Endings: Happy, Tragic, Ambigous; bittersweet

Raphee · Feb 15, 2008

I've never really cared how a novel ends, if it falls in line with the type of story being told.
There have been various comments, where people have said they prefer one or the other.
So what is it you like
1] happy Endings.
2] Tragic or dark endings.
3] Bitter sweet.
4 Ambiguous.

Which leads me to why is the type of ending important. Some sort of stories naturally end up happy. Romance for example.
Many commercial and literary novels have dark endings. Not always.
Why do you give preference to a particular type of ending over the other. Or is the preferred ending just an extension of the type of novels we prefer reading.

Garpy · Feb 15, 2008

I prefer bittersweet and/or ambiguous endings. I can't honestly recall a happy ending that stayed in my mind for longer than thirty seconds after ending a book. (well duh...of course you can't recall them, dummy).

It does surprise me how many thriller writers stick with the ol'...
...hero-vanquishes-the-bad-guy-defuses-the-bomb-and-gets-the-girl...type of ending; those are so unstatisfying. I suppose books that are part of a series require the protag to prevail...however, there's still a way to make that kind of ending bittersweet.

One series I utterly detest are the Bond movies (I've never read a Bond book, so I can't comment on Flemming's endings.) But the movies always seemed to end up with Bond, unscratched, flashing a dry martini and quipping amidst the smouldering remains of a baddie base. One of the reasons the remake of Casino Royale worked so much better is that he's been put through the ringer, he's fallible, one senses Bond has been emotionally 'marked' by the events of that movie...and thus, there's a hint of a bittersweet-ness in the happy ending.

As for tragic endings I'll take 'em any day as long as they feel inevitable and not contrived to squeeze out an emotional denouement.

Angelinity · Feb 15, 2008

it does depend on the genre, imo -- dedicated genre readers (romance comes to mind) expect a particular type of ending... otherwise what would be the point for them trying to escape into a romance story?...

Mr Flibble · Feb 15, 2008

It does surprise me how many thriller writers stick with the ol'...
...hero-vanquishes-the-bad-guy-defuses-the-bomb-and-gets-the-girl...type of ending; those are so unstatisfying. I suppose books that are part of a series require the protag to prevail...however, there's still a way to make that kind of ending bittersweet.

How about hero must kill the girl to vanquish the bad guy?

Yeah I like tragic and / or bittersweet for the most part. But it does depend on the genre, or the story.

CaroGirl · Feb 15, 2008

I like ambiguous. Literary novels are fond of the ambiguous ending. It lets me decide for myself what happens to the characters I've grown to love. Growing up I really liked those choose your own ending adventure books.

Nakhlasmoke · Feb 15, 2008

I think one of the reasons HEA endings bug me is that they feel so unbelieveable to me. I want a little bitterness in my chocolate, baby. Make the sweetness sing against the pain.

So I'm voting bittersweet/ambiguous.

Lisa F · Feb 15, 2008

I am mostly a happy ending girl. I don't mind an ambiguous ending in a literary novel. I can't hang with sad endings. I read ONE Nicholas Sparks book...too sad...

Red-Green · Feb 15, 2008

Oddly enough, it's only in the last few years that I've developed any taste for happy endings. Before age 30, I really preferred dark or bittersweet endings. My idea of a good story was Duchess of Malfi. I wanted people to die. Lots of them. Now I can get behind the occasional happy ending and I even wrote a (mostly) happy ending for a book, although most of my stuff is pretty bittersweet or ambiguous. You know, like life.

Nakhlasmoke · Feb 15, 2008

Redzilla said:
Oddly enough, it's only in the last few years that I've developed any taste for happy endings. Before age 30, I really preferred dark or bittersweet endings....

So...it's all gonna change for me from now on, is what you're saying?

Noes *clings to the last fading traces of her teenage angst*

JamieFord · Feb 15, 2008

Bittersweet, natch.

KTC · Feb 15, 2008

I think it may just be a carry over from the type of ending I enjoy reading.

I love a lot of destitution and sadness...struggle and fallibility. I love an ending where some of this is overcome...where the reader can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn't have to be a happy ending for me, but it has to be a pregnantly optimistic one. Three of my favourite endings are:

Great Expectations
The Feast of All Saints
Confederacy of Dunces

They end with redemption...the characters stepping forward into a different life...a life made possible by the learning and growing they achieved in the telling of the story. This is the type of ending I attempt to write. It's what I love. I wouldn't necessarily call them happy endings, but on-the-road-to-happy endings.

Great topic...

dreamsofnever · Feb 15, 2008

I like endings that fit with the story too, but I'm a sucker for the happy but with a hint of tragedy/sacrifice endings. Or the endings that give a feeling of it being a beginning to something else entirely. Because, quite honestly, "and they lived happily ever after" is trite.

I also think that growing up with the disney happy ending has made many people think that, once they find that person who they're going to marry and overcome whatever obstacles to being together, then it's just supposed to be easy. and that's completely unrealistic.

but I digress

maestrowork · Feb 15, 2008

Bittersweet, although I'm not adverse to happy endings. But with every happiness I want something to be sacrificed...

Tragic is okay but I'd rather it not be depressing. I don't like depressing books. Sad is fine, but not depressing.

Zoombie · Feb 15, 2008

Well, as a strange person who was born with absolutely NO teenage angst whatsoever, I like happy endings. That's not to say I don't like sad endings or bittersweet endings. I love them too.

But I hate, absolutely despise as a matter of fact, ambiguous endings. Reading a book is like hopping on a train, and an abigious ending is like falling off a cliff and never hitting the ground. It leaves me with this big empty pit in my stomach. I then remedy it by throwing the book either out the window or in the fireplace, whichever is closer.

Personally, I have a few happy endings, a few bittersweet endings. One sad one, I think. Really depends on the story. E.L.F is a crazy go nuts romance adventure. Happy Ending. Un-Love is a star crossed lovers tale (well...universe crossed), so it's gotta be bittersweet.

cethklein · Feb 15, 2008

I like all types, it depends on the story. Sometiems a sad ending just works. Sad endings to me work especially well as openers for a sequel. The reader is upset and wants to see resolution. I've used that in my WIP.

sunna · Feb 15, 2008

If the ending fits the story and isn't a cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers) I'm generally going to be satisfied. Happy, wrenching, depressing, bittersweet, ambiguous - they all work in the right frame. While I'm not really a fan of depressing, I'd rather be left depressed or disturbed than feeling like the author tacked on a happily-ever-after that didn't fit. As long as it's well written I'm not a picky reader.

I tend to write bittersweet endings, at least thus far. No joy without pain, and all that.

icerose · Feb 15, 2008

I love happy endings when they fit. I hate it when everyone runs off skipping and hugging right after one of their best friends died with only about a half a second to dedicate to any kind of showing of pain at the loss.

I hate most sad endings because they make me cry, however some sad endings are so masterfully done I can't help but take my hat off in respect so to speak. They better be well done though or I will hate that piece forever.

I dislike ambiguous if nothing wraps up and nothing is clear and so on and so forth. If it's ambiguous in the way that there are still some loose strings that allow the story to continue on further if need be or at least keep it somewhat open for me to think about those can be very good. So too ambigous is despicable, a little ambigous is perfect.

Bittersweet tend to be the most realistic for me. I rarely have perfectly happy times in my life and I doubt anyone else does either. And as Sunna said, the sad accentuates the happy. These are the hard fought victories with a good dose of loss to mark new scars on our triumphants.

ishtar'sgate · Feb 15, 2008

I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I want the guy to get the girl. I want the murderer to be caught and prosecuted. I want the hero to save the world. I get enough reality in my own life. I'm shallow. I read to escape the real world.

Linnea

Red-Green · Feb 15, 2008

Oh, yeah, Sunna. Good point. I hate when the book's story arc doesn't complete and it's glaringly obvious that the writer/publisher is setting me up for a sequel. Sequels are fine, but not if they cannibalize the endings of the preceding novels.

sunna said:
If the ending fits the story and isn't a cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers) I'm generally going to be satisfied. Happy, wrenching, depressing, bittersweet, ambiguous - they all work in the right frame. While I'm not really a fan of depressing, I'd rather be left depressed or disturbed than feeling like the author tacked on a happily-ever-after that didn't fit. As long as it's well written I'm not a picky reader.

I tend to write bittersweet endings, at least thus far. No joy without pain, and all that.

Charlie Horse · Feb 15, 2008

It's hard to categorize what type of endings I prefer, simply because different stories lend themselves to certain endings. If you have followed a character through hell and back through the course of 400 pages, then you want some sort of triumphant resolve. You want to know that the struggles gone through were worth it in the long run.

In short, my answer would be the ending must reach a satisfying conclusion.

How's that for ambiguity?

Hapax Legomenon · Feb 15, 2008

I like happy endings when they fit, but most of the time they seem contrived at the last second. Which is horrible. It's worse than a sad ending.

I don't like sad endings that end with nothing, it makes the story sound pointless and 'why the hell did I read this.' Something good has got to come out of the story, there has to be some worth of all that struggle, for me to like it.

I guess that leaves bittersweet. I like it when something good happens, but it wasn't exactly the right good thing. I like it when characters are scarred from the story but end up succeeding, but those scars aren't going away any time soon.

Ambiguous endings that just cut off are meh.

Neon · Feb 15, 2008

I LOVE happy endings- when i read, i am reading to escape reality, i dont care if in real life it would end badly, in a book i want it to end happily however, happy endings are generally very predictable.
There is nothing i hate more than a cliffhanger, they are so frustrating!

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 15, 2008

I'm not a fan of tragic endings. Everything else I can deal with as long as its a satisfying ending.

Given my druthers, I enjoy happy endings.

Oddly enough, I think I write bitter sweet endings. The hero triumphs over the situation, but still loses the girl or ends up alone.

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 15, 2008

Unexpected endings. I like to be surprised.

Susan Breen · Feb 15, 2008

Did anyone read LOVING FRANK? By Nancy Horan, I think. Now that was an amazing ending. I think most endings are bittersweet because, if the book is good, I've come to love the characters and now I'm saying good bye.

Endings: Happy, Tragic, Ambigous; bittersweet

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