Which Classic Novel Is This Opening From?

Some first lines are so famous that they instantly transport you into the world of a beloved novel. Others might seem familiar, but you just can’t place them... The opening words of a book set the tone for everything that follows — and some authors crafted these beginnings so perfectly that they’ve become iconic in their own right. But how well do you actually remember them? In this quiz, you’ll be shown the opening line of a classic novel. Your challenge: pick the correct book it comes from. First sentences can be witty, ominous, poetic, or plain — but the very best ones spark curiosity. They pull you into the story, introduce unforgettable characters, or give a hint of the world you’re about to enter. Over time, these openings become etched in literary history — and in the minds of readers around the world. Whether you’re a passionate literature lover or just someone who enjoys a good quiz, this challenge will test your memory of famous books and the way they begin. Some will be easy — instantly recognizable! Others will make you stop and think. How deep does your bookshelf memory go? Get ready to find out — and enjoy a literary trip through some of the greatest novels ever written!
No. 1 /10
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

1984
Brave New World
Fahrenheit 451
Animal Farm
No. 2 /10
"Call me Ishmael."

Moby Dick
Treasure Island
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea
No. 3 /10
"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
Emma
Sense and Sensibility
Mansfield Park
No. 4 /10
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
War and Peace
The Brothers Karamazov
No. 5 /10
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since."

The Great Gatsby
To Kill a Mockingbird
Of Mice and Men
Catcher in the Rye
No. 6 /10
"Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road..."

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Ulysses
Finnegans Wake
Dubliners
No. 7 /10
"It was a pleasure to burn."

Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World
1984
The Trial
No. 8 /10
"You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer..."

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Tom Sawyer Abroad
Life on the Mississippi
Roughing It
No. 9 /10
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silmarillion
The Children of Húrin
No. 10 /10
"Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know."

The Stranger
The Plague
The Fall
The Myth of Sisyphus
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