First Line Friday... It's Back!!

FIRST LINE FRIDAY...First lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny?

"On the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon from Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples."

The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas, Pere


I chose this novel because it's been in "my orbit" lately. Not only is it a classic that I have not read in since high school... it is the basis for one of my new favorite shows... Revenge! have you seen this show? It's so good and it just keeps getting better every week! It has also been picked up for a full season!

It's, obviously, about revenge and all that implies. There have been several references to The Count of Monte Cristo so I thought I'd read this classic novel after so many years... okay... decades! Because it's in "public domain", I downloaded it free on Project Gutenberg... and put it on my ereader. I'm looking forward to seeing what similarities there are between a centuries-old tale featuring as man imprisoned for something he did not do and a modern woman seeking revenge against the people who ruined her father. However, as Confucius says... "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."