Monday, 5 January 2009
Sunday Salon – Happily Ever After
Due to certain comments by Diana on her blog I’m not sure the book will have a “traditional” happy ending. It got me thinking about how much a happy ending (in the sense of the heroine wandering off into the sunset with the man of her dreams) matters to me in a book.
While I am a sucker for “and they lived happily ever after” endings, most of my favourite books don’t have them – The Pursuit of Love, His Dark Materials, The vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, The disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, Hideous Kinky, The Book Thief, Looking for Alaska, The Secret History.
I’d rather have an ending that is fitting for characters I’ve come to love than a forced “happy” ending. Of course if it fits that the heroine and hero end up together then I’m all for it, such as with, Pride and Prejudice, The truth about forever, The outlander books. If books end on a fairy tale note that feels forced and ridiculous (like the end to a certain saga that was published this year) then it completely ruins it for me.
So I like a happy ending but not at any cost, how about you?
I don’t necessarily want a “happily ever after” but I want a ray of hope. I’ve read some books and watched some movies that were so bleak at the end that I felt awful for hours. If the couple doesn’t end up together, I want it to be because they have better options for happiness apart.
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Im excited about this book too– and in most books I want a happy ending or at least a glimmer of hope like the other poster said. My life is serious enough. When Im reading or watching a movie it’s for entertainment–and I want to be happy!
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Dani – oh yes I agree with you that bleakness is just as bad and I’d probably take a happy ever after over a hopeless ending everytime but my ideal one is somewhere in between! I thought Philip Pullman pulled it off perfectly in HDM and I just watched a Bridge to Terabitha this weekend which also did it really well.
Leslie – May seems so far away! I like hope but I want the ending to fit the book, some books will always have they lived happily ever after because that’s the genre but I hate it when books do for no clear reason that I can see
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It depends on the book and the characters for me. Certain characters need to spend some time striking on their own and others just deserve their happiness on a plate. Period. 🙂 With this series, I’m probably less rational than usual as I really love Poe and want him to be comfortable and accepted and loved. With Amy. Lol.
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Angiegirl – yes of course. I love Poe too and really want them to end up together but I just don’t think it’s going to happen, I think we’re going to be left with the idea that they may meet up again in the future – don;t know why. Hope I’m wrong 🙂
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Sigh. So do I. 🙂
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