Does the lack of a happy ending ruin an otherwise good book?

magicjarpublishing · Fri Jul 08, 2011 4:08 pm

To me it's not really about whether the ending is happy or sad, but if it feels right. Sometimes a story feels like it should end on a positive note, but other times I can see where it makes more sense for the story to end in a sad way. It's all situational. As long as the ending feels like it fits with the rest of the book, happy or sad it's fine.

EndlessLaymon · Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:51 am

Not for me. To be frank I often get bored of happy endings, I feel unhappy endings gives us that surprise that makes the book a more overwhelming reading experience.

Chris OConnor · Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:02 am

I don't read enough fiction to have much of an answer to this question, but I suppose every story cannot and should not end on a positive note. All I expect in a great novel is some form of closure to the story. Unanswered questions are OK, but a great story should have a certain feeling that the end has been reached - at least for now - or until a sequel is out.

Aqueda_Veronica · Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:40 pm


	EndlessLaymon wrote: Not for me. To be frank I often get bored of happy endings, I feel unhappy endings gives us that surprise that makes the book a more overwhelming reading experience.

THANK YOU! My point exactly

berry · Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:21 am

I like happy ends. Or, at least, if the end is not happy, I need a hope.

Cherrybear13 · Wed Aug 10, 2011 4:41 pm

To me it depends on if the book is kind of like a life lesson like My Sisters Keeper. In that book the ending is very tragic but also is very interesting. To me, Jodi Picoult was expressing her feelings on being too protective of one child. That book broke my heart and made me angry at the mother.

Then there is Harry Potter... Not sure how many people have read these books but holy crap. How many people have to die?! Rowling just got a little vicious and started murdering people all over the place. It ruined the books for me and I got so annoyed with death and doom I quit reading the books.

BretAM5 · Mon Aug 15, 2011 4:33 pm

I like happy and hopeful endings as much as the next person, but for me, as long as the characters are believable I can generally accept a bad ending and try to take meaning out of it. The ending of In The Woods by Tana French, for example, is pretty depressing, but her characters felt so real to me--particularly the protagonist--that it felt like a sensible ending. Sometimes things don't work out in our lives. They serve as lessons for the future.

Suzanne · Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:21 am

I understand what you are saying BretAM5, and I agree with you. Many readers may need or want a happy ending, and this ending may not stay true to the character's life. I enjoy novels that are character driven, I'll get to know these characters and sometimes a happy ending doesn't ring true.

I loved reading, "The Count of Monte Cristo". I have watched two screen versions of this novel, and the ending was changed in both, and in the same way. The novel didn't have a sad ending, it stayed true to the characters, but the film versions ended in a very predictable and romantic manner.


	BretAM5 wrote: The ending of In The Woods by Tana French, for example, is pretty depressing, but her characters felt so real to me--particularly the protagonist--that it felt like a sensible ending.

This is well said, the ending should be sensible, and sometimes, sensible is not happy.

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