This week's Booking Through Thursday question: If you could rewrite the ending of any book, which book would it be? And how would you change it?
Major spoiler alert! If you have not read the Elizabeth George series and plan to, then you won't want to read my answer.
I would change the ending of Elizabeth George's With No One as Witness. After making Lynley go through all kinds of hoops in order to get the wife he deserves. George turns around and kills her off almost before the honeymoon is over. Geez, Louise! Can the man not have some happiness? There are times when I don't like a character being killed off, but I can see some literary merit to the action. This one just appalls me. So, my change is pretty simple--Lynley's wife wouldn't die. Let him investigate somebody else's murder and let the man have a little joy (at least give him a book or two, for heaven's sake.)
4 comments:
That happened in a book I read recently! Two characters who had known each other for eight or so years finally decided to pursue a relationship....and the woman was killed. I know why the authors did it, but it was a bit upsetting.
I haven't read this series and probably won't now, because you seem so passionate and disappointed about the ending.
CMash
@CMash...the books are absolutely wonderful. Until this one. I read the one after it (which tells the story from the killer's point of view and, if I had read it without having been so very invested in Inspector Lynley, might have understood and appreciated what George was trying to do). I still have Careless in Red (the second one following With No One as Witness) siting in a TBR pile...but I don't know that I'm going to read it.
I think I would rewrite the whole ending of Mansfield Park Jane Austen's not so famous book. The movies are good but if you read the ending it isn't very good. It needs more pizazz to match the endings of the movies.
Also: Tag, you are it. I have tagged you for this fun little activity. Feel free to do it or not.
-Anne
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com
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