The First Friday First

A meme all about those all important first words:
So, here's what you do.. .
* Copy the theme/question and the FF button & paste into your own blog.
* Include the author and title of the book your first line is from.
* When you’ve posted your response, leave a comment here so everyone can find your post.
* If you don’t have a blog yet, just reply in the comments section.
* You don’t have to answer on Fridays, it's just great to hear from you anytme.
* Some week's there'll a puzzle, the answer will be up the following week (or earlier if it's really bugging you).
*Lastly let me know what you think...love Friday Firsts? hate it? got ideas to improve it? got ideas for questions/themes? I'm keen to know your thoughts and add your ideas to this adventure,
cheers

Since this is our first Friday First and as it's Good Friday why don't we start with a good first...

Favourite Firsts: Do you have one or many? Share one of your favourites. with us. Why do you love it, remember it or feel connected to it.



One of my favourite first lines happens to be in one of my top five books, which I also happen to be (re)reading atm for BookFreaks.

'When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.'

In this one perfect sentence we are introduced to the two pivotal characters - the narrator, and her brother, and the allegorious sub-plot of Boo Radley. And in the category of 'perfect first line' this one gets you hooked...you've read the first chapter before you realise you've heard no more about that broken arm.

In fact, in what I think is wonderful symmetry, we don't return to the broken arm until the apparent decrescendo of the book, the third last chapter and those amazingly thrilling words, 'Run Scout! Run! Run! Jem screamed.' By this stage of the book the court case is over, the crescendo has built up to the verdict and result is known, prejudice has won -or so we think. The broken arm is forgrounding of the best kind, it is a link to the redeeming victory of tolerance over prejudice that is the 'kitchen knife stuck up under the ribs' of Bob Ewell.

Puzzle:
A "First Famous Coarse Thread" is a Famous First Line translated from English and back again.
This time we have a famous first line translated from English --> Chinese --> English:
can you unravel this coarse thread?

'This is the best time, it is the worst time; this is a wisdom, its age is the stupid age...'

Check back next week to find out what book it's from or look at more coarse threads here.