Last week, Lisa shared some of her favorite first lines from books. This week’s Booking Through Thursday considers famous closing words.
What are your favourite final sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its last sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the last line?
The first quote that came to my mind was spoken by Scarlett at the end of Gone with the Wind:
After all, tomorrow is another day.
After that initial thought, my mind went blank. I couldn’t think of the final lines of any other novels. However, I could think of several memorable endings to children’s books. Perhaps they are more committed to my memory because I have read them many, many times; but I also think that the books we read as a child or to our own children hold a special place in our hearts.
I am sure many of you recognize the final words of Goodnight Moon:
Goodnight stars; Goodnight air; Goodnight noises everywhere.
Little Blue Engine’s final words in The Little Engine That Could are also committed to my memory:
I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could.
Are there any famous last words that are memorable to you? Feel free to share them in the comments.
Lauren is a wife, a mother of two, and an avid reader. She blogs at Baseballs and Bows.
“The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.”
“With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.”
Wow, yeah I can’t think of any others either… GWTW and Goodnight Moon probably would have been the ones I’d have thought of, too… Hmmm… I can’t remember exact quotes – but the books in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld always end with the name of the next book, which I thought was pretty clever. That’s the best I can do. 🙂
Well, you’ll probably recognize the movie before the novella, but one of my hands down faves is from Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, better known as it’s movie counterpart, The Shawshank Redemption.
Last line:
“I hope.”
LOVE IT!
Aww… Good Night Moon! cute
Visit me to read my answer.
You’re so right about the books you read as a child being the most memorable. How could I have forgotten Clement Moore: “But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to all, And to all a good-night!”
“Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.
Every day, from here to there,
funny things are everywhere.”
— “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” Dr. Seuss
“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,” A.A. Milne
As you can tell, I’ve been reading a lot of children’s books lately. Gee, I wonder why… 😉
“…And chances are if he asks for a glass of milk, he’s going to want a cookie to go with it.”
🙂
(I know that one was not one I grew up reading, but it has become a memorable favorite of my children in the last few years!) 🙂
I agree–I couldn’t really think of last lines. I’d have to look them up and then see if they were memorable.
Good job going with the children’s books, because THOSE I remember!