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: 124 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nook STR, iPad Air 2	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.

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10-09-2012, 01:47 PM	#2
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	Jane Austen's EMMA might suit you.

10-09-2012, 01:49 PM	#3
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nook STR, iPad Air 2	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 Nameless Being	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, 02:24 PM	#7
curtw Outside of a dog Posts: 871 Karma: 4457646 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston, TX Device: Kindle Voyage	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?)

10-09-2012, 02:55 PM	#8
purple_fishy Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 33812 Join Date: May 2011 Location: The land of sand and sun Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nook STR, iPad Air 2	We loved Gulliver's Travels. We read that together last year.

10-09-2012, 05:10 PM	#11
Synamon Lunatic Posts: 1,691 Karma: 4386372 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Land of the Loonie Device: Kindle Paperwhite and Keyboard, Kobo Aura, 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.

10-09-2012, 05:12 PM	#12
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,161 Karma: 234348875 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	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.

10-09-2012, 05:26 PM	#14
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,376 Karma: 28116892 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, iPad 9th gen. IPhone 11	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.

10-09-2012, 06:27 PM	#15
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,264 Karma: 90000484 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	The Three Musketeers Apache