Book endings that disappointed you (Spoilers inside)

[mvd]

What books had endings that disappointed you? I agree with another DUer that said the ending of Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline was lackluster. If you mention specifics about a book's ending, don't forget to put a spoiler warning.

**SPOILER**




In Lisa Scottoline's Dirty Blonde, I didn't like the way she made Emily the killer. Motive was weak - Scottoline had established that Emily has a flawless academic record. Emily says that her folks depended on her, but she could have gotten another job. And as a law clerk, did she really need that extra money? Finally, Cate is loyal and probably wouldn't have fired Emily. Emily put the real blame on Simone's production company. I knew the killer wouldn't be Marz or Micah. Plus, Emily is goth, and she could have been a cool character. For a while, I thought Nesbitt might have done it - until he was willing to consider that someone besides Marz killed Simone. Really, I didn't think any great choices for killer were established - the characters were either somewhat obvious or without a real motive - but the choice of Emily was weak.

[lost-in-nj]

1. No Spoiler

but Stephan Kings CELL was a good read
until the end.... I think it was a cop out
I hear they are making a movie about it.




lost

[mvd]

3. Same with Dirty Blonde

It was a good page turner, but I'd like to see Cate back in a sequel where she does more judging. Trials in Dirty Blonde got interesting only to have no finale.

[Arkham House]

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (spoiler warning)

As everyone knows, this ends with the revelation that the murderer is the Watsonian narrator of the book. I've never really found this satisfactory, for reasons I could never quite put my finger on...then a few years ago, a French intellectual--I know, I know; it's still an interesting book--wrote a book claiming that the reader doesn't *have* to swallow Poirot-Christie's answer to the mystery, and that someone else may well have murdered Ackroyd, and that such a reading is legitimate. I still haven't figured out if this makes the ending of "Ackroyd" better, or worse...

[China_cat]

4. What also upset me

about that was the standing ovation given by the asshole old men that wanted her tarred, feathered and wearing big scarlet W's (for whore) 3 pages earlier.

[idgiehkt]

5. the Hemingway book about the war where the lady dies at the end

sorry, it's been a while

For Whom the Bell Tolls, maybe?

[Chan790]

6. I hated the ending of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

**Spoiler**

Not that all the members of La Familidad de Martin Juarez die, as that was expected...but there is no good or logical reason to marry Gen and Roxane Coss. It ruined possibly the best novel ever written for lovers of music. A book like Bel Canto is supposed to be beautiful and tragic, but Patchett caves and tries to half-give the happy ending that the reader is dying for and knew all along was not possible.

[Richard Steele]

7. Thomas Harris' "Hannibal" (No spoiler)

I wasn't happy with, shall I say, "where Starling was"
at the end of the book.
Rather disappointed the author did that.

On the other hand, I really think it's his best work except for that.

[NMMNG]

9. I agree

I was reading it and thinking "No, no, NO! This is completely wrong--she would never do that! :grr:"

[Rowdyboy]

10. Bizarre as the ending was, I liked it. I have such a vivid mental picture

"Clarice"....drugged and dancing in the arms of HL seemed like an appropriate end to me.

[Rowdyboy]

8. Donna Tartt and "The Little Friend" ....a flawless book that dies at the

end. Very sad.

[Tsiyu]

11. "the Horse Whisperer"

by Nicholas Evans

The ending of the book was too contrived; the movie with Robert :loveya: Redford had a much more satisfying ending.