Does the lack of a happy ending ruin an otherwise good book?

[Cherrybear13]

To me it depends on if the book is kind of like a life lesson like My Sisters Keeper. In that book the ending is very tragic but also is very interesting. To me, Jodi Picoult was expressing her feelings on being too protective of one child. That book broke my heart and made me angry at the mother.

Then there is Harry Potter... Not sure how many people have read these books but holy crap. How many people have to die?! Rowling just got a little vicious and started murdering people all over the place. It ruined the books for me and I got so annoyed with death and doom I quit reading the books.

[BretAM5]

I like happy and hopeful endings as much as the next person, but for me, as long as the characters are believable I can generally accept a bad ending and try to take meaning out of it. The ending of In The Woods by Tana French, for example, is pretty depressing, but her characters felt so real to me--particularly the protagonist--that it felt like a sensible ending. Sometimes things don't work out in our lives. They serve as lessons for the future.

[Suzanne]

I understand what you are saying BretAM5, and I agree with you. Many readers may need or want a happy ending, and this ending may not stay true to the character's life. I enjoy novels that are character driven, I'll get to know these characters and sometimes a happy ending doesn't ring true.

I loved reading, "The Count of Monte Cristo". I have watched two screen versions of this novel, and the ending was changed in both, and in the same way. The novel didn't have a sad ending, it stayed true to the characters, but the film versions ended in a very predictable and romantic manner.

The ending of In The Woods by Tana French, for example, is pretty depressing, but her characters felt so real to me--particularly the protagonist--that it felt like a sensible ending.

This is well said, the ending should be sensible, and sometimes, sensible is not happy.