Publications
The wonderful thing about reading is that, most often than not, you're led on a journey of highs and lows, where the characters you meet and encounter labour through tough situations in order to carve a little piece of happiness for themselves.
Naturally, you'd expect an ending that befits the character right? Truth is, it doesn't always work out that way, and as interesting as open-ended and unexpected endings are, some books just make you wish for a different ending.
We've asked our lovely readers about some of the books whose endings left them dissatisfied. Here's what they had to say.
Bridget on not being impressed with Anita Shreve:
I usually really enjoy Anita Shreve but her ending for When We Last Met was a total cop out and left me feeling utterly cheated. A total twist it might have been, but with no credibility.
With good twists, the author lays the foundation for the ending with a few very subtle cues along the way; so that you don’t see it coming, but when you get to the twist the reader thinks “OMG, I had no idea, but...now that I think about it...”.
Shreve’s ending to When We Last Met came completely out of nowhere and left one feeling that the whole book had been a waste of time and paper – it was just about as disappointing and believable as the infamous Bobby Ewing ‘It never really happened’ shower scene. (apologies to those who are of the post-Dallas era).
I’ll never read a Shreve again!
Michelle on John Grisham's bad endings:
I can’t remember the name of the book but it was one of John Grisham’s novels. He is (in my opinion) renowned for bad endings but one of his books just ended almost as if he forgot to finish writing! I took a long, long time to pick up one of his books again, but when I did it was Painted House and what a refresher after the last one!
Nikki thought that Deon Meyer's Trackers was decidedly lacking:
I was a little disappointed in the Deon Meyer recommended read Tracker. I thought he had too many characters floating around with no immediate connection to each other.
I was so excited with the inclusion of the rhino and the possible unfolding of a very dramatic (and real) turn of events. We’re a country in ‘rhino-crisis’ at the moment and I think it would have made for good marketing if he had explored that a little more.
I did enjoy the book while I was reading it (as I have his previous English novels) but thought that the end was a good couple of chapters too short. Having said that, he (Deon Meyer) would redeem himself if he was to follow it up with a sequel.
Andrea thinks that characters with difficult lives deserve a happy ending:
Khaled Hosseini's books are truly amazing but certain characters have lousy lives from their first breath to their last and it's just far too sad.
Prenita wishes that One Day's ending wasn't so sad:
Warning: Spoiler Alert
I recently read One Day and thought that the leading lady should not have died at the end, and just at a point when she and the leading man started their lives together. It was so sad. I couldn't believe the emotions I felt when she died after all the years it took for them to realize they were meant to be together.
Iris loved the Sidney Sheldon book she read, but hated the ending:
Just finished reading Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels and it was a spellbinding read. Couldn’t wait to get to the end and when I did, I really wished I hadn’t because the ending really sucked. I know, I read this book years and years ago, but couldn’t remember it up until recently.
Clair takes issue with a timeless classic:
My book is Gone with the Wind, yes the old time classic.
My bestie and I were debating the ending over a glass or two of wine and we came to the conclusion that the book needed to have a happier ending.
Rett and Scarlet should live happily ever after.
What's the one book whose ending you wish you could change?
Naturally, you'd expect an ending that befits the character right? Truth is, it doesn't always work out that way, and as interesting as open-ended and unexpected endings are, some books just make you wish for a different ending.
We've asked our lovely readers about some of the books whose endings left them dissatisfied. Here's what they had to say.
Bridget on not being impressed with Anita Shreve:
I usually really enjoy Anita Shreve but her ending for When We Last Met was a total cop out and left me feeling utterly cheated. A total twist it might have been, but with no credibility.
With good twists, the author lays the foundation for the ending with a few very subtle cues along the way; so that you don’t see it coming, but when you get to the twist the reader thinks “OMG, I had no idea, but...now that I think about it...”.
Shreve’s ending to When We Last Met came completely out of nowhere and left one feeling that the whole book had been a waste of time and paper – it was just about as disappointing and believable as the infamous Bobby Ewing ‘It never really happened’ shower scene. (apologies to those who are of the post-Dallas era).
I’ll never read a Shreve again!
Michelle on John Grisham's bad endings:
I can’t remember the name of the book but it was one of John Grisham’s novels. He is (in my opinion) renowned for bad endings but one of his books just ended almost as if he forgot to finish writing! I took a long, long time to pick up one of his books again, but when I did it was Painted House and what a refresher after the last one!
Nikki thought that Deon Meyer's Trackers was decidedly lacking:
I was a little disappointed in the Deon Meyer recommended read Tracker. I thought he had too many characters floating around with no immediate connection to each other.
I was so excited with the inclusion of the rhino and the possible unfolding of a very dramatic (and real) turn of events. We’re a country in ‘rhino-crisis’ at the moment and I think it would have made for good marketing if he had explored that a little more.
I did enjoy the book while I was reading it (as I have his previous English novels) but thought that the end was a good couple of chapters too short. Having said that, he (Deon Meyer) would redeem himself if he was to follow it up with a sequel.
Andrea thinks that characters with difficult lives deserve a happy ending:
Khaled Hosseini's books are truly amazing but certain characters have lousy lives from their first breath to their last and it's just far too sad.
Prenita wishes that One Day's ending wasn't so sad:
Warning: Spoiler Alert
I recently read One Day and thought that the leading lady should not have died at the end, and just at a point when she and the leading man started their lives together. It was so sad. I couldn't believe the emotions I felt when she died after all the years it took for them to realize they were meant to be together.
Iris loved the Sidney Sheldon book she read, but hated the ending:
Just finished reading Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels and it was a spellbinding read. Couldn’t wait to get to the end and when I did, I really wished I hadn’t because the ending really sucked. I know, I read this book years and years ago, but couldn’t remember it up until recently.
Clair takes issue with a timeless classic:
My book is Gone with the Wind, yes the old time classic.
My bestie and I were debating the ending over a glass or two of wine and we came to the conclusion that the book needed to have a happier ending.
Rett and Scarlet should live happily ever after.
What's the one book whose ending you wish you could change?
