of great novels by Georgianne Ensign.
Lisa Price
Mount Laurel (NJ) Library
All opinions expressed are entirely my very own.

Kate Kehoe wrote:

> I can't think of any opening lines off the top of my head, but here is a
> webpage that might be helpful. It is set up as a quiz which is pretty fun.
>
> <A HREF="http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/">http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/</A>
>
> Kate Kehoe
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> University of Michigan Law School
> Admissions Office
> 371 Legal Research
> 625 South State Street
> Ann Arbor, MI 48109
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM: "Lisa Price" <[removed]@MtLaurel.Lib.NJ.US>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 11:20 AM

Nice line, but, Unfortunately, that's not the opening line of Green Eggs and
Ham. The "I am Sam, Sam I am" is on signs (which could be claimed as the
opening lines), followed by the other, unnamed character stating "That Sam I
Am, That Sam I Am, I do not like that Sam I Am" (Can you tell I have small
children at home??)
Lisa Price
Mount Laurel (NJ) Library
All opinions are entirely my very own.

Paula Davino wrote:

> I stun four year olds with...I am Sam, Sam I am, Would you like Green Eggs
> and Ham?
>
> I'm just feeling a little silly this Monday morning!! 8-)
>
> Paula Davino
> Assistant Director
> Dover Public Library
> Dover, Delaware
> [removed]@kentnet.dtcc.edu
>
> On Fri, 28 Jan 2000, Mary Mcgavick wrote:
>
> > Oh, yes! Friends are frequently surprised by what I know (hey, I'm a
> > librarian!), but my memorization of this line just stuns them.
> > Mary McGavick
> > PL of Mount Vernon & Knox County, Ohio
> >
> > Beth Postema wrote:
> >
> > > Maybe it's just because I read so often that I liked
> > > "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, though men seldom realized it when
> > > caught up in her charms as the Tarleton twins were."
> > > Gone with the Wind
> > > Beth E. Postema
> > > Public Services Coordinator
> > > Fargo Public Library
> > >
> > > -
> >
> >

FROM: "Virginia Franklyn" <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 12:50 PM

I hope this hasn't been contributed yet, but my
favorite opening line(s) is:

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin,
my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a
trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three,
on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."

from, 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabakov


Virginia Franklyn


--- Fran Tracey <[removed]@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Help!
>
> I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction
> display/competition.
> So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale
> of two cities and
> Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more
> contemporary, perhaps genre
> fiction?
>
> TIA
>
> Fran Tracey
>
> [removed]@hotmail.com
>
______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at
> <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
>
>
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
<A HREF="http://im.yahoo.com">http://im.yahoo.com</A>

FROM: "Paula Davino" <[removed]@kentnet.dtcc.edu>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 1:03 PM

Actually, I never said it was the opening line. I was merely commenting
that kids do get a kick out of me saying that to them, especially when
they are checking out the book. I was just being silly. I'll have to
curb the urge the next time. ;-)

Paula Davino
Assistant Director
Dover Public Library
Dover, Delaware
[removed]@kentnet.dtcc.edu


On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Lisa Price wrote:

> Nice line, but, Unfortunately, that's not the opening line of Green Eggs and
> Ham. The "I am Sam, Sam I am" is on signs (which could be claimed as the
> opening lines), followed by the other, unnamed character stating "That Sam I
> Am, That Sam I Am, I do not like that Sam I Am" (Can you tell I have small
> children at home??)
> Lisa Price
> Mount Laurel (NJ) Library
> All opinions are entirely my very own.
>
> Paula Davino wrote:
>
> > I stun four year olds with...I am Sam, Sam I am, Would you like Green Eggs
> > and Ham?
> >
> > I'm just feeling a little silly this Monday morning!! 8-)
> >
> > Paula Davino
> > Assistant Director
> > Dover Public Library
> > Dover, Delaware
> > [removed]@kentnet.dtcc.edu
> >
> > On Fri, 28 Jan 2000, Mary Mcgavick wrote:
> >
> > > Oh, yes! Friends are frequently surprised by what I know (hey, I'm a
> > > librarian!), but my memorization of this line just stuns them.
> > > Mary McGavick
> > > PL of Mount Vernon & Knox County, Ohio
> > >
> > > Beth Postema wrote:
> > >
> > > > Maybe it's just because I read so often that I liked
> > > > "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, though men seldom realized it when
> > > > caught up in her charms as the Tarleton twins were."
> > > > Gone with the Wind
> > > > Beth E. Postema
> > > > Public Services Coordinator
> > > > Fargo Public Library
> > > >
> > > > -
> > >
> > >
>
>

FROM: <[removed]@cityoflafayette.com>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 3:00 PM

Here's a contemporary favorite of mine.
"My sister Kwan believes she has yin eyes" The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy
Tan

Patty Frobisher
Lafayette Public Library
775 West Baseline Rd.
Lafayette, CO 80026

-----Original Message-----
From: [removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org
[<A HREF="mailto:owner-fiction_l@maillist.nslsilus.org]On">mailto:owner-fiction_l@maillist.nslsilus.org]On</A> Behalf Of Fran Tracey
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 7:46 AM
To: [removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org
Subject: Opening lines


Help!

I'm looking for 'famous' opening lines for a fiction display/competition.
So far I have Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of two cities and
Brighton Rock. I am looking for something more contemporary, perhaps genre
fiction?

TIA

Fran Tracey

[removed]@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

FROM: "Katherine Hoylo" <[removed]@i29.net>
REC'D: 1/31/00, 3:55 PM

These intriguing lines appear before the title page in Diana Gabaldon's
_Outlander_.

"People disappear all the time. Ask any policeman. Better yet ask a
journalist."

This is contemporary, but I have never been able to pin it down to a genre.
I call it historical time travel adventure romance.

Katherine Hoylo

FROM: "Randy Landgrebe" <[removed]@server.silo.lib.ia.us>
REC'D: 2/1/00, 12:12 PM

FROM: "Jayne Freshour" <[removed]@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us>
REC'D: 2/2/00, 2:20 PM

A first line that's stayed in my mind is from "Mating", the National Book
Award winner by Norman Rush. It begins "In Africa, you want more, I
think."

Jayne Freshour
Reference Librarian
Popular Library
Multnomah County Library
[removed]@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us

FROM: "Deb Warner" <[removed]@co.durham.nc.us>
REC'D: 2/4/00, 1:22 PM

FROM: "Kathleen L Shannon" <[removed]@edmail.com>
REC'D: 2/8/00, 11:15 AM

--This one isn't "famous", but it's sort of a "grabber". It's from James Heneghans' "Torn Away", a YA novel about a teen terrorist from Northern Ireland:

"They handcuffed him to the seat so he could
cause no trouble on the airplane."


Kathy Shannon
Thornwood H.S.
South Holland, IL


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