Nothing can ruin a book like a disappointing ending while nothing can make it more memorable than a fabulous last line. What follows is a sampling of some of the best last lines from beloved books. Some are poignant, some are funny but all are powerful reminders of that literary world you just experienced.
“I wish you all a long and happy life.” –The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald
“After all, tomorrow is another day.” – Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
“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
“He is coming, and I am here.” –The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.” – Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
“But I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.” – The Color Purple, Alice Walker
“That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended.” – Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this.” –Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
“I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran.” –The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
“Isn’t it pretty to think so?” – The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
“And the tale I have to tell is so ludicrous, so incredible, that you’ll never believe a word of it, and yet” – she taps the end of his nose – “it’s true.” – Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr
“This is the happiest day of my life.” – The Martian, Andy Weir
“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” –Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
Now it’s my turn. After more than 1800 blog posts, thousands of dollars spent purchasing books for the library, countless reference questions answered and over 34 years working at the Davenport Library, I am heading off on the new adventure of retirement. It has been an honor and a pleasure.
Wishing you all many happy hours of reading! Ann
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Thanks, Ann. It has been fun reading your entertaining, interesting, funny, thoughtful, lovely words.
Enjoy retirement, Ann! Thank you for all the great recommendations over the years. What a sweet, hopeful post. Cheers.
Thanks, Ann! We will miss you here at DPL and I can’t wait to see what your favorite first lines are on the next leg of your journey!