As writers, we all know how important it is to grip the reader from the very start. Intriguing, surprising and thought-provoking, these opening lines are widely recognised as some of the finest in literature. But how many novels can you recognise from just the first sentence? Answers at the end!

1. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
2. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
3. Marley was dead, to begin with.
4. Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.
5. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
6. Call me Ishmael.
7. The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation. 
8. It was the day my grandmother exploded.
9. Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. 
10. It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.
11. You better not never tell nobody but God.
12. 124 was spiteful. Full of Baby’s venom.
13. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
14. I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
15. All children, except one, grow up.

Answers

1. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
2. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. 1984, George Orwell
3. Marley was dead, to begin with. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
4. Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
5. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
6. Call me Ishmael. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
7. The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
8. It was the day my grandmother exploded. The Crow Road, Iain Banks
9. Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
10. It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
11. You better not never tell nobody but God. The Colour Purple, Alice Walker
12. 124 was spiteful. Full of Baby’s venom. Beloved, Toni Morrison
13. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
14. I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
15. All children, except one, grow up. Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

Have I missed any great opening lines out? Let me know!