The Famous Five

If after reading the heading you jump to the conclusion that something has gone awry inside my brain, then I assure you that this is not the case. "The Famous Five" is not a tribute to Enid Blyton. It is not a story about Julian, Dick (LOL!!), Anne, Georgina (George) – and their dog Timothy. When I say "The Famous Five", I am referring to five famous lines that probably touched the souls of the reader, or remained imbibed in their memories for a long time. Every-time a book is mentioned, something jumps to the mind, be it a character or a line.

1)"For you, a thousand times over!"

This line keeps reoccurring in "The Kite Runner" , a Khaled Hosseini masterpiece. A line which Hassan often uses to pledge his loyalty to Amir. In the end when Amir reiterates the same to Hassan's son Sohrab, it gives a finesse conclusion. The final punch which manages to convey to the reader the very depth of Amir's feelings. Something which will always be remembered whenever you think of the book.

2)"You don't understand, but you never did, and you never will.. "

 

In my opinion "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes is one of the best books ever written. Especially if you consider the fact that it manages to convey Anthony's entire life within 150 pages. This is what Victoria Ford says to Anthony in the end. A simple line which carries a lot of weight in it. It shows you how much Victoria has endured, that all she manages to say is this one line. The one line which has so much impact on Anthony when he finally understands.

 

3)"Not all that glitters is gold, not all who wander are lost"

Most of  you will argue that this line is not as famous as the above two. Very true but still this line very aptly conveys the intended message to the reader. JR Tolkien follows this line with a beautiful verse in his book "The Lord of the Rings" to describe Aragorn. This line highlights how easily looks can be deceptive and emphasizes the age old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover".

4) "I'll make him an offer he cannot refuse."

GODFATHER!!! According to me there is no character portrayed as strong as Don Corleone was. Mario Puzo made sure that the reader could feel the sense of power radiating from the character. Marlon Brando by his portrayal made sure that the Godfather was remembered not only as a bestseller book but also a blockbuster movie. This one line uttered in a simple conversation carries a lot of weight.

 

5)"But I don't think of you."

 

This in reply to Ellsworth Toohey's question: "Why don't you tell me what you think of me?" Howard Roark answers: "But I don't think of you." This one line shows Roark's indifference. It shows how he doesn't even care to form an opinion about others. "The Fountainhead" has many brilliant lines but this one line gives you an insight to Roark's character.

I have not included Shakespeare, Dickens and other classics because then selecting 5 lines would be an impossibility. Instead I have selected five lines from books which might be labelled as "MASALA NOVELS", but still are very beautifully written and deserve praise.