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Original poster

please recommend some books without the traditional happy ending.

59 replies

sweetheart · 09/11/2011 16:19

My sister loves reading but is always complaining that books always have too much of a happy ending. I thought for her Christmas present I'd try and seek out some good books which don't have the traditional or anticipated ending for her to read. She normally reads fairly easy going books - no war and peace type stuff please.
Thanks

OP posts:
thepollydoll · 09/11/2011 20:14

Third "We Need to Talk About Kevin" ... such a tragic and unexpected ending (as if the whole story wasn't tragic enough). Fantastic read, quite fancy seeing the film now actually ...

Chelsea Cain with her Gretchen Lowell series - Sweetheart, Heartsick, Evil at Heart - beautiful female serial killer totally messes up the nice detective. It's not necessarily that they don't have cliche endings - the end usually ends up with the bad guy (woman) behind bars but the detective and his relationship with Gretchen leave him truly fucked up and broken.

MooncupGoddess · 09/11/2011 20:04

Jane Fallon writes good chicklit where the heroine never ends up with a dashing man (but does interesting things for herself) - that sort of thing?

PelvicF1oorOfSteel · 09/11/2011 20:04

Her fearful symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger - not too deep but very sad ending.

Original poster
sweetheart · 09/11/2011 20:02

I think things like Attonment and my sisters keeper she will have already seen the films.

OP posts:
Original poster
sweetheart · 09/11/2011 20:01

Thanks for the recommendations - something like one day is the right sort of idea, I've just read it and will be giving it to her to read next.

I'll have a look at all of your suggestions thanks - I think it needs to be something modern really and not exactly tragic (I probably used the wrong word there) but just more of a twist to the ending.

OP posts:
Doilooklikeatourist · 09/11/2011 19:59

The girls by Lori Larsen ,
My best friends girl, or the ice cream girls by Dorothy Koonsom .
The Help by Katherine Stockett ( films quite good too )

Firefly2 · 09/11/2011 19:49

A Thousand Spelindid Suns or The Kite Runner both by Khaled Hosseini, both very good books

talkingnonsense · 09/11/2011 19:39

The time travellers wife. I cried buckets.

BornSicky · 09/11/2011 19:38

Astonishing Splashes of Colour - Claire Morrall might be more on the light/interesting with an odd ending, rather than deep and heavy.

Any of Anne Tyler's might also be of interest - Accidental Tourist, Breathing Lessons

racingheart · 09/11/2011 19:38

What Was Lost by Catherine O Flynn
When Will There Be Good News? - Kate Atkinson
The Tortilla Curtain (very unhappy ending)
The Kite Runner - bitter note to the happy ending
WNTTAK - definitely agree with this.

BornSicky · 09/11/2011 19:36

A Thousand Spelindid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
The Other Hand - Chris Cleave
Dusklands - JM Coetzee

TheHouseofMirth · 09/11/2011 19:34

The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

ObviouslyOblivious · 09/11/2011 19:32

The Road.
Testament of Youth.

Taranta · 09/11/2011 19:29

The Awakening, Kate Chopin, and The Nether World by George Gissing

Samvet · 09/11/2011 19:28

Second we need to talk about Kevin. Fabulous book. V much not a happy ending. I am still thinking about it and read it twice!

KatharineClifton · 09/11/2011 19:25

Ah, I missed this part - 'not just books that are full from front to back of doom, gloom and drugery.' - Not Pure As The Lily then.

MartyrStewart · 09/11/2011 19:22

The Handmaid's Tale

KatharineClifton · 09/11/2011 19:20

Pretty much any Catherine Cookson. Pure As The Lily is relentlessly unhappy.

BigBoobiedBertha · 09/11/2011 18:26

How about One Day by David Nicolls? Not high brow or anything but I thought the ending was a bit of a surprise and I don't think it was a happy one. It wasn't depressing but just a bit sad imo.

freelancescientist · 09/11/2011 18:22

We need to talk about kevin?

babyocho · 09/11/2011 16:51

Sister -Rosamund Lupton

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 09/11/2011 16:50

I was going to come back on to say Brideshead Revisited but thought that the OP might class it as too deep and heavy! And 'A Handful Of Dust' is such an amzing book but again doesn't sound like the sort of thing the OP is after. In fact, I'm annoyed now because I can't think of something that would be perfect for the OP's sister and I HATE not being able to recommend an ideal book! :)

LikeACandleButNotQuite · 09/11/2011 16:49

Anything by Jodi Picoult (specfically My Sister' Keeper)

5 Peolple You Meet in Heaven

Death and life of Charlie St Cloud

mateysmum · 09/11/2011 16:47

Lovely Bones

The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton

Brideshead Revisited / A Handful of Dust (Evelyn Waugh)

The last 3 are not what you'd call tragic, but neither do they have a conventional ending and are well written without being heavy. Even if you've seen the adaptations, they're worth a read.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks is also worth a go - sad and moving.

tallulah · 09/11/2011 16:45

Anything by Stephen King.

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