33 Comments

It's a superb line wherever it appears!

Expand full comment

I was on the struggle bus with several of these! I'm intrigued by one but I feel the best one liner is the other.....

Expand full comment

Number 8 hardest for me and I seem to be in the minority. Oh well, the majority isn't always right!

Expand full comment

Number 8 hardest for je and I seem to be in the minority. Oh well, the majority isn't always right!

Expand full comment

Posting here again to help one of my favorites:

If we keep the story of Ishmael in our mind, and we remember his lot as outlined in Genesis 16:12 "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.", the layers of meaning are many.

Issac is the chosen son of Abraham and Ishmael could be thought of as forgotten. Our main character is a lost soul and he is to live a hard fought life and poor luck will follow him. He must search for god on his own. I think it's a powerful start.

Also, the remainder of the first paragraph contains some of my favorite lines in all of literature.

Expand full comment

Question: Why with The Hobbit did you choose to quote more than the first line?

‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.’

I think it packs more punch by itself than by adding the next line. Maybe this was already asked and I missed it?

Expand full comment

I cannot tell you how confused I was about this bracket until I clicked through and learned it was about opening lines.

Expand full comment
founding

shoot--I think I missed round 2. :-(

Expand full comment

I love P&P opening line, but I do not laugh out loud like I do with, "Marley was dead: to begin with." Why is it so funny every dang time?

Expand full comment

Tough round for sure, but sure was fun choosing! I had to bring my husband in for some unbiased opinions.

Expand full comment
Mar 26Liked by David Kern

So much fun. So much agony. Still mostly fun

Expand full comment

The End of the Affair/A Christmas Carol match-up hurt.

Expand full comment

I voted for Anne by accident.

Expand full comment

I like the Dante best, but I don't like that translation.

Expand full comment

I didn't vote for Anne of Green Gables because it's just not a great line! It's not! But both those Dickens matchups kill me.

Expand full comment

Number six was hardest this go round. I chose Greene but was a little happy that Dickens was winning.

Expand full comment