To start a thread where we can warn each other about books with crap endings?

[SinisterBumFacedCat]

Her by Harriet Lane

I feel like I've wasted time reading this book because it had a truly shit ending.

Also The Deep End by Emily Barr

Please share yours....

Fatmomma, you're thinking of Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry. I howled with laughter for most of that. I used to read bits out to my husband in bed until he asked me to keep further insights on the little kitten of death to myself...

The Magus by John Fowles. I spent an entire night reading that fucking book, dying to know what was going on. I was absolutely gutted by the ending. Such a load of bollocks. Which probably means I'm some kind of philistine, but I was seriously pissed off (and knackered)

I found the ending of The Girl On the Train a bit runbishnto be honest. All a bit ridiculous

Oh no not the Magus! My favourite book in the world! It's supposed to be wierd and unsatisfying!

Sorry for spelling her name wrong, Niffenegger. Yes, it was awful. Such a shame after TTW!

I'm soooooo relieved that Jodi Picoulet is getting trashed on this thread. There was one only a week or so ago where everybody loved her. I don't know how to insert it as a link, but the thread title was:

AIBU to think if you make a film of a book...

The Girl on the Train. Though that was shit from start to finish, really.

Gone Girl - what?

Yy to The Deep End. What a ridiculous book.

Allegiant. Totally horrible and unnecessary ending.

War and Peace. Natasha deserved better.

Good Wives. Poor Jo.

Epilogue of Harry Potter.

I agree about One Day.

Also 'Behind the scenes at the museum' by Kate Atkinson. It's a shame since I like it throughout.

Just finished The Beach House by James Patterson. The ending was silly and pants. I think many authors start of great and then just struggle to keep it going and wrap it all up properly.

Knife of Never Letting Go. Horribly violent and inconclusive so you will have to read the next two books to find out what happens. No thanks.

Oh and Weight if Water by Anita Shrieve - a real "where the fuck did that come from".

The Da Vinci Code- really enjoyed the beginning and build up but again just lost it in the third and final part.

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver
It turns out it was all a dream. Really?!

The Woman at the Fifth, by Douglas Kennedy. Really good till last 40 pp.

Agree re Gone Girl, but was quite happy with ending of Crimson Petal - love that book.

Husband's Secret - agree, rubbish ending, actually quite rubbish from middle.

I am wary of a lot of these so-called thrillers now because the end is often so poor. If you're going to ratchet tension up that high, you have to deliver.

I thought that the ending of 'Her' was frustrating but true to the type of book it was meant to be.

The ending of Sophie's World was a bit pant if memory serves me correctly.

Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, Alys Always, The Goldfinch..... I get mightily annoyed with some books!

Like I said molly it probably makes me a philistine that I didn't get it and hadn't realised that it was the experience of being frustrated that was the authors aim! I was just so disappointed that I had stayed up all night for that experience!!

PS Just googled because someone mentioned State of Play - the TV show not the film - I watched half of it, so now wondering why the ending is crap but can't find it on google. If anyone wants to share, please do. THanks.

re the experience of being frustrated, I think authors need to be really careful with that - if you are just getting on readers' nerves for a couple of pages to create empathy, fine, but when it happens for about 30 pages I get annoyed (and usually don't finish the book).

Sorry, but I'm laughing at the comment about 'The Knife of Never Letting Go' and having to read the other two if you want to find out what happens.

That's kind of the point of a trilogy, I think.

Atonement. It's out me off anything else by him. I'll get slated for this but anything by Steinbeck, they just peter out. Particularly canery row. Also agree with my sisters keeper.

Another one for Daughter by Jane whatshername. Stupid, stupid ending. Unbelievable and the mother is just a blinking idiot.

The Ice Twins, aswell. Loved the book, but the ending was too rushed in it's sudden outing of the story which made it rather daft.

Mister Pip.

I can't remember who the author was because I binned my copy after the ending spoilt my holiday .

'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Flipping loved every single page of this one, utterly gripped throughout and then it just ended! Vey vey unsatisfied....

A couple of my favorite books have been mentioned here (I thought their endings were great!)

Agree that the ending to The Lovely Bones was terrible though. I'll also add to the list, Perfect People by Peter James. Completely gripped for the first three quarters or so and just "WTF?" for the final quarter.

No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. Really good till you get to the last thirty pages or so, it becomes too unbelievable to work.

TheMissingSheep, which endings have you liked that were criticised here?