Friday, August 01, 2008

Booking Through Thursday: Endings

Today's Yesterday's question:
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?
My answer for this week is going to be pretty similar to last week's; I've read several books with memorable final lines, but I base my opinion of the book on the whole thing, rather than just the beginning or ending. I will say, though, that I have read quite a few books that were just okay and managed to earn a good rating with a really great ending. I think because it's the last impression we have of a book, it tends to stick with us longer.

Some of my favorite final lines:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." - A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." - Animal Farm, George Orwell

"Winston loved Big Brother." - 1984, George Orwell

"Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south, south-east, east..." - Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

"'Think on it, Chani: that princess will have the name, yet she'll live as less than a concubine - never to know a moment of tenderness from the man to whom she's bound. While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine - history will call us wives.'" - Dune, Frank Herbert

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