Our Favourite Closing Lines in Literature
What makes a book? The opening paragraph? The characters? The plot? In truth, they all work together to create a good narrative but the final line of the book is just as important; how the author leaves us is just as vital as how they greet us. So, without further ado, we give you: our favourite closing lines in books.
The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
"Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger."
The House at Pooh Corner, by A.A. Milne
"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."
P.S. I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern
"In the meantime, she would just live."
1984, by George Orwell
"He loved Big Brother."
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickins
"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."
The Colour Purple, by Alice Walker
"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 Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
"A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR. I am haunted by humans."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
"The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
"Are there any questions?"
The Green Mile, by Stephen King
"We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long."
The Fiery Cross, by Diana Gabaldon
"'When the day shall come, that we do part,' he said softly, and turned to look at me, 'if my last words are not ‘I love you’ – ye’ll ken it was because I didna have time.'"
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
"I wish you all a long and happy life."
To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf
“Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.”
Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
“Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.”
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