List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Famous Novels With the Catchiest First Lines - Page 2

"The opening lines of a novel can prove crucial, and many authors spend an inordinate amount of time considering how their books will begin. From Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities to Melville's Moby Dick, often the opening sentence or two of a book will become the most frequently quoted and iconic passage from the entire novel. This list has the best novels with great first lines, bound to make the best impression on readers."
Read More
838 users · 2,990 views
 
from ranker.com · made by K.S. Smith
avg. score: 18 of 82 (22%)
required scores: 1, 9, 14, 19, 28 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 2 of 3
The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)
The Red Badge of Courage
41
Stephen Crane
I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
I Capture the Castle
42
Dodie Smith
The Napoleon of Notting Hill (G.K. Chesterton)
The Napoleon of Notting Hill
43
G.K. Chesterton
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Laurence Sterne)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
44
Laurence Sterne
City of Glass (Cassandra Clare)
City of Glass
45
Cassandra Clare
Tracks (Louise Erdrich)
Tracks
46
Louise Erdrich
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
47
Carson McCullers
The Tin Drum (Günter Grass)
The Tin Drum
48
Günter Grass
Murphy (Samuel Beckett)
Murphy
49
Samuel Beckett
Changing Places (David Lodge)
Changing Places
50
David Lodge
Herzog (Saul Bellow)
Herzog
51
Saul Bellow
Waiting (Ha Jin)
Waiting
52
Ha Jin
Paul Clifford (Edward Bulwer-Lytton)
Paul Clifford
53
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Middlemarch (George Eliot)
Middlemarch
54
George Eliot
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
55
Thomas Pynchon
The Satanic Verses (Salman Rushdie)
The Satanic Verses
56
Salman Rushdie
The Razor's Edge (Somerset Maugham)
The Razor's Edge
57
Somerset Maugham
Cat's Eye (Margaret Atwood)
Cat's Eye
58
Margaret Atwood
I, Claudius (Robert Graves)
I, Claudius
59
Robert Graves
Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)
Wide Sargasso Sea
60
Jean Rhys
Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe)
Robinson Crusoe
61
Daniel Defoe
Crash (J.G. Ballard)
Crash
62
J.G. Ballard
The Good Soldier (Ford Madox Ford)
The Good Soldier
63
Ford Madox Ford
Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad)
Lord Jim
64
Joseph Conrad
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
65
William Faulkner
Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov)
Pale Fire
66
Vladimir Nabokov
Elmer Gantry (Sinclair Lewis)
Elmer Gantry
67
Sinclair Lewis
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
68
Toni Morrison
The Violent Bear It Away (Flannery O'Connor)
The Violent Bear It Away
69
Flannery O'Connor
Miss Lonelyhearts (Nathanael West)
Miss Lonelyhearts
70
Nathanael West
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
71
James Joyce
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
72
James Joyce
The Last Good Kiss (James Crumley)
The Last Good Kiss
73
James Crumley
Intruder in the Dust (William Faulkner)
Intruder in the Dust
74
William Faulkner
Swann's Way (Marcel Proust)
Swann's Way
75
Marcel Proust
Blown Away (Franklin W. Dixon)
Blown Away
76
Franklin W. Dixon
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
A Farewell to Arms
77
Ernest Hemingway
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
Mrs. Dalloway
78
Virginia Woolf
The Dick Gibson Show (Stanley Elkin)
The Dick Gibson Show
79
Stanley Elkin
Orlando (Virginia Woolf)
Orlando
80
Virginia Woolf
Page 2 of 3
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Famous Novels With the Catchiest First Lines'
First Novels by Famous Authors
First Novels by Famous Authors
899
127
26 Great First Lines From Literature
26 Great First Lines From Literature
3,832
26
30 Novels With the Best Opening Lines (+ 2 Favourites)
30 Novels With the Best Opening Lines (+ 2 Favourites)
819
32
Call Me Stately Plump Mrs. Dalloway: 100 Best Opening Lines From Novels Per "American Book Review"
Call Me Stately Plump Mrs. Dalloway: 100 Best Opening Lines From Novels Per "American Book Review"
611
102
18 Books With the Best First Lines in Fiction
18 Books With the Best First Lines in Fiction
518
18
Books From Anna's First Lines in Literature Mug
Books From Anna's First Lines in Literature Mug
302
25
50 Famous Authors & Their Less Famous Novels
50 Famous Authors & Their Less Famous Novels
280
50
Novels, Novels and More Novels
Novels, Novels and More Novels
1,781
1000
The Most Famous Philosophical Novels
The Most Famous Philosophical Novels
1,311
101
111 Famous Novels (111 Híres Regény)
111 Famous Novels (111 Híres Regény)
1,042
111
Famous Books/Novels From the 19th Century (1800s)
Famous Books/Novels From the 19th Century (1800s)
704
61
Big, Long, Famous Bestselling Novels
Big, Long, Famous Bestselling Novels
692
80
10 Novels With Great First Sentences
10 Novels With Great First Sentences
655
10
The First 50 Novels I've Read That Truly Impressed Me
The First 50 Novels I've Read That Truly Impressed Me
445
50
First Novels in Crime/Thriller Series
First Novels in Crime/Thriller Series
445
120
First Novels: The English Teacher Looks at Some Great (And Not So Great) Beginnings
First Novels: The English Teacher Looks at Some Great (And Not So Great) Beginnings
459
136
Fantasy and Science Fiction First Books and Stand Alone Novels
Fantasy and Science Fiction First Books and Stand Alone Novels
404
350
The First 2000 Books (And Some Graphic Novels) Read by Sekhmet
The First 2000 Books (And Some Graphic Novels) Read by Sekhmet
295
2000
The First Ten Horror Novels Schlocko Ever Read (Plus One Short Story Collection)
The First Ten Horror Novels Schlocko Ever Read (Plus One Short Story Collection)
181
11
Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels - First Choice
Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels - First Choice
147
32
SDM Listman's Favourite Authors' First Novels
SDM Listman's Favourite Authors' First Novels
134
12
Support First-Time Authors With 51 Debut Novels to Read Now
Support First-Time Authors With 51 Debut Novels to Read Now
127
51
Novels With a First Name in the Title
Novels With a First Name in the Title
90
2207
100 Books With the Best Closing Lines
100 Books With the Best Closing Lines
13,940
100
The Most Famous Books of the Most Famous Authors
The Most Famous Books of the Most Famous Authors
2,884
100
Reddit's List of Books With Great Opening Lines
Reddit's List of Books With Great Opening Lines
1,467
67
The Best Opening Lines in Literature
The Best Opening Lines in Literature
1,331
175
30 Great Opening Lines in Literature
30 Great Opening Lines in Literature
977
30
Book Titles Based on Lines From the Bible
Book Titles Based on Lines From the Bible
963
56
Best Opening Lines in Literature
Best Opening Lines in Literature
870
55
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN