Classics with a happy ending?

purple_fishy · 10-09-2012, 12:52 PM

Hello! My boyfriend and I are trying to pick a book to read together. We want to read something that is a classic so that it will be in the public domain and we can just download it from here (ideally) or from gutenberg or manybooks. What are some of your favorite classics that have happy endings?

Edited to add: My boyfriend does not want to read Jane Austen. We have read two of her novels together and he was not a huge fan.

fjtorres · 10-09-2012, 01:47 PM

Jane Austen's EMMA might suit you.

purple_fishy · 10-09-2012, 01:49 PM

Unfortunately, my boyfriend dislikes reading Jane Austen. Otherwise we would be diving into Emma or Persuasion right now.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that in the inital post. I will try to edit that.

Hamlet53 · 10-09-2012, 01:58 PM

Unusual for Dickens, but The Pickwick Papers has what I would call an all round happy ending. David Copperfield as well I suppose.

fjtorres · 10-09-2012, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purple_fishy

Unfortunately, my boyfriend dislikes reading Jane Austen. Otherwise we would be diving into Emma or Persuasion right now.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that in the inital post. I will try to edit that.

Well, you *could* try Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars Novels. The first trio definitely has a happy ending and is *nothing* like Jane Austen.

Conan Doyle.
Mark Twain.
The prisoner of Zenda and Rupert of Hentzau.
(That should have enough testosterone to suit an Austen-hater.)

spindlegirl · 10-09-2012, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

Unusual for Dickens, but The Pickwick Papers has what I would call an all round happy ending. David Copperfield as well I suppose.

I enjoyed David Copperfield.

Spoiler:

curtw · 10-09-2012, 02:24 PM

I second the Mark Twain.

And depending on your definition of "happy," you could include Gulliver's Travels. Which also has the added benefit of explaining some geeky inside jokes (ever wonder where the words "big-endian," "little-endian," and "yahoo" came from?)

purple_fishy · 10-09-2012, 02:55 PM

We loved Gulliver's Travels. We read that together last year.

Jozawun · 10-09-2012, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purple_fishy

We loved Gulliver's Travels. We read that together last year.

I was just wondering about "read together", how does that work exactly?

purple_fishy · 10-09-2012, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jozawun

I was just wondering about "read together", how does that work exactly?

We pick a book that both of us wants to read and we read it. We chit chat about it as we go through it. It's not like a formal book club or anything, just something we like to do together.

Synamon · 10-09-2012, 05:10 PM

The Secret Garden by Frances Hogdson Burnett is a considered a children's book, but I liked it and it does have a happy ending.

issybird · 10-09-2012, 05:12 PM

Graustark, by George Barr McCutcheon, in a similar vein to Prisoner of Zenda and Rupert of Hentzau, except that it really does have a happy ending, unlike the Hope novels. Available here at MR.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-09-2012, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jozawun

I was just wondering about "read together", how does that work exactly?

My wife and I will read to each other in bed. I have to do the reading usually because I tend to fall asleep a little too quickly when just listening.

fantasyfan · 10-09-2012, 05:26 PM

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is definitely a classic and has one of the most beautiful endings I know. Don't be put off by the fact that it is usually classed as Young Adult--everyone of whatever age (including me!} can get something quintessentially beautiful out of it.

Apache · 10-09-2012, 06:27 PM

The Three Musketeers
Apache

10-09-2012, 12:52 PM	#1
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 119 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Nook STR, Nook HD	Classics with a happy ending? Hello! My boyfriend and I are trying to pick a book to read together. We want to read something that is a classic so that it will be in the public domain and we can just download it from here (ideally) or from gutenberg or manybooks. What are some of your favorite classics that have happy endings? Edited to add: My boyfriend does not want to read Jane Austen. We have read two of her novels together and he was not a huge fan. Last edited by purple_fishy; 10-09-2012 at 01:50 PM.

10-09-2012, 02:24 PM	#7
curtw Outside of a dog Posts: 512 Karma: 1210400 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston, TX Device: iPod Touch, Kindle 3, Pandigital Novel Personal, Literati, Nexus 7	I second the Mark Twain. And depending on your definition of "happy," you could include Gulliver's Travels. Which also has the added benefit of explaining some geeky inside jokes (ever wonder where the words "big-endian," "little-endian," and "yahoo" came from?) __________________ Now reading: {e} The Bandit of Hell's Bend, by Edgar Rice Burroughs {p} The Bedtrick, by Wendy Doniger

10-09-2012, 05:26 PM	#14
fantasyfan Fanatic Posts: 584 Karma: 3511438 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi only, iPad, iPod Touch 3G	Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is definitely a classic and has one of the most beautiful endings I know. Don't be put off by the fact that it is usually classed as Young Adult--everyone of whatever age (including me!} can get something quintessentially beautiful out of it. __________________ The Heart's a Heavy Burden--Howl's Moving Castle "Time and Relative Dimension in Space"

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10-09-2012, 01:47 PM	#2
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,331 Karma: 34035087 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: PRS-T1, KT, PB701/IQ, K2, PB360, BeBook One, Axim51v, TC1000	Jane Austen's EMMA might suit you.

10-09-2012, 01:49 PM	#3
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 119 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Nook STR, Nook HD	Unfortunately, my boyfriend dislikes reading Jane Austen. Otherwise we would be diving into Emma or Persuasion right now. Sorry, I should have mentioned that in the inital post. I will try to edit that.

10-09-2012, 01:58 PM	#4
Hamlet53 American Senator Posts: 2,825 Karma: 25550144 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Sony 900, Nook Color (androided), Coby 10.1" Kyros Tablet	Unusual for Dickens, but The Pickwick Papers has what I would call an all round happy ending. David Copperfield as well I suppose.

10-09-2012, 02:55 PM	#8
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 119 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Nook STR, Nook HD	We loved Gulliver's Travels. We read that together last year.

10-09-2012, 05:10 PM	#11
Synamon Lunatic Posts: 1,311 Karma: 3206320 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Land of the Loonie Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, iPad mini, iPod Touch	The Secret Garden by Frances Hogdson Burnett is a considered a children's book, but I liked it and it does have a happy ending.

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10-09-2012, 06:27 PM	#15
Apache Readaholic Posts: 1,598 Karma: 25785098 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Nook Color / Nook HD+	The Three Musketeers Apache


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