"Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were looking for a place to live.". You might disagree with one or two of our picks; if so, tell us your choice in the comments. Being afraid to fly was rational, therefore proof of being sane. Henry James' "The Portrait of a Lady" was published as a serial in the 1880s. . "This is the saddest story I have ever heard.". This 1953 novel, "The Go-Between," is by far the best-known book by L.P. Hartley. This is probably the most famous line in Antoine St. Exupery's beloved book. It was published in 1952 by Harper & Brothers. It was published on March 22, 1993. kofiwidget2.init('Leave a Tip! Its illustrations were by Robert Lawson. Find an interactive version of the activity here, followed by an answer key for the magazine edition. "A green hunting cap squeezed the top of a fleshy balloon of a head.". "Things are a lot different around here since that Unicorn moved in.". The full quote reads like a paragraph; it's an astounding 119 words long. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.". It was the first in the series which inspired the Madeline media franchise. "Rebecca" is probably Daphne duMaurier's best-known novel. The character of Celie took those words seriously, as the novel by Alice Walker includes many letters to God about her life. Plays. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was written by Avi - also known as Edward Irving Wortis. 3. Steinbeck's novel is one of the greatest known in America. "So we beat on, boats against the tide borne ceaselessly back into the past.". Considered by some to be the greatest novel of the 20th century, this line from George Orwell's "1984" sets the reader up for a whole lot of confusion, chaos and uncertainty. . To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy, For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more, Lee Child Jack Reacher Series | 6 for 30, Industry commitment to professional behaviour. He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf stream and he had gone 84 days now without taking a fish. Mr. Popper's Penguins was written by Richard and Florence Atwater. "The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.". It was love at first sight. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing youll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I dont feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.". If you're wondering why the full line isn't quoted, trust us, it's for the best. In a book by Leo Tolstoy, the first line is "Happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Written by Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of 13 children's novels. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) David Copperfield (Charles Dickens) Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe) 1984 (George Orwell) Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) More book trivia. By signing up, I confirm that I'm over 16. Sophies mummy said 'I wonder who that could be?'". This was the first novel of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. ", This quote is from the "Manual of Muad'Dib" in Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic. In The Hobbit, what sort of creature is Smaug? It is considered a children's historical novel set in Elizabethan England at the end of the 16th Century. This was fun! All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Undoubtedly, these famous quotes ring a bell. Published in 1939, "Goodbye to Berlin" is a portrait of the German people just before they are swept into World War II. Or what. Find if you're a true expert Written By Mamta Raut Do you consider yourself a true Novel Expert? "Chug, chug, chug. Famous First Lines in Novels Quiz By: Nathan Chandler 4 min Image: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images About This Quiz Calling all bookworms: How well do you know literature? "Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.". "You better not never tell nobody but God. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the thing you were after.". Can you identify these classic first lines from literature? You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. If you haven't seen it lately, check a coffee mug, poster or bumper sticker near you. "In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.". 6 / 10. "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.". One of the nerdy things we like to do is quiz each other on quotes from books, especially the opening lines. What did Harper Lee have against blue jays?! Itd kill your mammy.". All that cold, cold, wet day.". John Toole killed himself before his outrageously hilarious "A Confederacy of Dunces" became recognized as a lasting work of art. Be sure to cry at your own mother's funeral or else. Once upon a time there was a lion, a witch, and a wardrobe. Also, one of the most famous whales. Chandler also wrote "Farewell, My Lovely" and "The Lady in the Lake. We'll give you the first line of a novel, and you have to choose the book it comes from. Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security. Eighteen episodes make up "Ulysses," the groundbreaking novel by James Joyce. Hermione Granger's First/Last Lines: Book By Book Quiz - By FantasticBowTies. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I got . Arthur Hailey Allen Drury Harper Lee Edwin O'Connor 2. "The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.". "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.". The Little Engine that Could was written by Watty Piper. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.". And take this quiz to get matched to your ideal fictional vacation destination! The Boy in the Tower was written by Polly Ho-Yen. Hypocrisy takes center stage in Sinclair Lewis' "Elmer Gantry," a collision of morality and human nature. "Look, I didnt want to be a half-blood.". With some books, pretty much everyone agrees on what its most famous line is - this is true of the opening line of "Pride and Prejudice," which you'll find on everything from dishtowels to bookmarks. The Overstory The Nickel Boys The Underground Railroad The Goldfinch 3. A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hill-side bank and runs deep and green. If you enjoy lines like the above, trust us, "Wuthering Heights" is for you. Eesh! Also popular are the later lines about "fear the mind-killer. What did Alexander have for dinner in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? "One Thousand and One Nights". Fly Away Home was written by Eve Bunting. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.". Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.. In the week before their departure to Arrakis, when all the final scurrying about had reached a nearly unbearable frenzy, an old crone came. 3. 'An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story', Stephen King once said. "On the morning I was scheduled to die, a large barefoot man with a bushy red beard waddled past my house.". When you escape into a book, its into a world all its own: in a different time, across the globe or in a purely fictitious place of the authors imagining. "One man's life or death were a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge I sought.". If you want to stay alive, though, you've got to say that stuff.". "There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. I'll give you the opening line from a classic novel, and you identify which book it comes from. The Queen was angry, and not for the first time. "Of all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I've come to learn, is women. Published in 2013, The School for Good and Evil was written by Soman Chainani. What did the monsters do with their teeth in Where the Wild Things Are? The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was written by Barbara Robinson and illustrated by Judith Gwyn Brown. Less literary and more hilarious, the 1979 story by Douglas Adams begs the question of the meaning of "life, the universe, and everything." For each of these book trivia questions, your players will be shown a first line of a book and then they will name the book. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a gentleman in possession of a fortune, must be in want of a wife.". "But his dreams were as gigantic as his surroundings were small.". Freedom is slavery. 535. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain. Once there was a great and terrible war. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Click here to read my affiliate policy. Ignorance is strength. Convent residents and Oklahoman men begin a twisted clash in Toni Morrison's "Paradise. "When you wish that a Saturday was actually a Monday, you know there is something seriously wrong.". Johnny Cade says this to his friend, the narrator Ponyboy Curtis, on his deathbed. From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology Do you know which hero took a dip in the River Styx? I want to add so many of those book to my TBR right now just based on their first line! Originally titled "First Impressions," Jane Austen's 1797 novel chronicles the experiences of fictional feminist-before-it-was-cool Elizabeth Bennet. Take this quiz now to journey back and test your skills! Some people love it and find it inspirational; others find it misleading and likely to promote self-centeredness. All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Bronte used weather regularly throughout the novel to indicate Jane's moods. It was published on January 29, 2015. When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. START QUIZ "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness." "A Tale of Two Cities" "Gone With the Wind" "Anna Karenina" "Call me Ishmael." "The Old Man and the Sea" "Moby-Dick" "Treasure Island" "You better not never tell nobody but God. So what you're saying is that the deck is stacked against you, eh, Pip? It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. In other words, each question is about a unique book. But with others, there isn't one clear winner. In its original form, it is the title of a book of Jane-Eyre-inspired short stories. And what better way to fake it than to be able to quote a classic book's most famous line? Published during World War II, "The Razor's Edge" portrays a World War I veteran suffering from trauma and looking for meaning in his life. The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. Based on its first line, name the book. That is one of the lessons of "The Stranger" by Albert Camus. Divided into eight parts, "Anna Karenina" is considered one of the strongest novels by Leo Tolstoy. I chose a good reading challenge for myself this year to read more classics. "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley.". Based on its first line, name the book. Anastasia Steele first appears in which risqu 2011 novel by E.L. James? But with others, there isn't one clear winner. When you're going you think it's a big deal, but when it's over, nobody really thinks it's great unless they're beered up.". ", Charles Johnson writes of a man who unwittingly boards a slave ship to avoid a forced marriage in "Middle Passage. Fashionable Words Vocabulary Quiz A vocab quiz with panache Classic Children's Books Quiz Hope you are very hungry for kids' literature trivia. One may as well begin with Helen's letters to her sister. Honor and duty are explored in "The Good Soldier," written by Ford Madox Ford in 1915. All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Madeline was illustrated and written by Ludwig Bemelmans in 1939. Report this user for behavior that violates our Community Guidelines. > Literature Quizzes 5. The quote above reflects King's casual, conversational style. ", Before Dodie Smith became famous for "The Hundred and One Dalmatians," she wrote "I Capture the Castle. 4. Written by J.R.R. It was 366 pages long and published in 1884. Bridge to Terabithia was written by Katherine Paterson and illustrated by Donna Diamond. "Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.". It was 226 pages and published in 1990. Ill give you the opening line from a classic novel, and you identify which book it comes from. The Thief was a fantasy novel written by Megan Whalen Turner. Click the red Take Quiz button to begin. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Sample Hard Question:All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Timed Quiz Game. Generations of readers have Ray Bradbury's classic novel about book burning to thank for knowing that.