Top Ten Tuesday: My bookish wish is to change the ending of these heartbreaking novels
Ever feel that way when you finish a book, perhaps sobbing as you close the last pages -- if only you could rewrite the ending everything would be better?
Beware of spoilers ahead...
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Poor Gatsby does everything he can think of to woo Daisy over to his side. Even as he is dying, he hears the phone ringing and he's sure it is her calling to say she's on her way. Nope, it's just the neighbor checking in.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I tear up when I think of this one. How come BOTH Old Dan and Little Ann had to die? I'm rooting for some heroic measures that saves both dogs.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Yes, I know. Fanny and Edmund get together, finally, but only in the "fullness of time." Details. We want details about what happened after they got together.
The Giver by Lois Lowry. Kids everywhere are asked to read this dystopian novel yet they are left hanging. Do Jonas and Gabriel make it to Elsewhere or do they die in the end? There are millions of people walking around today wondering this same question.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Do we love this story because of the double suicide or because every time we read it we think this time the monk will get there in time?
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Come on. Admit it. This book stunk in comparison to the first two books in the trilogy. How about it the whole third book were rewritten and in this ending don't make Katniss faint every time ome big action occurs.
Atonement by Ian McEwan. I remember walking around for days in a daze after completing this book. That was not the ending I was expecting or wanting. In the end Briony writes a novel (fiction) where Cecilia and Robby forgive her and they all live happily ever after. In real life, none of that happened. I get sad just thinking about this tragedy.
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. So here's the thing. We all want to know what happened to Offred.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Super exciting book. Super boring ending. Come on. Time for an exciting conclusion. Maybe someone should get hit by a train?!
Folks, I actually hate it when book endings are tied up too neatly and with a bow. I like to imagine what happens after the last page of the book and perhaps because these books are heartbreaking is what makes them memorable. In fact, I'm sure all these books have stood the test of time due to their ambiguous endings. Ha!
What are some books you wish could have their ending reworked?
-Anne
I think I would mostly want to know what happened to characters after the book ended.
ReplyDeleteBooks that have sequels often have very unsatisfying endings.
ReplyDeleteOh I can definitely see how Mockingjay and The Girl on the Train could have better endings.Happy reading! My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/ten-books-on-my-wishlist/
ReplyDeleteI agree. I remember sobbing after reading a book as a child and having my dad say, "If it's going to upset you that much, just write your own ending." He isn't a reader. He didn't understand.
ReplyDeleteThat is really sweet that your Dad didn't want you to be sad yet didn't understand the power of "story."
DeleteHave you read The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale? It’s excellent.
ReplyDeleteAnd totally agreed about The Giver.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-wishes/
Yes I read The Testaments. But it was published so long after Handmaid's Tale. Twenty years?
DeleteI actually really loved how Sadie ended! I wasn't a huge fan of The Girl on the Train - it was a bit too obvious, so yeah, if the end was different, it might have been better.
ReplyDeleteLauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Yes. Sadie might still be alive. We don't know.
DeleteI had forgotten that not one but TWO dogs die in Where The Red Fern Grows. Both that book and Steinbeck's The Red Pony traumatized me with the animals deaths when I read them as a kid.
ReplyDeleteMy post this week
I know. When I reread it I brace myself for the ending.
DeleteGreat idea for a list! Mine is here: http://wordywitterings.com/2021/06/21/top-ten-tuesday-my-bookish-wishlist/
ReplyDeleteWHERE THE RED FERN GROWS is such a heartbreaker! I remember the movie just devastating me as a kid. I don't think I ever read the book - too much sadness :(
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
Yes Mockingjay was definitely the worst of the three Hunger Games books and there's a lot I would change about it.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/06/22/top-ten-tuesday-321/
Sadie's ending is shocking, it's one of those rare open-ended endings that I actually really love. Love what you did with this week's topic!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on Mockinjay! I hated that whole book. By the end, I didn't even like any of the characters any more, which is sad because I loved the first two books.
ReplyDeleteGood points! I loved how Sadie ended though. :)
ReplyDeleteCheck out my Bookish Wishes
I just skimmed through titles I was familiar with but I agree with your points. Where the Red Fern Grows left a huge emotional scar! Back when I accepted books for review, I would always ask if the dog died at the end if I was offered anything about animals. I just can't handle it after the devastation Big Dan and Little Ann left in my heart.
ReplyDelete