To bookend my last Favorites Friday, Opening Lines, why not follow-up with favorite closing lines? I won’t share any that are undue spoilers!
“And he kissed her as they rode away down the high road, where pilgrims traveled, and gleemen, where the king’s lords journeyed amidst minstrels and knights and herbalists and gypsy caravans to all the reaches of Gies and beyond, to Brugest and Apulia and Calabria and to countries so small one had never heard of them.”
—Silver Woven in My Hair by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Charming and whimsical and magical. And it makes me want to ride away on the high road in search of magical places and new adventures.
“If it’s any of my business, how the devil did you ever get into that bally jungle?”
“I was born there,” said Tarzan, quietly. “My mother was an Ape, and of course she couldn’t tell me much about it. I never knew who my father was.”
—Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
I wonder how many people have been absolutely baffled to reach the end of Tarzan and watch him throw away his birthright and his chance at the beautiful Jane in a single noble effort. Not what anyone expects, right? But don’t worry–there’s a sequel.
“Happily ever after? I don’t think it’s quite what you meant, Alianora,” Cimorene murmured to the empty tunnel, “but one way or another, I rather think I will.”
—Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
I love fairy tale retellings that can make “happily ever after” work. And she will live happily ever after–just not quite the way fairy tales usually wind up.
“So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”
—The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
I find the last chapter of this book so heartbreaking–Christopher Robin is growing up (which is not the heartbreaking part) and as a consequence he has to say good-bye to all of his magical playmates, and he asks Winnie the Pooh to promise not to forget about him. It’s lovely. And sad.
“I’ll think about it tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then. Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.”
—Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
People tend to like Scarlett, dislike Scarlett, or not know how they feel about her but be fascinated by her either way. I’m in the third category. She’s just Scarlett and she’s fascinating, and nothing is ever going to keep her down for long–because she’ll fight and claw her way back no matter what happens.
Anyone else with favorite final lines? I’d love to hear!
I’m with Dennis; I love the bit at the end of Huck Finn, when he decides to light out for the territories. I think my favourite one comes at the end of SON OF A WITCH by Gregory Maguire, though.
You can’t leave me hanging…I haven’t read Son of a Witch and now I’m curious!
I can’t give an exact quote because I don’t have a copy of Huckleberry Finn handy. But I know that I totally loved the last few lines, in which Huck states his intention to run away to prevent Aunt Sally from trying to civilize him.
That would be… “But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize [sic] me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.”
Obviously I have a copy of Huck Finn 🙂 Somehow I always feel a compulsion to buy Huck Finn whenever I see it in a book store, and I think I’ll actually give in next time, because the cover’s coming off of the copy I have…
Love the lines from Gone With the Wind. They sum up Scarlett’s personality perfectly and leave the reader to imagine whatever ending they choose – she gets Rhett back, or she doesn’t.
I’m rarely fond of ambiguous endings, but Gone with the Wind really works!