Happy Endings Discussion

[paigehasissues]

So I was looking at the EW article that revealed the cover for Bloodlines by Richelle Mead and because I forgot why I don't read comments for any articles I read, I read the comments. One two-comment thread I saw went like this: first commenter doesn't want one character (who had his heart broken in the first series) to fall for the narrator, and

Comments

[future_guardian]

I absolutely hate this idea that a character must fall in love and that is the happy ending. One reason I got out of obsessively reading paranormal romance was, I was getting flat-out tired of variations of this line: They curled up in each other's arms. She sighed happily. Her life was messy, but as long as she had her man, everything else would work itself out. You know what? I'd prefer to see a character accomplish something, pull herself out of a bad situation, save the world (temporarily)...anything other than falling in love. Not that love is a bad thing, per se (it doesn't do it for me, but that's a personal concern), but it should never be written as the only way a character can be happy or have a good life. Unfortunately, in some genres it seems that's the only way to end a novel

[helbling]

Kim Harrison is good at this. Cheeseburger-equivalents her books may be, but everytime you see the heroine satisfied or happy at the end of a book, it tends to be because she's surrounded by her friends and they're all alive, not because she's happily shacked up with someone.

[crystal_ness]

Agreed.

[mavilous]

Love and happy endings seem to be a popular trend in YA novels lately. Which, admittedly, is all right if executed properly, but it's such a fad now that I'm not too big on it. I prefer happy endings that involve character growth; they're more realistic that way and help the reader think. If the character learns something? That's a happy ending to me. YA novels seem to be degenerating into a genre that can be translated into a television show, which is all instant gratification and not exactly about personal growth for the reader (through the character and situations they're reading about).

But! In short, no, I don't think a character needs to fall in love or even have a romantic interest to have a happy ending.

[intertribal]

Unless the book is a romance, I see no reason why a character must fall in love to have a happy ending. That's ridiculous.

[jadedissola]

Absolutely not, but if I'm reading a Romance novel then I do expect the main character(s) to end up with someone by the end of the book/series because that's why I'm reading Romance.

That being said, I don't think to have a happy ending in other genres you need characters partnering off at the end. In real life, love doesn't solve everything or make everything all better, and in fact, sometimes it's just plain better to be alone. Hell, sometimes you just don't want anyone in your life, and that's okay too.

And finally, who says books have to have happy endings anyway? While I don't always like it, a sad or less-than perfect ending can be satisfying too, just in a different way.

[ladyruby07]

Right. A romance genre book is kind of pointless without the whole love factor. But not necessary for the other genres of books.

[unusualdemoness]

THIS. When I'm reading specifically for the romance, then yes, I expect the main character to fall in love, but otherwise no, not at all.

[hadespuppy]

Absolutely not. I recently read a book that I very much enjoyed, until the end, when the protagonist was finally getting her life together. The last thing that happened was she called the guy who had run away from her because he was still in love with his ex. Telling him to "come home" was her happy ending. It completely ruined the book for me.