It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man of Good Fortune must be in want to go.
–Google Voice, attempting to transcribe the first line of what it believes to be “Pride and Prejudice: Fight in Action” [known to human beings as “Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen”]
(And yes, this means I’m enjoying listening to the entries in our Greatest First Lines in Literature Contest and its sibling Calling All NaNoWriMoers! Tell Us Your First Line and Win a Free Book! Both contests are still open – follow those links and send me your entry today!)
Jacke Wilson 
Now you’ve gone and done it. I have to put down The Martian and read Jane Austen. I have walked around her for years. I have never finished one of her books. My girlfriend says I should read Northanger Abby first. Have you read it?
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I’m afraid I have bad news for you. You have to read ALL of Jane Austen, and you should start immediately. (But it’s okay to pause after the first couple and finish The Martian, just for a breather.)
I think I would recommend Pride and Prejudice first but maybe that’s only because it’s the one I read first… Northanger Abby is also worthy and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it along with all the rest.
(PS: I said this was bad news, but it’s not, it’s actually good news, because now you get to enjoy these books for the first time. Lucky you! You’re going to have an excellent November!)
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I started Sense and Sensibility once but I did not finish it. I was told by more than one person that I did not give it a chance. So by your recommendation and my other friend’s, I will do so, but I’ll be getting back to you with a report of how it’s going. ^_^
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Okay, sounds good – and feel free to indulge in the films and miniseries, too, there are a lot of good ones out there.
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Although I’ve decided not to share my opening sentence here, I’m grateful for your post, Jacke. 18 K-plus words later, I honestly couldn’t remember what my first sentence was. Today was one of those days when I wondered if anything I had written thus far was worthwhile. Thanks to your post, I discovered that at least my first sentence and the paragraph that followed were worth keeping. The rest will have to wait until I’m finished writing and ready to edit from the beginning. Thank you for making me curious enough to look back today, at least for a moment 🙂
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This is great to hear! And don’t worry at all about not sharing – sometimes our chicks need some mother hen protection. I’m happy to hear we helped out a little bit. Good luck to you and keep your spirits up!
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My favourite Jane Austen novel, and favourite film adaptation. *sigh*
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Really? That’s great. I’m not sure I could choose, but this one would be up there, for sure.
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