Famous First and Last Lines

 

First line: "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

 This is the opening line to the novel The Go-Between published in 1953 by L.P. Hartley, who was born on December 30th, 1895. The novel is about an elderly man named Leo. Leo finds an old diary of his and begins to remember his past, and spends the majority of the novel reminiscing. He remembers several instances of him being a middle man or messenger, and this is the basis of the plot.

I think I would read this book. It's first line is one of my favorite lines in a book. The book seems to be very classic-like. It's interesting how the novel itself acts as a bridge between the two worlds of Leo.

 

Last line: "Columbus too thought he was a flop, probably, when they sent him back in chains. Which didn't prove there was no America."

This line starts the novel The Adventures of Augie March, published in 1953 (the same year as my first line), by Saul Bellow, who was born on June 10th, 1915, and died on April 5th, 2005. The novel follows Augie March and his transition from childhood to adulthood. He switches situations frequently, whether it be jobs, his lifestyle, his education, etc. He takes several turns, and the book is simply him trying to discover himself and mature through life. I don't think I would read this book. It seems reading it would have the same effect as reading Catcher in the Rye. It sounds extremely similar, and while it doesn't share the same stream of consciousness as Catcher in the Rye, I believe reading Augie March's tale wouldn't be much different from Holden Caulfield's.