Endings: name the novels

[Pulpmeister]

Famous opening sentences or paragraphs we have seen before. But what of endings of famous(or at least best selling) books:


1: On the way downtown I stopped at a bar and had a couple of double Scotches. They didn’t do me any good. All they did was make me think of Silver-Wig, and I never saw her again.
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2: My foot touched something on the grass beside the road, and I picked up the green hat.

Sir Maurice said hoarsely: “Chose the only way to make it look like an accident to those two children....”

“Here’s her hat,” I muttered, and as Sir Maurice turned to it his face was puckered like a child’s. Suddenly the moaning of the wrecked car ceased, and in the silence Hilary walked into the darkness about the great tree.
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3: "I've always wanted to see a Martian," said Michael. "Where are they, Dad? You promised."
"There they are," said Dad, and he shifted Michael on his shoulder and pointed straight down.
The Martians were there. Timothy began to shiver.
The Martians were there—in the canal—reflected in the water. Timothy and Michael and Robert and Mom and Dad.
The Martians stared back up at them for a long, long silent time from the rippling water ...
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4: And the incorruptible Professor walked too, averting his eyes from the odious multitude of mankind. He had no future. He disdained it. He was a force. His thoughts caressed the images of ruin and destruction. He walked frail, insignificant, shabby, miserable— and terrible in the simplicity of his idea calling madness and despair to the regeneration of the world. Nobody looked at him. He passed on unsuspected and deadly, like a pest in the street full of men.
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5: On the mantel, Arthur Winner saw the gilded, the ceaseless ticking clock. In its dead language: Omnia vincit amor, the metal ribband unchangeably declared. Timeless, the golden figures— on feeling's for ever winning side, the smiling archer, the baby god; below, the peeping Tom, the naked girl— immobile held their pose; and now— the minutes how they run!— sudden, yet slow and melodious, the unseen mechanism was activated, struck a first silvery stroke, a second, a third, a fourth.

Raised to call back, to answer his Aunt Maud, Arthur Winner heard his own grave voice. He said: 'I'm here.'
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6: My taxi slowed and stopped for a red light. I looked out of the window and saw a newspaper headline on a corner stand.

EARL JANOTH, OUSTED PUBLISHER, PLUNGES TO DEATH.
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7: 'Righto, Rosie,' he said. 'Let's.'

So they left the Lake and began the long journey to Matadi and marriage. As to whether or not they lived happily ever after is not easily decided.
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8: I found the horseshoe of black rocks on the beach where I had hidden from Stratton earlier, with no difficulty and slumped down wearily. What happened to me now didn’t seem to matter. After all, what could they do? Probably a deportation order and maybe I’d lose my licence, but both these things seemed relatively trivial.

One thing was certain. Nothing must be allowed to diminish the magnificence of that final sacrifice. I took the money belt from inside my flying jacket, opened the pouches one by one and emptied them of the pebbles they contained.

The emeralds were where I had left them in a little pile under a flat stone. Slowly and with great difficulty because I could only use my left hand, I started to replace them.
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9: And so I am very happy myself because, after all, the greatest thing in life is to always be making everybody else happy. And so, while everybody is so happy, I really think it is a good time to finish my diary because after all, I am to busy going over my senarios with Mr. Montrose, to keep up any other kind of literary work. And I am so busy bringing sunshine into the life of Henry that I really think, with everything else I seem to acomplish, it is all a girl had ought to try to do. And so I really think that I can say good-bye to my diary feeling that, after all, everything always turns out for the best.
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10: Shall I tell you, finally, of my parting with lovely, dark-eyed Karamaneh, on board the liner which was to bear her to Egypt?

No, let me, instead, conclude with the words of Nayland Smith:

"I sail for Burma in a fortnight, Petrie. I have leave to break my journey at the Ditch. How would a run up the Nile fit your programme? Bit early for the season, but you might find something to amuse you!"
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11: The windows of the stranded motor car shone over the wasted expanse of the battlefield. Then the General pulled down the blinds, shutting out that sad scene.

"Cosier now, eh?" he said.

And Chastity in the prettiest way possible fingered the decorations on his uniform and asked him all about them.
And presently, like a circling typhoon, the sounds of battle began to return.
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12: Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south, south-east, east…

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

Famous opening sentences or paragraphs we have seen before. But what of endings of famous(or at least best selling) books:


1: On the way downtown I stopped at a bar and had a couple of double Scotches. They didn’t do me any good. All they did was make me think of Silver-Wig, and I never saw her again.

3: "I've always wanted to see a Martian," said Michael. "Where are they, Dad? You promised."
"There they are," said Dad, and he shifted Michael on his shoulder and pointed straight down.
The Martians were there. Timothy began to shiver.
The Martians were there—in the canal—reflected in the water. Timothy and Michael and Robert and Mom and Dad.
The Martians stared back up at them for a long, long silent time from the rippling water ...

To get this started,

#1 is The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler.

#3 is The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

[dynabook]

#12 is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
--MH

[BenG]

#10 is The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer.

[Pulpmeister]

One to be going on with: 7: The African Queen, C S Forester

[Pulpmeister]

I thought this one would be tough, because people don't really remember closing lines as well as opening lines. But:

DNSB called 1 and 3 correctly.
Dynabook got 12 right
Ben G got 10 right (the name Karamenah was the big clue)

2 is "The Green Hat" (Michael Arlen)
4 is Joseph Conrad, "The Secret Agent"
5 is "By Love Possessed", James Gould Cozzens (and the entire book is written in the clotted style of that last paragraph)
6 is "The Big Clock" by Kenneth Fearing
8 is "East of Desolation" by Desmond Bagley
9 is "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds" by Anita Loos (presented as the diary of an airhead beauty).
11 is "Vile Bodies", Evelyn Waugh.

Interesting experiment.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

8 is "East of Desolation" by Desmond Bagley

Is that correct? I don't recognise the title, and Goodreads doesn't list it. Plus the text didn't ring a bell at all. The only "East of Desolation" I can find is by Jack Higgins.

[Pulpmeister]

Dead right: Jack Higgins. Can't think why the brain fade. I even had it written down along with the quote!