London:
The beginning of JM Barrie’s ‘ Peter Pan,’ “ALL children, except one, grow up,” has been polled as the UK’s favourite opening book line.
Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale Of Two Cities,’ “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” secured the second place and George Orwell’s ‘1984’ came third with “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,” the Daily Express reported.
As per the study of 1,000 people to mark World Book Day on March 5, just five per cent of the vote was for the start of EL James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, “I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror.”
One in five people said they would put down a book if the first line was not engaging but a quarter said they would plough on even if they were not enjoying a story.
One in seven said they would jump to the final chapter to discover the ending.
Laura Grooby of Asda, which commissioned the poll, said that the nation never forgets a famous opening line.
