Unhappy endings

[ChaosControl]

Do you like books with unhappy endings? Why or why not?

For me it depends. I'm easily annoyed by happy endings, particularly if it's all cheesy and coincidentally convenient for all the characters. If something awful happens and I'm in floods of tears, I actually find that sort of reaction really powerful and that's what I appreciate in a novel.

What do you think?

[Saphire]

I agree. A happy ending is good when you actually really want that for the characters, however if it's so predictable or unrealistic or cheesy I get annoyed by it. (This is why i'm writing an alternate unhappy ending for Cinderella for my English coursework!)

[Stephanie]

I prefer whichever is more realistic in the situation. I agree that unhappy endings can often be more powerful.

[Snufkin]

I tend to like happy endings. I feel depressed enough when a good book comes to an end, so at least give me some joy. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was soul destroying.

[Spellbound]

I like books with unhappy endings; they're the books that tend to really make me think and stay with me. I too agree that they can be the most powerful ones.

Happy endings are good, but they can tend to be extremely predictable at times.

A good book, for me, is one that can evoke various sorts of emotions.

[Unicorn ♥✿]

Nooooooooo , it's too sad forn a character to die!

[Strife]

i like books to have a surprising or uncertain ending, but i don't like being depressed at the end. >.>

[~CourageousSurvivor~]

It really depends. I like books where the ending speaks to me. I don't like to read a book and feel like I wasted a good deal of my time. I like to read a book and be left thinking. So, sometimes a happy ending does that and sometimes it is an unhappy ending that does it. I just want the book to 'speak' to me.

[Marshmellow]

It depends on the book. In general, I don't like predictable endings. It sucks when you know that "this and this and this is going to happen, and they're going to live happily ever after." I do like happy endings; they're soothing for the soul. But when the happy ending is unrealistic, then it can get annoying. Bittersweet endings are almost always the best. I'm trying to think of an example, but I am drawing a blank. I can think of several examples of bittersweet endings in movies. (Titanic, Pearl Harbors - my two favorite movies of all times.) The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (which is also a movie) is a good example of a bittersweet ending as well. Same as Dear John. I've only read Dear John, and seen the Notebook, but based on Sparks' style, I'm going to guess all his books are bittersweet. (Maybe I'm wrong to assume that.) My Sister's Keeper (the book, don't know about the movie; I've heard it's different) is a good example of a bittersweet ending too.

So, I vote for bittersweet endings. =)

[Berries and Cream]

For me, it really depends on the book. I love both happy and unhappy endings. But what if the two were incorporated in one ending? Like in Romeo and Juliet, they died tragically but reconciled their parents' brawl and brought forth peace. Likewise, I agree with the person above me. It does get annoying when the storyline is predicable and the ending is very unrealistic.