the absolute pain of watching someone judge the opening of “we have always lived in the castle” by the first line only when the the first paragraph as a whole is actually one of the best openers for a novel ever
Hearing the disrespect of “you can do better than that” towards the author who writes some of the best openings of all time felt like being kicked in the stomach.
@@guidoguido2245 i think they were being lighthearted, it wasn’t a proper criticism! jack was judging purely on the first line alone of course but that book has such a wonderful opening paragraph and we were just commenting on how good it is despite how boring the first sentence can seem at first glance :)
That isn't the first line in Kitchen ! That's the first line of the author's note (preface). The actual first line is "The place I like best in this world in the kitchen."
it PAINS me how he judged "we have always lived in the castle" by the very first line, because the first paragraph is one of my favourite beginnings to a book ever
I am absolutely shocked you haven’t read Circe yet. One of my favourite books ever. I also think its a great opening line for that story, and what happens throughout. Edit: also, you should read the first couple lines for these. Stories favouring short sentences sort of get shafted here. The opening paragraph of “We Have Lived In The Castle” is one of the best openings of all time.
I wrote a nine page paper on the first paragraph of Their Eyes We’re Watching God so I am biased, but that first line is so good! Enigmatic, simple, metaphorical. Incredible.
So Sad! The opening paragraph of "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is excellent. Yes the first line seems weak, but its necessary for how the paragraph is structured..
"We Have Always Lived In the Castle" isn't actually a horror story, but does have a sinister vibe through it. It's as well-crafted read although I have to admit that I checked it out of the library so many decades ago purely because the cover was one of the few at that time that had a cat on it.
The opening to we have always lived in the castle has to be read in its entire paragraph. Also, the first sentence makes complete sense for the main character. She's 18 but very childlike.
i really liked the last one tbh. the “you said” is intruiging cause it’s like.. the author is speaking to someone? who is it?? also the mental image of antelopes looking up at the night sky really really speaks to me
One of my favorite lines is the opening of "like water for chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. "The onion has to be finely minced." It's a wonderful book about love and family dynamics at the heart of a home: the kitchen. I will always recommend that book
OMG Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto is one of my favorite books (read in Japanese)....! Her writing is so beautiful, just her choice of words and sentence structure is like a sparkling stream in an enchanted forest. I hope it translates well in English :) うたかた/サンクチュアリ (Transient/Sanctuary) and 哀しい予感 (Sad Premonition) are my favorites, but unfortunately I don't think they have been trasnlated to English.
In breast and eggs, i feel the open line is referencing how houses where taxed on the number of windows they had, thats why in the uk you see some buildings with a windowed outline in the solid wall
Please don’t be put off by the first line of Crossroads ~ I was skeptical and suffer from big book fear but it’s one of my favourite books of this year. The story of the dysfunctional family and the depths it goes into each character made me feel like I was apart of the family and in the middle of all the drama that unfolds. You really get to learn the history, motivations and psyche of everyone in the book.
Totally respect your opinion, but my man. The fact that you put Circe that low is just criminal! I love the book so maybe I‘m biased, but I genuinely love that line and it definitely might have gone a little higher.
I want to know which one you thought was best, bc I feel like there's two very different types of people who love Miller's books and they're separated by which book they think is better. Galatea doesn't count lol
don't give up on We Have Always Lived in the Castle, it's one of my favorite books. Shirley Jackson does an excellent job at keeping the reader engaged throughout!
i’m currently reading crossroads, my first Franzen - i’m just past the middle and completely loving it. obviously not sure how it all ends but i would recommend not letting the opening line set up your expectations. a very interesting character study but also lots of plot starts absolutely snowballing about 1/3 of the way in
A video of comparison on how you felt with the last paragraph /lines of these books would be spectacular! Breast and Eggs is one of my absolute favorite reads of this year. 💯
Hey Jack, you just put we have always lived in a castle at the bottom of your stack but I’m here to tell you is a good book. I listen to it on audio tape.
happy birthday Jack!! I really struggled with getting round to reading for so many years but ever since I re-discovered (I vaguely remember watching some of your study-tube content a while ago) your channel last year I've been really motivated to read more, and while I still would like to make reading more of a daily habit I feel like I've recently made so much progress in actually motivating myself to sit down and read. I was such a book worm as a kid and I'm finally starting to rediscover my love for books and your videos have been a large contributing factor to that so thank you!!! and happy Libra season!
ooh YES I was hoping for another one of these! I tend to judge books by their opening lines a lot and tbh I'd probably watch 20 videos' worth of this 😄
for TEWWG, I studied it for my independent study novel this year, and the very first line is underwhelming, but the rest of that paragraph is IMPECCABLE!
It could be interestng to get listener write ins of their favorite first lines of books they've read or wrote and then you rank them? This series is fun. What a unique idea.
Hi Jack! I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and thank you for all the incredible content you give us. We are truly blessed to have someone as passionate and funny as you on booktube and you get better with every video you do. I hope you have an amazing year and never stop talking about books ❤
Omg Circe and Their Eyes Were Watching God are my two absolute favorite books. The opening passage of TEWWG is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read.
Circe was a great read imo She kept this child-ish perspective when she's learning about the world around her, I can relate to that aspect since I had to teach myself everything without good family role models. This book was entertaining haha Happy Birthday!! Your content is always magnificent!
Happy Birthday Jack! August of 2021 will remain one of my favourite months ever because I discovered your channel, I discovered you. I wish you all the best. I hope you had a wonderful birthday 💜
omg please read crossroads jack i swear we have the same taste in books bc i love everything you recommend and i LOVED crossroads!!! it’s so nuanced and it’s such a tongue in cheek exploration of morality and ethics and the relationships of a dysfunctional family. i read it last december and still think about it all the time! also i’m going to keep commenting PLEASE read the overstory by richard powers !!
My favorite opening line is "A screaming comes across the sky." It just leaves you with a lasting impression, nothing else. The book is Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Looking forward to more videos like this! Maybe you could also make a ranking of your personal favorites of all time? Mine is from Epitaph of a Small Winner, by Machado de Assis. "To the worm who first gnawed on the cold flesh of my corpse, I dedicate with fond remembrance these Posthumous Memoirs."
I’d love to see the reverse of this! if you take a few classic books you’ve read and read the last line and discuss whether it’s a good wrap up or reflection of the whole book. For example, I know a lot of people are confused about why Jane Eyre’s last chapter is about stJohn, and the last line of the hunger games trilogy still makes me gasp
I love these videos! I'm actually super eager to hear your thought on Circe because I think you will either love or hate it and I really am not sure which one I would bet on.
I really don’t comment on many videos,but thank you so much for giving us this break from life,jack! I just think your videos are awesome and a break from my terrible and atrocious exams,so thanks!
i picked up a franzen book at work today and flipped to random page and there was a flacid dick described as a 'faintly urinal dumpling' and that's all i need to know about his writing
Happy birthday Jack 💖💖💖 Thank you for all the amazing content. I wouldn't have found these great books without you. I love you videos and how inspiring you are. Love you so much xx
I propose a concept. You go to a book store and choose however many books based on their cover. Rate them from favorite to least cover. Then rate them by opening line. Then by maybe first chapter. Then finally by full impressions once finished each. And then compare how their rankings varied from cover, to opener, to chapter, to full book. I think it'd be interesting to see how they move around
Jack, could you read the books in my two fav movies “a series of unfortunate events” and “shawshank redemption”? Please. I love those movies so much 😭😭 Although I think a big part of that is because Thomas Newman composed the music for both 😂 but still I love both movies so much!
I don't think anything will ever beat the opening to Rebecca, "Last Night I dreamt I went to Manderlay again." It really sets up the dream-like quality of the novel.
Bestie I can’t wait to hear what you think of Memorial. I was so excited to read it and then I was majorly disappointed, so I’m really curious if you’ll feel the same or not!
You should do a series rating your subscriber’s books first line or if you don’t want to be judgemental you could guess what the book is about/genre/tone/vibes. Here’s mine if you decide to do this: An annoying side effect of having somebody else’s memories is that you get all of their personality traits, habits, likes and dislikes pre-wired into your mind; Her life is like muscle memory and I’m just trying to forget it.
I’ve been really enjoying this „series(?)”, it is so cool, but what do you think about reading only books written originally in english? Because while watching this video I thought that maybe even if translated sentences have the same meaning they not necessarily have to give the same emotions that the author intended if you know what i mean:)
Add me to the list of people pained that he didn't read the opening paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I think I'd prefer an opening paragraph version of these videos.
Check out the first paragraph of Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. I know it doesn't exactly meet your criteria but that first paragraph made me buy the book! Plus points as it's set in New York. :)
you’ve been feeding us so well lately king thank you very much
Agreed. But somehow it's just making me hungrier?
FR
Yessssss
a part 2 after you read them and rerank them would be fun! like how did the first line hold up
That's actually a good idea. I would love to see that
And ranking last lines!!! Actually I do this when I'm looking for a new read to see if it intrigues me enough to see how we get there
the absolute pain of watching someone judge the opening of “we have always lived in the castle” by the first line only when the the first paragraph as a whole is actually one of the best openers for a novel ever
Hearing the disrespect of “you can do better than that” towards the author who writes some of the best openings of all time felt like being kicked in the stomach.
@@lauravsthepage I mean, if they actually write some of the best openings, then it’s not disrespect, just a factual statement.
@@guidoguido2245 i think they were being lighthearted, it wasn’t a proper criticism! jack was judging purely on the first line alone of course but that book has such a wonderful opening paragraph and we were just commenting on how good it is despite how boring the first sentence can seem at first glance :)
@@guidoguido2245 its the perfect first sentence in context of the paragraph. First lines are just sometimes more than just the first sentence.
Thank you for saying it! I was ready to fly down into the comments to say it myself!
That isn't the first line in Kitchen ! That's the first line of the author's note (preface). The actual first line is "The place I like best in this world in the kitchen."
Yeah, I was kinda flabbergasted he didn't realize it was a preface. Maybe it's a rare thing for books published in USA.
@@navyt9862 He is from Uk
it PAINS me how he judged "we have always lived in the castle" by the very first line, because the first paragraph is one of my favourite beginnings to a book ever
I am absolutely shocked you haven’t read Circe yet. One of my favourite books ever. I also think its a great opening line for that story, and what happens throughout.
Edit: also, you should read the first couple lines for these. Stories favouring short sentences sort of get shafted here. The opening paragraph of “We Have Lived In The Castle” is one of the best openings of all time.
For sure. He’s also ranked books he read in the prior video with more than just what the first line was.
I wrote a nine page paper on the first paragraph of Their Eyes We’re Watching God so I am biased, but that first line is so good! Enigmatic, simple, metaphorical. Incredible.
i read that book in school, it left an impact on me. that’s the most succinct way i can put it 😅
Yeah it's just such an iconic line. Honestly thought that was a common expression because of how it feels. Excellent first line
I'm about to read that book for English class and that first line has me SO excited to read it. It was far and away my favorite one in the video!
It would be pretty cool if you read them and rank them again to see how the two rankings compare
So Sad! The opening paragraph of "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is excellent. Yes the first line seems weak, but its necessary for how the paragraph is structured..
"We Have Always Lived In the Castle" isn't actually a horror story, but does have a sinister vibe through it. It's as well-crafted read although I have to admit that I checked it out of the library so many decades ago purely because the cover was one of the few at that time that had a cat on it.
The opening to we have always lived in the castle has to be read in its entire paragraph. Also, the first sentence makes complete sense for the main character. She's 18 but very childlike.
THIS. I wanted to tell him to keep reading.
i really liked the last one tbh.
the “you said” is intruiging cause it’s like.. the author is speaking to someone? who is it?? also the mental image of antelopes looking up at the night sky really really speaks to me
You wait until you get to the rest of the first paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle!
One of my favorite lines is the opening of "like water for chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. "The onion has to be finely minced." It's a wonderful book about love and family dynamics at the heart of a home: the kitchen. I will always recommend that book
OMG Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto is one of my favorite books (read in Japanese)....! Her writing is so beautiful, just her choice of words and sentence structure is like a sparkling stream in an enchanted forest. I hope it translates well in English :)
うたかた/サンクチュアリ (Transient/Sanctuary) and 哀しい予感 (Sad Premonition) are my favorites, but unfortunately I don't think they have been trasnlated to English.
For the record, the opening line of Circe did make me move it further up my tbr
If only you had read the second sentence of We Have Always Lived in a Castle! It's one of the best first pages of all time!
it’s killing me that you read the paragraph for memorial but not for we have always lived in the castle 🥲 the opening paragraph is stellar!
In breast and eggs, i feel the open line is referencing how houses where taxed on the number of windows they had, thats why in the uk you see some buildings with a windowed outline in the solid wall
Please don’t be put off by the first line of Crossroads ~ I was skeptical and suffer from big book fear but it’s one of my favourite books of this year. The story of the dysfunctional family and the depths it goes into each character made me feel like I was apart of the family and in the middle of all the drama that unfolds. You really get to learn the history, motivations and psyche of everyone in the book.
this absolutely needs to be a series
We Have Always Lived in the Castle does get better. (Not really a scary book, but still Halloween appropriate imo.)
Honestly, it getting such disrespect had put me off this “opening line” concept haha like the first paragraph of that book is amazing.
100 Years of Solitude, best opening lines!
100%
I love that Jack makes the line “My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood” seem interesting when he reads it. He should do audiobooks.
A part 3 but is ranking the first line of your favorite books of all time
I wish more people would appreciate Literature and Books the way Jack does!
Breasts and Eggs is one of my all time favourite books- I can’t express how excited I was when I saw you had it!
This is such a fun idea, you're making me want to go through all my books and do this
Totally respect your opinion, but my man. The fact that you put Circe that low is just criminal! I love the book so maybe I‘m biased, but I genuinely love that line and it definitely might have gone a little higher.
How is opening line of Circe making it one of the last ones on the list… so short, yet telling, so intriguing… can’t disagree more 😐
i just read tsoa and circe for the second time this year. i dont know what madelline puts in her books, but i cant get enough of it.
I want to know which one you thought was best, bc I feel like there's two very different types of people who love Miller's books and they're separated by which book they think is better. Galatea doesn't count lol
My question is which one should I read first?
@@lauramolina3337 when in doubt I always go in release order 😅
@@lauramolina3337 circe makes minor references to TSOA so i would defs read TSOA first!
@@Becks-and-books i think i like circe better, but that is mostly because i prefer the pacing!
Could you make a video of how you’d rank them now after reading
don't give up on We Have Always Lived in the Castle, it's one of my favorite books. Shirley Jackson does an excellent job at keeping the reader engaged throughout!
i’m currently reading crossroads, my first Franzen - i’m just past the middle and completely loving it. obviously not sure how it all ends but i would recommend not letting the opening line set up your expectations. a very interesting character study but also lots of plot starts absolutely snowballing about 1/3 of the way in
A video of comparison on how you felt with the last paragraph /lines of these books would be spectacular! Breast and Eggs is one of my absolute favorite reads of this year. 💯
their eyes were watching god deserved better, that was the most poetic opening line i've ever heard
I love these types of videos
Hey Jack, you just put we have always lived in a castle at the bottom of your stack but I’m here to tell you is a good book. I listen to it on audio tape.
this but with the very last line instead
happy birthday Jack!! I really struggled with getting round to reading for so many years but ever since I re-discovered (I vaguely remember watching some of your study-tube content a while ago) your channel last year I've been really motivated to read more, and while I still would like to make reading more of a daily habit I feel like I've recently made so much progress in actually motivating myself to sit down and read. I was such a book worm as a kid and I'm finally starting to rediscover my love for books and your videos have been a large contributing factor to that so thank you!!! and happy Libra season!
Happy Birthday to the King of BookTube! 🎉
i feel like thrillers usually have the best opening lines
I like this especially with books you’ve read before so you can say if the first line matches the rest of the book 🤗🤗
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto is one of my favorite books of all time!! I always return to it whenever I want comfort
I love that you kept the roll of paper towels for this!
If you want a book with a killer first line, read "Underworld" by Don DeLillo.
ooh YES I was hoping for another one of these! I tend to judge books by their opening lines a lot and tbh I'd probably watch 20 videos' worth of this 😄
for TEWWG, I studied it for my independent study novel this year, and the very first line is underwhelming, but the rest of that paragraph is IMPECCABLE!
My goodness Jack how did you do that with Hurston - my jaw dropped-you were spot on
It could be interestng to get listener write ins of their favorite first lines of books they've read or wrote and then you rank them? This series is fun. What a unique idea.
would be so interesting to see how you actually rank the books as a whole vs how you ranked the first lines!📚
Currently watching all of your old Paris vlogs so this came at the perfect time!
Of those books, Jackson’s is my favorite. That first line means much more after reading the book.
my fav book: "Joost had two problems: the moon and his mustache."
The man said a banger line and then dipped fr 😭
Happy Birthday Jack, all the best, stay in touch!
Hi Jack! I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and thank you for all the incredible content you give us. We are truly blessed to have someone as passionate and funny as you on booktube and you get better with every video you do. I hope you have an amazing year and never stop talking about books ❤
Omg Circe and Their Eyes Were Watching God are my two absolute favorite books. The opening passage of TEWWG is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read.
I kinda need an audiobook read by Jack now
Circe was a great read imo She kept this child-ish perspective when she's learning about the world around her, I can relate to that aspect since I had to teach myself everything without good family role models. This book was entertaining haha Happy Birthday!! Your content is always magnificent!
Happy Birthday Jack! August of 2021 will remain one of my favourite months ever because I discovered your channel, I discovered you. I wish you all the best. I hope you had a wonderful birthday 💜
Their Eyes Were Watching God was so good, but honestly the first page was one of my favorite parts
omg please read crossroads jack i swear we have the same taste in books bc i love everything you recommend and i LOVED crossroads!!! it’s so nuanced and it’s such a tongue in cheek exploration of morality and ethics and the relationships of a dysfunctional family. i read it last december and still think about it all the time! also i’m going to keep commenting PLEASE read the overstory by richard powers !!
My favorite opening line is "A screaming comes across the sky." It just leaves you with a lasting impression, nothing else.
The book is Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is one of my fave reads this year and the opening sentence is great so I’m glad to see it rated so highly here! 😁
bLove having 3 uploads from Jack in a day. Also, Happy Blended Birthday!
Looking forward to more videos like this! Maybe you could also make a ranking of your personal favorites of all time?
Mine is from Epitaph of a Small Winner, by Machado de Assis. "To the worm who first gnawed on the cold flesh of my corpse, I dedicate with fond remembrance these Posthumous Memoirs."
I’d love to see the reverse of this! if you take a few classic books you’ve read and read the last line and discuss whether it’s a good wrap up or reflection of the whole book. For example, I know a lot of people are confused about why Jane Eyre’s last chapter is about stJohn, and the last line of the hunger games trilogy still makes me gasp
I love these videos! I'm actually super eager to hear your thought on Circe because I think you will either love or hate it and I really am not sure which one I would bet on.
Shirley Jackson did not give us one of the best opening paragraphs for this day ... this hurt my feelings 🥹
I really don’t comment on many videos,but thank you so much for giving us this break from life,jack! I just think your videos are awesome and a break from my terrible and atrocious exams,so thanks!
i picked up a franzen book at work today and flipped to random page and there was a flacid dick described as a 'faintly urinal dumpling' and that's all i need to know about his writing
Circe is my favorite book of all time, and I’ve loved most of the books you’ve recommended! It’s a must read!
You make me smile and keep the kitchen roll it’s great!
you have a brilliant idea!!
Happy birthday Jack 💖💖💖 Thank you for all the amazing content. I wouldn't have found these great books without you. I love you videos and how inspiring you are. Love you so much xx
Liking the video before it even started, it’s like a standard procedure 🤝
Just read Memorial alreadyy! I don’t know it but I’ve spent a significant amount of time hearing you say that you want to get to it😂
I'd love you to do this with these books after reading them. I wonder what order they would be in.
Do a part(3) but with random books in the strand😬😍
I'm obsessed with your voice and love what you have to say here's an idea make a podcast! I'd for sure listen to it ;)
tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow made me cry the entire time i loved it so much
JACK YOU'RE POSTING SO OFTEN OMG I'M SO HAPPY
Just wanted you to know that your last video made me buy "The Silence of the Girls"...
I don't regret it
jack you are going to LOVE tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, so excited for you to read it
Jack is one of my favorite TH-camrs (:
I'd be really interested in if the books remain in the same order after reading the whole of them (or as much as wanted if they're a DNF).
I propose a concept. You go to a book store and choose however many books based on their cover. Rate them from favorite to least cover. Then rate them by opening line. Then by maybe first chapter. Then finally by full impressions once finished each. And then compare how their rankings varied from cover, to opener, to chapter, to full book. I think it'd be interesting to see how they move around
the fact that you haven't read Circe, Brests and Eggs, Kitchen is hilarious! You're in for a treat.
Jack, could you read the books in my two fav movies “a series of unfortunate events” and “shawshank redemption”? Please. I love those movies so much 😭😭
Although I think a big part of that is because Thomas Newman composed the music for both 😂 but still I love both movies so much!
I don't think anything will ever beat the opening to Rebecca, "Last Night I dreamt I went to Manderlay again." It really sets up the dream-like quality of the novel.
Really cool ! I loved the last one so much ! ^^
Bestie I can’t wait to hear what you think of Memorial. I was so excited to read it and then I was majorly disappointed, so I’m really curious if you’ll feel the same or not!
3 videos in one day 🥹 this is like Christmas
I would love to see you do it by closing lines.
You should do a series rating your subscriber’s books first line or if you don’t want to be judgemental you could guess what the book is about/genre/tone/vibes. Here’s mine if you decide to do this:
An annoying side effect of having somebody else’s memories is that you get all of their personality traits, habits, likes and dislikes pre-wired into your mind; Her life is like muscle memory and I’m just trying to forget it.
I’ve been really enjoying this „series(?)”, it is so cool, but what do you think about reading only books written originally in english? Because while watching this video I thought that maybe even if translated sentences have the same meaning they not necessarily have to give the same emotions that the author intended if you know what i mean:)
JACKKKKKK THE UPLOADS THIS WEEEEK
Add me to the list of people pained that he didn't read the opening paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I think I'd prefer an opening paragraph version of these videos.
Would love to see you read some Australian authors!
Check out the first paragraph of Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. I know it doesn't exactly meet your criteria but that first paragraph made me buy the book! Plus points as it's set in New York. :)
jack active era i love to see it