“Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back…
16 June 2013 
After all, tomorrow is another day.” –Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind.
Book endings. Firstly, a question – do you flip to the end of a book out of impatience?? I used to do this for some reason – not sure why and I don’t do it any more – what about you?
So last week I took a look at opening sentences. This was prompted by a question brought up by the Classics Club and it got me to thinking. The results are here. I think that what this made me see is that whilst some books really hook you from the first sentence it’s not always necessary, you still continue to read and the book speaks for itself. That’s not to say that openings are not important – sometimes they provide a great hook or serve to demonstrate what you can expect for the rest of the story. What I think personally is that if you really enjoy the book remembering the ending will give you an extra sense of nostalgia.
Anyway, moving swiftly on this got me to thinking I should give endings a look at. Let’s face it endings are pretty damned important. I’m not sure I’ve reached a conclusion with this topic. It feels to me that if I’ve really enjoyed the book a disappointing ending might not necessarily spoil it but I think if I was only so/so about the book and the ending was naff the book stands no chance. On the other hand, if I’m a bit so/so about a book but the ending is terrific it definitely raises the status because the ending is what provides you with the feeling you finish with when you put the book down. Basically I’m sitting on the fence and looking at it from all angles!
I must admit that picking endings was more difficult. It’s tricky talking openly about book endings because you’ll be giving away spoilers. This is what I’ve come up with and I’ve kept my discussion to a minimum to avoid giving away the plots.
- I am Legend by Richard Matheson – the ending of this book is bloody brilliant. I mean, I can’t really say too much without giving it away for those who haven’t read it. This is only a short read, it’s a bit grim and I don’t think you’ll always like the main character, plus a lot of the technical elements wouldn’t stand up to a great deal of scrutiny. But the ending is perfect. And, in case you’re thinking ‘I’ve seen the film’ – it’s different in the book and much more poignant.
- A Wonderful Year by Geraldine Brooks. This is a great book that I loved, but, I didn’t like the ending. I won’t go into the reasons why because I don’t want to spoil it for others. Just that the ending of the book seemed surreal and out of place. I would however still very much recommend this book – it’s just so good. The voice and historical detail are brilliant and it’s based on actual events. It’s set in a small town where the inhabitants decided to impose a quarantine during the plague. It’s a compelling read.
- Room by Emma Donaghue. A good book. Well written. Intriguing concept but I was disappointed slightly with the end because I would have preferred for the second half to split between the mother and boy’s voice – I think the ending spoiled this book for me a little.
- The Midwife by Chris Bohjalian – a shock ending. That’s all I will say. And, yes, I recommend this book.
- The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian – I was really looking forward to this one. I like the author and it’s a horror/ghost story. It starts off really strong but then for me it became unsatisfactory. Plus I really didn’t enjoy the ending and it just spoiled the book for me which was a shame.
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy – a very respected book. Talk about your grimdark! I liked the fact that it doesn’t delve too deeply into the whys and wherefores but makes the story one about survival. Would I have liked a different ending. Yes. Do I still think it’s worth reading – yes. Is it a light read – nope.
- Sister by Rosamund Lupton. This story is a murder mystery. I think that, unless you’ve read spoilers, the ending will be a surprise. It’s the sort of ending where you have to go back and rethink virtually everything you’ve read.
- One Day by Dave Nicholls – this is actually one book where for me the ending spoiled the book a bit. Sorry, but there it is. Why Dave Nicholls? Just Why?
- Game of Thrones by George Martin- This is a great book but as I was reading I couldn’t help but wonder where the fantasy element came into the story. It felt more like a fictitious historical novel – right up until the ending. Made me finish the story with a bit of a cheesy grin.
- Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer – yes, I read all these books and I admit it here quite openly so break out the pitchforks and torches right now. Breaking Dawn has got to be the strangest ending to a series that I’ve ever read. The tone of the book was completely different to the rest of the series. The ending was a none event and there was far too much ‘trying to please everyone’ which never really works. The whole book felt like it had been written by someone else!
‘More ending in death, but this time it sounds like a solace after life. I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.’ Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
*** THE END ***
I sometimes read the very last sentence of a book. It satisfies my OCD, keeping it in a little box so it doesn’t run rampant in other parts of my life.
Yes, endings can make or break a book, whereas a beginning can be so-so, even awful and the book get better.
Totally agree with you on I Am Legend and The Road. Both grim and dark and poignant, even more so than the movies.
Oddly enough, Wuthering Heights I feel the same way about – the movie tidied things up a bit instead of using the ending in the book, which, while sad, was fitting.
Same with The Grapes of Wrath – the book ending is so full of hope in a dark and desperate time, whereas the movie ends a few chapters ahead and doesn’t even hint at the ending in the book. Definitely recommend the book.
I used to always flip to the back of the book – I just became overwhelmed with the need to see if things would turn out okay! I don’t, for some reason, do so any more. One of the ladies in my book club reads always jumps to the end – she says it’s to check out the difference between characters at the end of the book compared to the beginning – I just think she wants to read the end first! Go for it if that’s what you want to do – it’s not illegal, the book police won’t come after you.
I haven’t read the Grapes of Wrath – I’ll have to put that on my list!
Lynn 😀
The Grapes of Wrath is one of those classics that I truly believe is worthy. Some classics that i have read, I wonder why they get so much praise. I don’t wonder at all with The Grapes of Wrath.
I’ll have to get a copy of this then.
Thanks
Lynn 😀
Some great choices! I tend to agree with your thinking on all the books of these that I have read. I Am Legend in particular – I had such a rant after I watched the movie adaptation, thought the ending was awful! I am not always entirely against movie adaptations that change the details of the original book, but the ending of that one is so perfect I don’t understand why anyone would tinker with it.
I also disliked the ending of One Day and Sister. I think that for both of these books I ended up feeling in some way cheated out of the satisfying ending I’d been hoping for. But I agree that the conclusion of Sister is still very clever and unexpected.
I know, I was a bit gutted with the ending of One Day to be honest! I am Legend – I just tend to think of the Will Smith version as being a different film altogether. It naffs me off that we have to have such a brilliant ending tampered with. It’s like the whole idea has been missed. It’s like we have to be given this hopeful ending with still one human surviving. Should have stuck to the end definitely.
Lynn 😀
Some really interesting choices Lynn. I agree about the ending of A Game of Thrones and The Road. I also read Breaking Dawn the end was poor but then for me the whole novel was weak. When thinking of endings the novel that come instantly to mind for me is Mockingjay the 3rd instalment of The Hunger Games. Overall I thought the final instalment was the weakest novel however the final line I thought was beautiful…then Collins went and stuck a epilogue on and ruined it! So I agree endings are very important to your final feeling on a book.
Yes, the 3rd Hunger Games book was a disappointment for me and I was going to add it to the list but thought it would get out of hand! Definitely left me with a bit of a ‘meh’ feeling after reading.
Lynn 😀
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one.
No, the third definitely didn’t leave me with a good feeling. It didn’t ruin the series for me but I was disappointed in the end.
Lynn 😀
Breaking Dawn disappointed me as well. She couldn’t let go or hurt any of her characters and that’s not how life is. It was “let’s all live happily ever after.” Can you believe I’ve never read Gone With the Wind. I did pick up a used copy on my bday though.
I force myself to never flip ahead. I always want that pay-off, whatever it is, to come without being spoiled.
I think the ending can do a lot to make the book. The end of any experience is often what stands out most vividly in our mind, and actually skews our impression of the entire experience. So whether we loved or hated most of the book, loving or hating the ending can do a lot to influence our overall feelings, and the impression of the book in our memories.
I actually quite liked Breaking Dawn compared to the earlier books (which brings all sorts of provisos in that we don’t need to get into here), but I agree on the discussion of Hunger Games in the comments above. I loved the first book, but the second and third were very disappointing. Fortunately I can isolate the first one in my mind!
That’s also what I had to do with The Hunger Games. Separate the books out. I thought the third had a very disappointing end but I wouldn’t say it spoiled how much I enjoyed the first book.
Lynn 😀
What kind of weirdo reads the ending of a book before starting it? That’s like fast-forwarding a film! Sacrilege! 🙂
To be honest, the only book endings I can remember are recent ones Hell Train, 1Q84… Last Days. I struggle to remember book endings although I remember Jane Eyre clearly and I haven’t read that since uni.
Ask me about film/anime endings and I’ll bore you to death with them and get as emotional as I felt when I originally watched them. Mawaru Penguingdrum and Himizu always pitches me into tears…
Indeed – what kind of weirdo would do that (LOL). I obviously used to be very weird but it’s worn off! The problem with a book, compared to a film, is that it’s so easy to flip to the end. I don’t do it anymore like I said – to be honest I always felt disappointed once I knew the ending and to a certain extent I think you cheat yourself when you do so.
It’s funny that you don’t remember a lot of your book endings – you could read them again and again and never be bored!
Lynn 😀
I’m a confessed End Checker. Mostly I gotta check to make sure So-and-So doesn’t die.
I had a weird reading experience, twice, concerning endings.
There were a couple of books that I felt ended half way through. American Gods, I thought got to the climax and conclusion and then just went on and on. I probably shouldn’t cite it as I can’t remember it enough to give details but I remember that experience of feeling like the story had ended though the book went on.
Melanie Rawn’s The Diviner is a multi-generation story and, for me, there was a distinct ending and then re-starting of the story half way through. Generation 1 Man does his thing, lives his life, has his children and grandchildren, and then dies. Next, Gen 2 Guy repeats the process for his portion of the story. I felt like they were two books.
The opposite experience was true of Julie Czerneda’s Species Imperative trilogy. They are all three one single book, even though they are published in separate volumes. It’s one single story thread, and the plot reveals keep happening and continue to grow in importance in books 2 and 3. Most serials, you know, you read the first one and you’re like “oh that’s nice, maybe I’ll read more to see more in the adventures of So-and-So”, but each story is a distinct thing. This trilogy, I would think it’s like cutting your legs off if you don’t read the whole trilogy.
Bloody hell you better read the full thing then! Endings are funny things. I remember reading A Secret History by Donna Tart – she’s an amazing writer and I loved the book but the ending was completely CBA. It was just as though she’d had enough and just wanted it done and dusted. I still love that book in spite of the ending but it did naff me off something wicked at the time.
I still haven’t read American Gods – which is surprising because I love Gaiman – I think I’m almost a bit, not scared, but sort of concerned that I might not like it – I don’t know why but I’ve read very opposing things about this particular one.
Lynn 😀
I always flip over to the ending and sometimes regret it :(. I read Gone Girl last week, and I shouldn’t have done it. It kinda spoiled a lot of the fun of the book for me.