"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"; as Dickens will tell you, a novel's opening lines are critical. Get them right and they not only hook the reader, but hint in some substantial yet succinct - perhaps even poetic - way at the story to come. The very best of them can be remembered for generations.

So for this bounty we want you to find the very best of them. Tell us what are the best opening lines you know of in any novel, tell us which novel and tell us the author, and finally, tell us why you think the opening lines work so well. Pasting them across isn't enough - we want your thoughts about why they're so good!