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Bev's Books » Uncategorized » endings that nail the whole package

endings that nail the whole package

May 16th, 2006 | 11 Comments

I just caught myself rewatching the ending to the movie Dirty Dancing. Again. Please note that I do not own a copy of this movie and I never rewatch the entire thing. I’m not even sure I like the whole thing. Yet, somehow, I routinely manage to find a way to rewatch the last ten minutes or so of it whenever I run across it on the tube and it’s replayed an amazing number of times so that’s added up over the years.

I just love the ending of that movie, though. There’s something about the way that Patrick Swayze’s character comes back to dance with her one last time. See I don’t even know the names of the characters. Really that scene gets me every time. I sigh, grin and go on with my life.

This got me to thinking about endings in romances I might feel the same way about. I’m drawing a complete and total blank, though. Amazingly, I don’t believe I read/reread romances for the endings at all. Or rather just for the endings. It’s the whole package or nothing, apparently.

Oh, sure there are those old favorites that I’ve reread so many times that I don’t have to reread every single scene to get the emotional pleasure I got the first time. All that’s needed is to reread certain favorite scenes and the entire story sort of plays out in my head. Come on, you all know exactly what I mean.

I can’t seem to think of any romances where all it takes is rereading the ending and I’m happy. So, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

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  • http://thriftyreader.blogspot.com Ames

    After reading your post, I have to agree: I can’t think of any book where I’m happy just rereading the ending.
    Maybe because the ending is usually HEA?
    I think the buildup to that ending is more important, I frequently go back to read certain scenes for the emotions they evoke, and I don’t necessarily get that from the ending.

  • http://sanctuarysbookblog.blogspot.com/ holly

    Not me, there are several books that I love to go back and re-read just the ending. Usually the last chapter, but a lot of the time it’s just a page or two. Hmm, let’s see if I can think of some names here:

    1) Pretty much anything by Linda Howard. Cry No More comes to mind.
    2) Most Judith McNaught books. Almost Heaven is a favorite. I hate how much drama she puts in her books, so I usually just skip to the end when everything works out.

    I know there are several more. Actually, now that I think about it, I read the endings more often than I go through and read my favorite scenes.

    Great post, you really got me thinking.

    Oh, and you know what movie I love watching the end of again and again? Legally Blonde. I love the court scene at the end. ha ha Yes, I am slightly ashamed of this.
    ;)

  • http://thriftyreader.blogspot.com Ames

    You know what part of legally blonde i love? When she’s watching that soap opera and she throws the box of chocolates at the t.v. screaming “LIAR!” The way she says liar cracks me up everytime, so I like to rewatch that part.
    And I don’t know how many times I’ve watched the ending to Center Stage – when Jodi is dancing her heart out. LOL

  • beverly

    Heh, my son got really annoyed with me right after we got the Lord of the Ring trilogy on DVD because the only scene I really wanted to watch – over and over – was the kiss after the coronation of Aragon. Mark’s like, “Mom, there’s 12 hours of movie here and THIS is all you want to see?” And I”m like, “Yeah, so what’s your point?” ;p

    Oh, and after thinking about it some more, I think there are a couple of book endings I have fond feelings for but curiously enough, they’re both sort of joint epilogues to groups of books, not simply single story endings. One is in the epilogue to Stobie Piel’s White Sun, which is the last book a trilogy, where all the heroes of the three books have a male bonding session in a swamp. What happens is just so in character for all the books that it made a great end to the trilogy. Another one I like a lot is the family gathering in the last Bar Cynster book where we finally hear Devil say something extremely important and also so very in character to the entire set of books that it makes a great finale.

    But I still haven’t thought of a single story ending that does this for me. Very interesting.

  • http://romancereadingmom.blogspot.com Tara Marie

    “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Love that scene.

    Linda Howard’s Dream Man. He’s having sympathy labor pains.

    I just mentioned to Amanda that the ending of Jill Barnett’s Dreaming is rather memorable.

  • http://dearauthor.com Jane

    The ending of Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn wherein Tayse makes one of the most romantic declarations I have ever read.

  • http://sanctuarysbookblog.blogspot.com/ holly

    I remember that all important scene in the Bar Cynster series, Bev. I’d forgotten until just now, but I remember thinking at the time..really? That’s the first time he said it? WHOA!

    Ames, I love that scene, too. I usually start the movie at the scene where she decides to “get smart” (when she’s in the bunny costume buying the laptop?). You know, the second one wasn’t near as good as the first, IMO. Though I did like it.

    Dream Man is another story with a great ending. Watching Big Bad Dane go through labor was just priceless. LH is the best at things like that.

  • beverly

    Sympathy labor pains are always a good punch line in a romance. I can’t remember exactly if it went as far as that but I believe MAIDEN BRIDE by Deborah Simmons had the hero definitely having problems in the epilogue when his wife went through childbirth, which was quite a good ending considering all the trouble he’d put her through.

    And, yes, I had the same reaction to that surprise at the end of the Bar Cynster series, Holly. Very much a “whoa” moment. I immediately had to go back and reread DEVIL’S BRIDE just to make sure Laurens hadn’t cheated. She hadn’t and I still couldn’t believe I’d missed it because I actually reviewed that book for AAR. The one and only “official” review I’ve ever done. ;p

    I think I’ve read DREAMING by Barnett so why can’t I remember the ending you’re talking about, Tara. Help me out here.

    Oh, and Jane, share the romantic declaration because I haven’t read the Shinn in question. :D

  • http://sanctuarysbookblog.blogspot.com/ holly

    I’ve read Dreaming, too, I think, but I can’t remember anything about it right now. Who are the main characters again? Nevermind, I’ll get off my lazy behind and go look for myself.

  • http://romancereadingmom.blogspot.com Tara Marie

    Dreaming–the hero makes a romantic entrance in a suit of armor only to find himself stuck in it.

  • beverly

    Well, huh. I must’ve not read that one because I certainly don’t remember that, Tara, and I’m pretty sure I would’ve. I’ll have to check my shelves. Thanks for the heads up.