Top Ten Tuesday: The Best & Worst Book Endings

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

The Top Ten Best & Worst Book Book Endings


1. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - I'm usually not a fan of epilogues, but after growing up with this series, watching the endless toils and struggles and really rooting for that happily ever after, I was glad there was a true conclusion to this series. Plus, even before the epilogue, we get to see this story come to completion. Epic. Win.

2. My Sister's Keeper - Some of you might fight me on this one because, no, this is certainly not a happily ever after. It is not a feel-good ending, but it is perfect. This is the type of contemporary ending that I want to read - something plausible, real and heartbreaking. I still want to kick the movie producer/writer/everyone in the face for ruining the film.

3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Well, you know me and cliffhangers, right? I hate them. I pretty much always stay away from them if I can, and I've previously stated that I will avoid books that openly feature cliffhangers. However, I have to say that this aptly-titled "cliffhanger of doom" is the exception to the rule. Well played, Michelle. Well played. 

4. The Fault in Our Stars - Again with the realistic, powerful and emotional endings. I think that with a book that is as emotionally-charged as this one, we don't need ribbons and bows at the end. We need, perhaps, a touch of hope, but even more so, we want to believe we've been on a true journey. That's what this book end offers us...perspective.

5. Not a Drop to Drink - This is one of those books that's had a lot of mixed reviews, but I ended up really liking it. I didn't like the ending prior to the epilogue - I felt it was hurried - but the epilogue redeemed the story. Watching these characters come full-circle and seeing that it wasn't just a love story disguised a dystopian was refreshing.


6. This World We Live In - Ugh. If you remember, I told you that I loved this series. And, trust me, I really do. I adored the first book, and I was so committed that I even read the fourth installment. This book, however, garnered a two-star review from me in large part because of the utterly hopeless ending. "Love and lies"...pshhhh, b*tch, please. Ugh.

7. Mockingjay - Honestly, I was so wrapped up in this series, that I thought I liked the ending of it for a long time. The more I thought about it, and the more I read it though, the less pleased I was. I felt like it hurried to this boring conclusion where, yes, she ends up with the guy I wanted, but no, I didn't feel like it was a conclusion. It just felt...blah.

8. Various Positions - This book...where to start? First of all, this book is not young adult. We're given a 14-year-old MC that lives in this hyper-sexualized, completely atrocious world of ballet that, frankly, offended the crap out of me. It's one thing to tastefully broach the topic of such indiscretions. It's another thing, entirely to give us a story like this where no lesson is learned in the end. 

9. Carnival of Souls - I was so iffy on this book as a whole, that this might be a bit of a copout for me to even list it up here. However, this book was touted as "the next big thing," and if you remember the media hype for it, you were probably as excited as I was to read it. This confusing book, however, bears a lackluster conclusion that's pretty much, well, forgettable.

10. The Time Traveler's Wife - Perhaps it's the theory of time, or perhaps it's the simple paradox of it all that made this ending just feel extremely bleak, melodramatic and hopeless for me. I get the romance of it all. Trust me, I do. I do not, however, understand why it had to end this way, and perhaps I'm too blonde, but it was too much for me to comprehend anyway.

30 comments:

  1. Sadly, I've only read three of the books up there, but I can wholeheartedly agree with you! HP 7 it's without a doubt an amazing ending, and TFIOS is just gorgeous. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer...!! I'll have to read the others to see if I agree with you, but thanks for sharing, Melissa!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha MARA's ending STILL gets me. Every time. It's probably the only cliffhanger I can abide by.

      Delete
  2. HP and The unbecoming of mara dyer definitely have awesome endings! I was shocked by mockingjay's ending, but after I let it settle for a while I grew to love it:)

    My Top Ten @ Eveline's Books

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HP is probably my all-time favourite. I think it was fitting for such a long series and for characters with whom we've grown so close.

      Delete
  3. OH dear, Mockingjay wasn't my favourite ending either, rather disatrous too. But The Fault in Our Stars had a magnificent ending. (my friend and I SPOILER ALERT figured that the last two sentences of the novel was in present tense and the rest of the book was in past tense.)

    Fab post, hon! <33

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, doll! And YES! I agree with TFiOS! I thought I was nuts ;)

      Delete
  4. I haven't read Mockingjay yet precisely because of what I heard about the ending. I sort of want to finish the series, but at the same time it's one that I cherish so much that I don't want the last book to ruin the whole series for me.
    I thought the ending for Not a Drop to Drink was great too because it was realistic considering the situation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, years later, Mockingjay still pisses me off. I almost wish I hadn't read that ending. Blergh.

      Delete
  5. Didn't it though? It wasn't a cliffhanger just for the sake of being a cliffhanger either though. It absolutely made the book!

    ReplyDelete
  6. UHG. Mockingjay's ending (and the entire story, filled with blackouts and such, for that matter) still pisses me off, too. Ah, for the perfection of the first book!

    I started Not a Drop To Drink but it's really slow and depressing -- I'm going to keep going but I hope I like the ending!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, there isn't a ton of action in the book until the very end, and it does happen quite fast. I hope you end up liking it like I did, but I know a lot of people didn't enjoy how it flowed.

      Delete
  7. "7. Mockingjay - Honestly, I was so wrapped up in this series, that I thought I liked the ending of it for a long time."

    YES! Me too Melissa! And now that ending just pisses me off really. Yes, I wanted her with the boy she ended up with, but I felt like she just chose him because he was there and everyone thought she should, not because she actually wanted him. It will be interesting to see if they change anything in the movies:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES. Jenny, we have the same brain! F'reals. It was just so freaking...blah. I was so let down by the complete lack of character she had at the end with her choice. Blergh.

      Delete
  8. OMG, My Sister's Keeper's ending made me SOOOO MADDD!!! And I was officially hooked and have read almost every Picoult book to-date! The Time Traveler's Wife made my "best" list though. I think I was hooked by Niffenegger's ability to evoke such extreme emotion in me while reading it. Definitely one of my favorites. Great!

    Amanda @ i solemnly swear

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BUT...it made you mad, and it was one of those endings you'll never forget, right?! It was so, so, so sad...but it was PERFECT.

      Delete
  9. Other ones I liked: The Kite Runner and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I though MockingJay, ya, oogh, blarg.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooooh The Kite Runner is a great choice! I don't know how I forgot about that one. But yes...Mockingjay. Blergh.

      Delete
  10. I agree one hundred percent with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. The cliffhanger was so bad but it was sooo good too. Pretty brilliant. And Mockingjay was such a bummer.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love when epilogues actually contribute to the story and tie it off nicely. And in the case of Not a Drop to Drink, I'm glad that it made up for the rushed ending. And I think I must agree with you about Carnival of Souls as I actually can't recall how it ended now! I liked the book well enough when I first read it though... Great lists!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I know I'm in the minority but I actually love a good cliffhanger ending. Until I Die by Amy Plum had one of my faves and the Mara ending was pretty great too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. There have been some interesting posts on this topic today most people are doing the first lines... I have only read one book on your worst endings list and that was Carnival of Souls and yeah the ending was just lame, and I don't care to read anymore. Best ending there are some good ones up there have to agree with
    Harry Potter. Oh yes, I forgot I read Time Traveler's wife and that book was sad and yes the ending was kind of disappointing. I don't understand why she couldn't have stopped it from happening. Oh well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I also loved the ending for My Sister's Keeper. It was heartbreaking and made me sob like a baby, but it was perfect. I don't think I'll ever get over what happened in the movie nor watch it again, no matter how much I liked the movie prior to the ending.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Both HP and My Sister's Keeper made my best ending list, too. I enjoyed Mara Dyer, but never ended up reading the second book. I heard some pretty dismal things about Carnival of Souls before I picked it up so I never ended up reading it. Great list!
    Natflix&Books' TTT

    ReplyDelete
  16. Agreed on 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7! MOCKINGJAY was so underwhelming and depressing by the conclusion. I loved the first two books, but that final novel needed more of a spark. Looking back, I rated it too high in my review.

    Fabulous top ten :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I loved Mara Dyer and The Fault in Our Stars! I can't wait to read Not a Drop to Drink! Great list :D

    Christy @ Christy’s Book Addiction

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mockingjay. I can't even. I don't even know what to say except WHAT HAPPENED.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I don't like cliffhanger endings either. Not everything needs to be a series of three or more books. Why can't authors just tie things up in a neat little package? I don't always need happily ever after, but I do like a satisfying conclusion.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I totally agree with your statement about Mocking Jay. For a long time I thought I liked it but then after thinking about it for a while it was disappointing.

    I wasn't a big fan of Mara Dyer. Most the time I was confused and wondering what was actually real. I think some of the worst endings for me have been Bloodrose as Aman mentioned above, and Clockwork Princess was a disappointment too. Great list here, Melissa. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I hated Mockingjay's ending. I loved Deathly Hallows ending too. The epilogue worked for me. And TFIOS was simply stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I agree with you about Harry Potter and My Sister's Keeper (that was a tough ending, but hey life sometimes is messed up like that). The Fault in Our Stars was so sad but so good. I have to disagree with you on Mockingjay, though. I ended up having the opposite reaction to you. I read it first and hated it. Then I started thinking about it more and more and realized that the book as a whole couldn't have been written any other way, and I came to love it. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I always do my very best to return the favour :)

Please note that this blog is an award-free zone!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Pin It button on image hover