Thoughts on the World discussion

Has anyone else noticed that most books/movies are considered "good" just if they have sad endings? i personally don't really like sad endings, unless they're really necessary. anyone else have an opinion?

It's bittersweet to me. I really like where the Red Fern Grows and it's pretty sad. Also, I don't know about anyone else, bit in The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, I cried when Aslan died. I think movies are good when they make you cry but at the same time....well it's' sad!

well, like i said, it's okay for the ending to be sad if it's necessary. for example, i really liked the ending of the outsiders. it made me cry, but i thought it was necessary, cuz it showed how hard life was for these kids in the streets, and that was one purpose of the book.

I agree with Brigid.

I agree with Brigid, too.

people would rather want to see happy endings than sad endings. But sometimes sad endings need to take place.

happy endings definitely make you feel better. but sometimes sad endings are more realistic. it's just that a lot of books wouldn't be considered "good" if they didn't have a sad ending. like probably Bridge to Terabithia wouldn't be such a classic if it was just about two kids happily playing make-believe in the woods. but if leslie dies randomly, suddenly it's a work of pure genius? I just don't get it. I hated the end of that book; it was so unnecessary in that case.

I think sad endings are okay, just not those really really corny, sappy love endings
those types of endings makes me want to burn the stupid book
OMG! the outsiders is soo sad, but at least its based on real life
happy endings feel more like child-books, don't you guys think? as we grow older, we realize more about life and that its not all good...so the sadder books are able to relate more to the everyday lives

Like Ephona, it's really bittersweet. ex- Gemma Doyle. That was the third time i ever cried reading a book. Happy endings make me feel better though, so i don't read a sad book if i'm blue. and also, sad endings are more realistic, like brigid said.

Life Is Beautiful was very sad. :( (It's a movie) But it teaches so much. Sometimes sad endings are more meaningful than happy ones, but I hate those endings that are sad AND feel incomplete at the same time.

actually, allie, i didn't really like the end of the gemma doyle trilogy. i thought it was kinda a lame way to end the series... it felt a little abrupt or something. idk. i luv those books though. i just didn't like the ending so much.

I don't think sad endings make people think a book is good or not. In fact, I know some very sad excuses for books that end sadly- but you're happy that everyone dies because you hate the characters. The Chronicles of Narnia is one of those books for me.

I also don't particularly judge a book or movie based on how it ends. But let's face it- most endings in life are sad, tragic, bittersweet, melancholy, or just not what you want to happen.

i try not to judge books on their endings, but i really can't help it. sometimes i'll like a book, but then the ending will suck and i'll suddenly hate it. and then whenever i see it, i don't think of the part that i like; i only say to myself, "eew. that's the book with the really stupid ending". i wish it didn't happen, but it does. for me, the ending makes or breaks a book.

exactly. like, i hated the end to My Sister's Keeper. everyone told me it had some amazing ending, so i was expecting something good. but i thought the ending was a really stupid, unnecessary plot twist that really didn't make any sense. i liked the book until the end. i would have liked it more if it had a predictable ending that was still GOOD.

same here helen
incomplete is a whole other concept
but a sad ending has more meaning...at least in my eyes

I'd say it really depends on weather good or bad endings are better based on the storyline and how it ties up together.

I just know I REALLY hate stories that the characters go through such a hard time throughout the whole story to reach for something they've worked so hard for... just to lose balance and fall over and lose... ruins everything!! RAAAAWWRRR!

Life is Beautiful... actually it was a happy ending, the boy survived, it was just sad the father died... bittersweet ending I'd say. But think about it... if the father didn't die... would it make the story more meaningful? My opinion would be no.

LoL which reminds me... some books are REALLY cheesy with good endings. x]

Oh and some books I've read... are HORRIBLE in the beginning and middle but the endings are AMAZING!!! Which totally makes up for the bad start. But I perfer books that flow through beautifuly. :)

oh huuush, peggy
read the same book again and think to yourself if it's still a good ending

but those types of characters are only in like books such as eragon...whatever other fiction books there are
uhhh, well life is beautiful seems more sad than happy to me
sure, it made the story meaningful, but the father tried to keep the boy out of the loop for his own sake and dying from it just out of his love for his son...i didn't really see how the mother fit into it really, though :P

I actually don't care if the end of a book or movie is sad or happy. all i care is if it is a stupid, cheesy ending. a good example would be harry potter 7. that ending made me never want to pick up the book again.

well...i just stopped at harry potter 1
the movie seems much better
cause iono, the book just seems to ramble on and on and bores me..:P

THANK YOU! someone who agrees with me finally!!! okay, well i read the first two books. but i just didn't get what the big deal was. then everyone's like, "but the third one is the good one!" and i'm like, "well, if i have to wait until the third book before it gets interesting, it's not worth it." i can't stand harry potter... book or movie.

I love sad endings, but not all the time, because sometimes it ruins the story.

i agree.

haha, i'm not the type of person who just falls in love with those bestseller books, i really don't know why
take twilight for example...i hate it, like CRAAAZZZYY!!!
the movie keeps a lot of details, but the book has way too many for its own good

you hate twilight? really? i luv twilight!
oh well. it doesn't really bother me... it's your opinion after all. lol. and i shouldn't be talking, cuz i hate harry potter with a passion, and everyone's like "WHAT? WHY?!" and i'm like, 'idk, i just don't like it... it sucks..." and i hate a lot of other stuff that other people like. idk, like eragon. i hate that series too. :p

the whole plot is only based on one subject: supposedly "love", but i have to respect your opinon, since after all, more than half my friends are in love with it
but i heard that the new book called "The Host" is so much better, so i really want to read it
eragon was okay to me for some reason, but eldest just bothered the heck out of me
and harry potter is kinda old, like all the talk about it has kinda died out now...it's more like nicholas sparks and stephanie meyer talk now

I hate Twilight too........ Eldest was strange, it changed thier personalities, but still good!

I don't like Twilight that much either. I'm just waiting for it to get to the exciting parts.

THANK YOU, i just really don't see what is it that appeals to readers
and it's supposed to relate to teenage life, so yeaaa, the effect isn't working for me
i didn't get eldest...after reading like 20 pages, i got bored ._____.""
Ephona, i'm not sure what you mean by exciting

(Oakwar) it was a stupid ending to a perfectly good book. like seriously why would you name your kid albus severous potter? i just thought it had no purpose.

idk why you ppl think twilight is boring!!! i mean i know it isn't all action-packed, but the themes in it are really interesting and the writing style is really good. i mean, twilight is the reason that there are so many vampire books coming out these days; and especially when you compare it to all the other crappy vampire books out there, twilight is a masterpiece!!! :D

i have read far better vampire-based novels, but the theme is just horrible
it's only based around the fake love they keep saying, which apparently is love at first sight, totally unreal
the only part that i was even close to being half-amused is when Bella was about to be killed
but i'm willing to read another Stephanie Meyer book, in which i'm hoping to be much better

the only part of those twilight books that i liked was when bella tried to punch jacob. that was pretty funny.

okay i don't get it but whatever...

I heard Host was way different than Twilight, so I think I'll read it.

Yea, the Host is different, something about aliens.

i think parasites... idk. i just requested it from the library, cuz my friend is bugging me to read it CONSTANTLY

Twilight was pretty good, but I could barely stand the second two. They were annoyingly repetitive.

repetitive? meaning what? i don't get it...

i think so too it has the same probs...choosing edward or jacob, and not being able to be a vampire or w/e

Yes, exactly.
It's always those weird love relationships and stuff. You can basically summarize the whole triology into like maybe a sentence or two.

i hate that trilogy, but her new book called The Host is actually pretty good. i was surprised.

Mhmm.
Well I haven't read it yet, but so far the cover just creeps me out a smidge.
But she's probably going to kill it, continuing it on with some other sequel that will definetely die in comparison.

The twilight series starts pretty good and then Edward breaks up with Bella for the first time and it all goes downhill. Bella is like a robot!

i still LUV the series but i agree; at times bella does get on my nerves...

I LOVE sad endings... Sometimes you don't expect it to happen and you get all sad or shocked

it depends whether it's necessary or not.