Name up to three books that you think have a great opening --- either a prologue or first chapter.

Gail B.
THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein

Iola R.
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell

HOW TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee

GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck

Audrey A.
MANIAC MAGEE by Jerry Spinelli

Harriet S.
Though not quite the first chaper or prologue, I think one of the greatest first lines is from Howard Norman's THE BIRD ARTIST.

Connie R.
LIKE WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tanya Q. in CO
THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold

Irene
BY FIRE BY WATER by Mitchell James Kaplan

IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS by Thomas E. Kennedy

THE BIRD HOUSE by Kelly Simmons

Harriet S.
Rather than entire first chapters, these have enticing and/or appealing first paragraphs:

THE SUSPECT by Michael Robotham

TRACK OF THE CAT by Nevada Barr

ROUGH CIDER by Peter Lovesey

Phyllis L.
MY SWEET FOLLY by Laura Kinsale

Karen T.
HEAT WAVE: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF ETHEL WATERS by Donald Bogle

THE BORDER LORDS by T. Jefferson Parker

UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King

Msannie9181
SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafón may have the best opening chapter ever.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, where and how it all began.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte, just because it's my favorite classic, and I never tire of it.

Lisa
THE LACE READER by Brunonia Barry

I AM THE MESSENGER by Marcus Zusak

HIT MAN by Lawrence Block

Ann
REMEMBERING HYPATIA by Brian Trent

A JOURNEY INTO LADAK by Andrew Harvey

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI by Paramahansa Yogananda

Norene W.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens

A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens

GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell

Fran
KINDRED by Octavia Butler

THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT by Brady Udall

Lee C.
AHAB'S WIFE by Sena Jeter Naslund

ABUNDANCE by Sena Jeter Naslund

THE FAR PAVILIONS by M. M. Kaye

Canadian
ALABAMA MOON by Watt Key

ANGELA'S ASHES by Frank McCourt

THE SPECKLED PEOPLE by Hugo Hamilton

Patricia M.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

BROKEN FOR YOU by Stephanie Kallos

Lois
The INFORMATIONIST by Taylor Stevens. This book sucked me in from the get-go. I need a good prologue or first chapter to get me to read a book. None of this, "Well it gets really good if you can get past the first 100 pages".

Caron T.
THE PRINCE OF TIDES by Pat Conroy

S
100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon

THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy

Mija
I'm afraid all of them are German books, nevertheless they're good:

THE METAMORPHOSIS by Franz Kafka

THE TIN DRUM by Guenter Grass

BROTHER OF SLEEP by Robert Schneider

Angie D.
THE OTHER by Andrée Chedid. Her writing style is amazing, you are sent headfirst into the atmosphere of the entire book in very few words.

NORTHERN LIGHTS by Philip Pullman

THE BLACK DAHLIA by James Ellroy

Elizabeth V
CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese

NO SECOND CHANCE by Harlan Coben

The Pagan
Don DeLillo: RUNNING DOG

Barry Eisler: HARD RAIN

Freckles
KINDRED by Octavia Butler

THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT by Brady Udall