Sunday, October 27, 2013

Discussion: About “Open” Endings


“Open” endings are not my favorite.  If you ever read my reviews, you know this to be true. 

I generally don’t like it when I read a book, and especially a series, only to find out that the ending is really non-existent.  It’s not that I need every loose end neatly tied up; realistically, I don’t expect a happy ending all the time.   The young adult genre is tricky. After all, not everyone finds true love in high school (I did, but hey, not everyone can be as lucky!)  What I dislike is an ending that it’s so “open” that it leaves me dissatisfied, wondering, and sometimes even mad. 

Let’s take some examples (I’ve heard horror stories about the Delirium series, but since I haven’t read this series, I will take your word for it):

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan – This is a short book and maybe the problem is that I expected more.  The whole story takes place in a really short amount of time and it’s markedly inconclusive.

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Scheneider – I loved this book.  The writing is a gem and the characterization is amazing too, BUT I wanted more that the ending I got. 

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith – I also had high expectations for this book, because I loved The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. The book has a very good premise, but halfway through, it fell apart for me.  

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black – I loved this one!  It’s a unlike vampire book and I really liked the plot and the characterization; BUT to be honest it seemed to me that Coldest Girl is a great beginning for a series and not a stand-alone book.


What do you think about open endings?  Is it just me that loves a ‘definite’ ending?  Do I lack the imagination to accept it?  Is it too much to ask after investing the time and money on a book?  Have you read any of these?  Do you have other examples?

9 comments:

  1. Noooo. Just no. I hate open endings so much. Even worse when they don't even have an epilogue. I totally agree with you. I don't want to have to read a whole series and then find out that I pretty much just wasted my time. I like solid endings! :D

    Laura @ Music Plus Books

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  2. I'm not much into open endings either. I need at least a few hints as to how things are going to end up. If it's completely open I feel cheated, like evil things could happen whenever I'm not watching/reading.

    Johanna @ Challenging Reads

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    1. I thought maybe it was just me that lack the imagination to figure out what happens next!

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  3. Open endings are not for me either. I like to know what happens and how everything ends because otherwise, I'll be dying to know how it ends for a long time! I like my ending wrapped up with a nice little bow :)

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    1. I need at least a proper ending or an epilogue :)

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  4. I am not a fan of them either! I think one of the worst for me was Forever (Mercy Wolves Trilogy) by Maggie Stiefvater. After three books leading to what I was hoping would be a conclusion and answers of some sorts, it ended rather unfairly. Nothing was answered, more questions were raised and the ending was wide open. I'm okay with not every loose end being tied up, but expect the author to tie SOME up -- otherwise it just seems lazy on the author's part!

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    1. I agree with you! I love this series but I was expecting a lot more. Not necessarily a happy ending, but a reason for what was happening to them all.

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  5. To me an open ending is as bad as a cliffie. I want a true ending. I want a story that makes sense beginning, middle, to end. When an ending is pretty much a fill in the blank, I feel like I wasted my time reading the book(s). I felt that way after the Shiver/Linger/Forever series.

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I love comments! Please leave me one and I will try to reply as soon as I can. Liza

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