tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post3070324827712084210..comments2024-03-27T19:29:53.074-07:00Comments on Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Sunday Salon: What About That Ending?Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-77710967662167498742009-05-24T00:16:18.921-07:002009-05-24T00:16:18.921-07:00Nat - I don't know what it is about sad endings, b...<B>Nat</B> - I don't know what it is about sad endings, but I often find them the most fitting of all.<br /><br />What you said about the bad ending being the last straw does make sense. I've found that to be true too.<br /><br /><B>Natasha</B> - Thank you! I have never understood wanting to read the ending first either. At least for me, I think it would take something away from the rest of the book.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-36940064276150621652009-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:002009-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00Fantastic post! I've never really thought about i...Fantastic post! I've never really thought about it before. I don't know if books have to end a certain way for me, but what I can't stand are people who read the endings first. That I just don't understand!Natasha @ Maw Bookshttp://blog.mawbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-56369658221274849692009-05-17T23:00:00.000-07:002009-05-17T23:00:00.000-07:00I'm a big fan of ambiguous endings too. Like you ...I'm a big fan of ambiguous endings too. Like you said, they're often the ones that keep you thinking about the characters even after you've finished the book. And I'm always a sucker for sad movies or books. But I agree that, most importantly, an ending needs to feel true to the story. A wrapped up happy ending has its place too. I can't stand sickeningly sweet but sometimes I just want to believe the fantasy of everything working out perfectly. <br /><br />I can only think of a couple times when the ending made me angry with the book, but in those two cases I already wasn't thrilled with the stories, and the "bad" ending (as I saw it) was like the last straw, if that makes sense.tanabatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04592550784537825632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-75042136091749903962009-05-16T19:15:00.000-07:002009-05-16T19:15:00.000-07:00Jules - That's very true--fantasy novels especiall...<B>Jules</B> - That's very true--fantasy novels especially can be tricky with those endings. Someone you think is dead may just show up again.<br /><br />I haven't had a chance to read the Dark Materials trilogy, but I think I've heard from others too that the last book spoiled the series for them.<br /><br /><B>Framed</B> - Yes! I know what you mean. All that suspense and tension and then it feels more like a fizzle when it ends because it happened all too fast and perhaps even too neatly.<br /><br />I think if a major character died in a book, I would probably want to keep reading too for the reason you state, wanting to see the way the other characters react and what happens in the aftermath. <br /><br /><B>Lisa</B> - I was that way years ago too. I hated endings that left too much in question. Whereas now, I don't mind and sometimes prefer it. <br /><br />I recently read a book with a sad and very open ending followed by one with a happy and everything's nearly tied up perfectly ending. It was a good contrast and just what I needed in that moment.<br /><br /><B>Karen</B> - Those rushed endings leave a lot to be desired. They feel incomplete somehow.<br /><br />I imagine writing endings would be very difficult, and probably why I have so many stories that are left unfinished. :-) You do a great job with your endings. Your hard work definitely pays off.<br /><br /><B>Carrie K</B> - I haven't read anything by Martha Grimes. I guess in your case, you didn't find the death necessary for the progression of the story? Gratuitous violence and sex can be a big turn off in books, that's for sure.<br /><br /><B>Jaimie</B> - No, it wasn't Elizabeth George's series that she was reading. I've only read one book in the Inspector Linley series. I keep meaning to go back and start from the beginning of that one.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-74006464238799637172009-05-12T09:25:00.000-07:002009-05-12T09:25:00.000-07:00Was it the Elizabeth George Inspector Linley serie...Was it the Elizabeth George Inspector Linley series? Because if it is, I had the same reaction as your friend. It wasn't that she killed off a beloved character but did so in such a way as to make it over-the-top in ironic and devastating. Unsatisfying and definitely designed to sell books.<br /><br />I like cliffhangers though. It's fun to wait for the next book to come out and see what happens next.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15984305420691237277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-25443869858034815712009-05-11T15:49:00.000-07:002009-05-11T15:49:00.000-07:00I stopped reading Martha Grimes Richard Jury serie...I stopped reading Martha Grimes Richard Jury series she killed off one of her whodunnit characters (not a main character, a character expressly for that particular book). It was just so sad and senseless and so much like real life that I thought why bother reading? I can watch the news. <br /><br />But that said, normally deaths in books don't stop from continuing on with the series (unless that's teh character I was interested in). I like tidy endings but I'm okay with an ambiguous one if the story seems to call for it. I loathe and despise amibiguous endings that seem to be a conceit of the author though. Kind of a neener neener to the reader.Carrie Khttp://mymiddlenameispatience.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-48677827295467014492009-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:002009-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00I don't like endings that seem rushed, or rather t...I don't like endings that seem rushed, or rather that the author maybe has run out of things to say.<br /><br />That said, as a writer, the end is the absolute most difficult part of the book for me to write. How to wrap everything up the way it should be wrapped up. I find myself rewriting the endings of my books over and over to make sure they're just right. So that it's an ending that I as a reader would accept.Karen Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05867709664100997228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-40583611833345843652009-05-11T11:43:00.000-07:002009-05-11T11:43:00.000-07:00My feelings about the ending of books has changed ...My feelings about the ending of books has changed over the years. I used to like for things to be tied up neatly with a bow at the end of a novel with everyone living happily ever after. Now, I sometimes find that to be superficial and unrealistic. Let's face it, life can be ambiguous at times. Things aren't always nicely resolved. As long as the ending makes sense and isn't something pulled out of the air for shock value, I'm fine with an ending that isn't what I would hope for the characters.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00795619401977840939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-56979849289721268392009-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:002009-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00I hate reading a very suspenseful book that is jus...I hate reading a very suspenseful book that is just building up to a great ending and then it gets wrapped up too quickly. I feel like I missed something. <br />I wonder if the series with a main character getting killed is the same one I read. I remember being upset but also interested in the way the other characters reacted to that death. I've continued on with the series and am glad that I did.Framedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13703547279309902320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-27289256871372975362009-05-11T08:58:00.000-07:002009-05-11T08:58:00.000-07:00I've had times where I disliked the ending of a bo...I've had times where I disliked the ending of a book, especially because it was in a series and they either killed off a character I liked, or a character did something that made me unhappy. But if it's a series I always stick it out, you never know if the character returns somehow (mainly in fantasy).<br /><br />But I do find that the ending can make or break the story. (For me the whole last instalment of his Dark Materials Trilogy, destroyed the story). But I always stick it through until the end. Especially long series, If I invested that much time in them, then I have to finish it.Juleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16710947946492000374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-85080929106644967182009-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:002009-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:00Yvonne - Romance novels do seem to be made for tho...<B>Yvonne</B> - Romance novels do seem to be made for those happily-ever-after endings. I remember reading somewhere that was one of the requirements of a romance novel. :-)<br /><br />I completely agree about the ending needing to make sense in terms of the storyline.<br /><br /><B>Sandra</B> - Thank you so much for stopping by! The ending of your book certainly leaves a lot of food for thought. My poor husband has been subjected to me talking about your book quite a bit since I read it. :-)<br /><br />Your mention of the Welty novel and your change in perception of it after finishing it brought to mind my thoughts on a book I read last year--I had a very similar experience. The first part of the book was dragging and I worried that I wouldn't make it through if it continued to be on the dull side. And yet, by the end, I couldn't say enough good things about the book.<br /><br />I used to love those choose your own adventure books growing up. Of course, I'd have to read every single option because I wasn't satisfied otherwise. At least then you know you would please everyone. :-)<br /><br />I do think that what you said about a good ending casting a new light over the rest of the novel is so true. Those are the most satisfying endings to me, even with open endings. I am still thinking of Eva and what her future must have held for her.<br /> <br /><B>Alice</B> - Thank you, Alice. It's a topic I've been mulling over for awhile now.<br /><br />I don't come across cliffhangers very often in books these days, at least not big ones. Most of them seem to be a foreboding of what may come ahead, but in a more subtle way.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-65105651911114535932009-05-11T06:12:00.000-07:002009-05-11T06:12:00.000-07:00I love this post, Wendy! You've expressed your tho...I love this post, Wendy! You've expressed your thoughts so well.<br /><br />Well, you reminded me when you said this: "I was reminded that sometimes cliffhangers may seem impossible to let go at the end of one book, but when picked up in the next, they may turn out to be rather anticlimactic." How true.Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623394887320093229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-78705232689079529252009-05-11T05:43:00.000-07:002009-05-11T05:43:00.000-07:00This is a great post, and on a subject I have been...This is a great post, and on a subject I have been thinking a lot about lately (for a new book). I think endings are a make or break thing, so I can understand your friend's reaction. I am reminded of the "character" McKee's statement in the movie Adaptation, when he says it only "matters that you wow them in the end" and I tend to think it's true--readers can forgive earlier flaws if the ending satisfies them. I remember reading a Welty novel that I thought (gasp!) was pretty boring throughout--I had many moments where I wondered, Why am I even reading this--but the ending left me in tears. I finished reading and said, "That was a great novel!", as if every thought I had before then had been reversed. I'm thinking for my next book I should have a "choose your own adventure" ending, where if you like "Happy" turn to page X, and if you like "Thought-provoking" turn here, and if you think "All life ends in death" turn to page XX, etc. etc. :)<br /><br />The one type of ending I seldom like is the neat bow and happily ever after. I prefer ambiguity and think life is like that, too. That said, I am seriously thinking I don't want my next book to be too much of a downer, and my next ending is considerably more upbeat (though my husband laughs at this, because my notion of "upbeat" is different than many, I suspect).<br /><br />I do think a good ending casts new light over what went before in the novel, and that we can see the characters lives rushing ahead, like train tracks. Even though we might not know what lies ahead exactly, we can guess.Sandra Novackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03586382750668270794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-77594541473600977302009-05-11T04:03:00.000-07:002009-05-11T04:03:00.000-07:00It depends...if I'm reading a straight romance, I ...It depends...if I'm reading a straight romance, I do expect a happily-ever-after ending. If I'm reading another genre, I don't always have to have that. My favorite genre is mystery, suspense, thrillers...with those, I like twists. I prefer something to happen that I never saw coming. <br /><br />I've read books where a major character got killed off and, although I was shocked and teary-eyed, I continued reading the series or the author. If it makes sense for the storyline, I'm okay with that.Yvonnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261873308731564886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-35833927334497650342009-05-10T20:09:00.000-07:002009-05-10T20:09:00.000-07:00Melody - Exactly! Bittersweet endings do tend to ...<B>Melody</B> - Exactly! Bittersweet endings do tend to linger longer, don't they? Sometimes though a good happy ending is a cure for a bad mood. :-)Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-10016305141255938842009-05-10T19:46:00.000-07:002009-05-10T19:46:00.000-07:00I like all sorts of endings, as long as they fit t...I like all sorts of endings, as long as they fit the story. I think I tend to have more feelings to a book which has a bittersweet, sad ending than a happily-ever-after one. I guess it's because it leads me into thinking and analyse the situation(s) than anything else. Some bittersweet endings can be so beautiful!Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03967837585961009598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-72551688071052889802009-05-10T18:32:00.000-07:002009-05-10T18:32:00.000-07:00Ingrid - I wish I could ride off in the sunset rig...<B>Ingrid</B> - I wish I could ride off in the sunset right now.:-) <br /><br />I remember a book I read earlier this year that I felt ended much too soon. I wanted to spend more time with the characters.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-67254486468299180602009-05-10T17:46:00.000-07:002009-05-10T17:46:00.000-07:00As long as the ending fits the book, I like all ki...As long as the ending fits the book, I like all kinds of endings. I tend to prefer books with happy endings, though - not necessarily all tied up in a bow and riding off into the sunset kind of endings, but at least something ending on a positive note.<br /><br />I think my favorite endings are the ones that come too fast - you know, the kind of book you just don't want to end, because it's just so good!Ingridhttp://consciouscat.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-63106241271386050832009-05-10T11:30:00.000-07:002009-05-10T11:30:00.000-07:00Kailana - Yes, a bad ending certainly can influenc...<B>Kailana</B> - Yes, a bad ending certainly can influence my take on the entire book. Like you said, it wouldn't make me hate the book, but it might impact my final opinion of it.<br /><br /><B>Amy</B> - I do understand the need for closure. You spend so much time with the characters that you want to know that something has worked out for them. I think there are degrees to ambiguity, some of which are more acceptable to me than others.<br /><br />Your comment about not watching a television show for less than a favorite character being killed off reminded me of how I felt a couple of weeks ago in regards to the possibility of a particular American Idol contestant being kicked off the show. LOL I don't think I actually would have stopped watching, but I would have been tempted. :-)<br /><br /><B>Gavin</B> - Thank you. Pacing! Yes, that's the word I was looking for in regards to Memoirs of a Geisha, I think.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-36350304630896336952009-05-10T11:21:00.000-07:002009-05-10T11:21:00.000-07:00Memory - I know what you mean. I like to think of...<B>Memory</B> - I know what you mean. I like to think of the characters continuing on too. <br /><br /><B>Kathy</B> - At least some resolution to any novel is a must, I think. Otherwise it doesn't feel like there's an ending at all, does it? Sometimes I do prefer a tidy endings. It often depends on the type of book for me.<br /><br /><B>Ti</B> - I don't like rushed endings either. And yes, those curve balls can be annoying, especially if there was nothing to lead up to it. My favorite twists are the ones that I might not have seen coming and yet when I go back and think about the book, I can see exactly how it could happen.<br /><br /><B>Florinda</B> - I'm the same way about those twist endings. I like to be able to go back track marks, however faint they may be. A twist thrown in just to make the ending possible without any warning seems too implausible more often than not.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-31915102610007987192009-05-10T10:49:00.000-07:002009-05-10T10:49:00.000-07:00Great post!I enjoy various types of endings as lon...Great post!I enjoy various types of endings as long as they fit the style and pacing of the book. What I dislike are endings that feel rushed, as if the author had run up against a deadline or rub out of steam. Somehow I feel cheated, even if I have enjoyed the rest of the book.Gavinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12865699135545209220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-29678599577534596372009-05-10T10:35:00.001-07:002009-05-10T10:35:00.001-07:00I don't know if I like ambiguous endings or not. ...I don't know if I like ambiguous endings or not. The only one I can think of right off the top of my head, Life after Genius. I hated. I wanted closure after spending so many pages in that story!!<br /><br />If my favorite character was killed off in a series I might stop reading. I don't know. I've definitely stopped watching television shows for less! :)Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02515314638093018928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-66346322543607373472009-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:002009-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:00Endings bother me. I can love a book and end up h...Endings bother me. I can love a book and end up hating it because of the ending. It's not necessarily the death of a character, that is a natural part of the writing process, but just how an ending is carried out. Sometimes books have a really good story but have a horrible ending. A big problem, for me, is if it is really rushed. It's like the author lost steam near the end and just wanted to finish things. I have been left wondering if I really like a book just because of an ending, though. It isn't that I will hate the book, but it will make me like it less...Kailanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11136262232046813471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-15031754482949228512009-05-10T10:10:00.000-07:002009-05-10T10:10:00.000-07:00I think I prefer a somewhat ambiguous ending to on...I think I prefer a somewhat ambiguous ending to one that seems to tie things up a bit too neatly. The first tends to keep the story on my mind a little longer (as it does for you), while the second just makes me impatient sometimes. I like the ending to be consistent with the story overall - which doesn't mean I don't like a twist ending; I just want to be able to work back and understand where the twist came from, rather than feel it was just thrown in.<br /><br />I tend to agree with you about the ending of <I>My Sister's Keeper</I> - I think it wasn't the ending a lot of people wanted, but I thought it made sense.Florindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09789402061034734894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-81921021824994156072009-05-10T09:31:00.000-07:002009-05-10T09:31:00.000-07:00I don't mind variations as far as endings go but I...I don't mind variations as far as endings go but I do feel that the ending must fit the book. If it seems rushed or a main character pulls something out of left field, then I feel disappointed by it.Tihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08687620527201679249noreply@blogger.com