HAPPILY EVER AFTER discussion

It might be a fair assumption that most of the members of this group prefer happily ever after in books :-) 

However, it is also quite possible that there may be some members who prefer a different type of ending.

In any case, I thought that it might be interesting to share about our favourite types of endings in books and explain the reasons behind our respective preferences, thanks! :-)

I don't have a favourite type of ending;sometimes I desperately wish for a happy ending but the endings that effect me the most are sad,bittersweet or heartbreaking(I dont know what it says about me). it all depends on the story line and the characters. I am usually skeptical of happy endings because I believe there are no happily ever afters except in disney movies.Its not that I am a sarcastic nonbeliever;I believe in love,frienship,family but sometimes the people we love betray,hurt or leave us so we cant exactly have a happily everafter,just some moments of happiness and contentment then some serious troubles and unhappiness.The thing to remember is the happy moments.Its not like nothing bad is going to happen to us ever again but I believe in hope and persevrence.
I guess I like a little diversity in the endings,something with a strong lesson about life and people.

I am a fan of happy endings in books and this is one of the reasons why two of my favourite genres are Cozy Mystery and light-hearted Romance :-)

While reading a Mystery, I enjoy the mental stimulation that comes with trying to solve the Mystery along with the sleuth :-)

But I don't crave strong excitement or deep contemplation while reading books. I get more than enough opportunities to ponder over serious issues in real-life and so when I get a chance to temporarily escape into the wonderful world of fiction, I prefer my reading experience to leave me feeling happy and relaxed :-)

With Mystery books, I like the resolution to be logically satisfactory and morally pleasing :-)

In both Mystery and Romance books, even if some secondary positive characters must face sorrow, loss or death, for the right cause ...but it's my preference that the main positive characters in a book manage to achieve happily ever after :-)

As far as the negative characters are concerned, well, if they are sincerely remorseful and there is no permanent damage done then they could be forgiven. But in my opinion, extremely offensive characters, like murderers, don't deserve happy endings.

Basically, I prefer such stories that end on a positive note and convey the message that if people possess wonderful qualities like faith, optimism, courage, honesty, fidelity, loyalty, tolerance, decency, courtesy, compassion, forgiveness etc then they do eventually get blessed with happiness :-)

This motivates me to incorporate such qualities in my own personality :-)

Such endings may not always happen in real-life, however, here I would like to reiterate that as far as I am concerned, I actually do not wish that the books that I read greatly resemble reality, since to me, reading fiction is like going on a vacation to a wonderful world, which is preferably different from the real world, where I can just relax and unwind :-) 

Reading such books provide me immense happiness and a sense of deep comfort ...and afterwards, I am prepared to face the responsibilities of real-life with strengthened faith, renewed hope, rested mind and fresh enthusiasm :-)

Happy ending because I don't want to be stressed

A happy ending to me is an ending that resolves issues, even through heartbreak and loss. I prefer characters who possess strong moral qualities and who persevere against the odds.

I don't mind any type of ending, as long as it is realistic. I am also happy for a perfect happy ending, if it clicks all the way, not just a rushed, irrealistically magical thing, but there are times when I feel a sadder ending is fine, too.

I do like a thriller or a dystopian book to end badly, it takes some gut to do that as a writer. But that is off-topic according to the genre here.

Most of the time, romatic books are a bit predictable, but I do like plottwists and things I dod not saw coming. usually, I was completely clueless because I thought a book was predictable.. I like that a lot, being like "wait what!' to my book ^^

I like absurd endings, that makes you think and you can develop your own perspective of the story endings. You want it happy, you get it. You want it sad, you got that as well. I hate happy endings books based on war, because honestly happy endings is very rare scenario.

Thinking of it, I very much liked the ending of The Husband's Secret!

@C. Oeh :D I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did! I'd like to hear your thoughts on it ^^ I plan on reading more from that author in the near future ^^

I will definitely let you know after I read it. I have 3 books to finish first, plus one person has it reserved ahead of me.

Oh how nice that you can see that! When I make a reservation at the library, I have no clue at all how long it will take. Sometimes more than 4 weeks, and than I'm completely suprised my the notification that I can come [ick up my book because I forgot all about it hehe

Odette wrote: "Oh how nice that you can see that! When I make a reservation at the library, I have no clue at all how long it will take. Sometimes more than 4 weeks, and than I'm completely suprised my the notifi..."

Oh yes, I love that feature of my library's online catalog. Maybe if you suggest it becoming a feature from your library, they will consider adding it?

@C. We have a countrywide librarysystem, all the libraries are in it and there is so much wrong with it, I rather have them fix those things first :p but i do like a new feature: if I type in an English title, I get the english book if they have it but also the dutch translation! i like this a lot, i don't have to do a lot of researching as to what the translated title is because my language is so weird and it usually differs a lot XD this saves me a lot of time haha, but I went completely off-topic, sorry!!

Dorottya wrote: "I don't mind any type of ending, as long as it is realistic. I am also happy for a perfect happy ending, if it clicks all the way, not just a rushed, irrealistically magical thing, but there are ti..."

I agree I hate when the ending seems like it came out of a Barbie's head!

Any ending that makes me lie flat on my back for 20 minutes straight, barely breathing because I've just been blown away by how epic it was!

One book that springs to mind that did just that was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I literally couldn't move - I was completely, utterly mesmerized! :D

Happy endings because real life is already sad and depressing as it is and at the very least I should be able to count on a fictional reality to have a happy ending when real life doesn't

I always like it better when the good guy gets the girl and is not betrayed by her.
I think that there are enough bad things in life and i want a story i can count on to be a happy ending that i like.

I like when the ending gives a general idea of what the future looks like for the characters. I like when all is resolved--no cliffhangers.
If romance, just the couple together and happy--no kids/babies.

A HEA, hopefully not rushed or tacked on. If the H or h (or both)
deserves a grovel, I hope he/ she gets one. A genuine, not quick
grovel. An epilogue is 'icing on the cake.'

For me, HFN, is less satisfying.