No one ever said that life was fair and the ups and downs we all face can often leave us feeling in the need for a pick me up, luckily literature has us covered. If you’re looking for something with an upbeat conclusion, then here are 10 books with the happiest endings, as voted for by you.
The characters in these books may struggle and face adversity, but in the end they triumph.
Anne of Green Gables – Lucy Maud Montgomery
Originally published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables tells the story of a young orphan named Anne who, due to a mix up, is sent to live with a middle-aged brother and sister who were expecting to adopt a boy. The novel follows Anne as she makes a life for herself and gets to know her adoptive parents and her peers at school. Anne of Green Gables doesn’t pretend that bad things don’t happen to good people, but shows that your friends and family can help soften the blow when things don’t go as planned. The book has proven to be a huge hit and has sold over 50 million copies and been translated into 20 languages.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Love can be a tumultuous and difficult thing and this is well illustrated in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The novel tells the story of five sisters who live in a quiet neighbourhood in which two wealthy gentlemen have just moved to. Though romance can often end in tears, Pride and Prejudice ends on a happy note that allows the characters to be a little wiser by the book’s end. Certainly more positive than the end of Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice’s quality has seen it become on the most famous books ever written.
The Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter books are beloved by children and adults across the world and has become a modern classic. The books may be aimed at younger readers but that doesn’t mean Harry and his peers don’t go through some dark times as they battle the evil Lord Voldemort. The characters endure their fair share of loss and hardship but, in the end, good wins the day and the books show that even the darkest of times can be overcome with some good friends backing you up. That’s surely a great lesson for young readers to learn.
The Blue Castle – Lucy Maud Montgomery
It seems Montgomery really knows how to end a book given that she’s the only author to make the top 10 of this list twice. Considered to be one of Montgomery’s few adult books, The Blue Castle tells the story of a young woman named Valancy Stirling who lives a boring life with her miserable family who treat her poorly. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Valancy decides to start living as she sees fit and moves out to live with a childhood friend. Away from her family, Valancy reconnects with her old friend, falls in love, and learns how to be happy. I won’t spoil how the story ends, but the book shows how, even in the bleakest of circumstances, there’s always hope.
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
For the most part, Jane Eyre seems to be an endless series of depressing twists and turns. It never rains but it pours on the titular character but her determination to keep going and not despair is ultimately what delivers her to her happy ending of finding love and place of acceptance. Jane Eyre is notable for dealing with numerous themes including love, religion, morality, feminism, and forgiveness. By staying true to her nature whilst being confronted with all these themes, Jane is able to finally find her much deserved happy ending.
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Perhaps the most famous of all of Dickens’s works, A Christmas Carol tells the story of the miserly and bitter Ebenezer Scrooge who changes his ways after he is visited by four ghosts who show Scrooge why he became who he is, what others think of him, and what will happen to him if he does not change his ways. It can be easy to be cynical of Christmas in this modern age, but a reading of A Christmas Carol is enough to warm even the hardest of hearts. Scrooge sees the error of his ways and, from that night forward, becomes a patron of Christmas and spreads joy and cheer to all his friends and neighbours. The book itself also encouraged readers to consider the plight of the poor and encourages charity from those who are more fortunate.
The Belgariad Series – David Eddings
The Belgariad series is a five book fantasy epic which follows a young boy named Garion as he and his companions travel to recover a sacred stone that will allow them to defeat the series’ antagonist, Kal Torak. If you’re looking for a fantasy series which, unlike Game of Thrones, doesn’t crush every character you grow to love, then The Belgariad series is for you. There are dangers to beware of and trials to overcome, but the series ends with our heroes safe and victorious.
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Little Women Follows the lives of four sisters during the American Civil War who live in poverty after their father loses the family’s money. The novel follows the sisters as the mature and grow and eventually embark upon their own lives and romances. Though the ending is a happy one, that’s not to say that tragedy does not strike along the way. Despite the heavy blow, the sisters manage to persevere and, with one another’s help, go on to become successful women in their own rights. Little Women highlights the uncertainty and trouble of early adulthood whilst showing there’s a light at the end of it. .
The Little White Horse – Elizabeth Goudge
The Little White Horse begins with tragedy after the main character Maria Merryweather becomes an orphan after her father dies. She is then sent to Moonacre Manor is West England and discovers a magical world full of amazing people and fantastical creatures. When she discovers that Moonacre is in peril, Maria must work to save the manor and her friends within it. As a fantasy children’s novel, The Little White Horse is an excellent way to introduce young children to fantasy.
A Room with a View – E.M. Forster
Following a young woman named Lucy who is travelling across Italy with her overbearing cousin, Charlotte, A Room with a View shows how women in the early 1900s were beginning to lead their own lives but were still constrained by expectations put on them by society. After meeting a handsome young man, Lucy is torn between doing what is deemed proper and what she wants. After much turmoil, the young couple elope together and Lucy chooses love over duty. Like Pride and Prejudice, A Room with a View certainly has a more upbeat ending than Romeo and Juliet.
The following 10 books were also highly recommended for their happy endings:
The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien
Where Rainbows End – Cecilia Ahern
Good Omens – Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Equal Rites – Terry Pratchett
Pilgrim’s Inn – Elizabeth Goudge
I’ll Give you the Sun – Randy Nelson
She’s Come Undone – Wally Lamb
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
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