Friday, May 26, 2006

There are some different reading suggestions from Dan Rhodes up on the Pulp website, and good choice of best opening line -
A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head.
From A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
- although I'm in favour of Carson McCuller's, The Heart is A Lonely Hunter. I remember reading it in a bookshop for the first time, and just feeling a chill of delight because I so badly wanted to read on, and yet it was satisfying just in itself:
In the town there were two mutes, and they were always together.

5 comments:

Patry Francis said...

When I have two books and can't decide which to read first, the first line decides it. Out of these two, I would have picked up McCullers.

Kay Cooke said...

Another two book sto read - I have heard of both od them too. Thanks! :)

Susannah Conway said...

First lines either grab you by the throat or make you put the book down, don't they. i loved the McCullers line - another book for me to seek out!
Sx

claireylove said...

yes, yes, yes! that whole first mccullers chapter is aching, haunting, enigmatic, elusive, beautiful. one of my very favourites.

Sarah Salway said...

I've started to read both the first lines and the last lines together - and am amazed how often they link. I know I made an effort to do so - but I thought that was just me being strange!