A lasting impression with the last line

Alexandra Wladich  //  Jun 27, 2014

A lasting impression with the last line

Last week we did a roundup of our favorite first lines in books, so this week (yep, you guessed it!) we are sharing our favorite last lines.

My favorite last line is from Animal Farm by George Orwell. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

Kristen and Brittany both love the last line in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."  Brittany wishes more books ended as happy as this!

Morgan says theThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has one of the best last lines of all time.  “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.  She also likes what Bookriot has to say about it: it only makes sense and feels meaningful if you're over 30!

Nadia loves the last line of Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. It’s a great mantra to live by. Even when something bad happens, you have a chance to try again tomorrow. "Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day." From Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Mike provided a handful of great last lines:

  • "Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."  The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • "Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye and sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him—and it was still hot." Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
  • "'From the Land of Oz,' said Dorothy gravely. ‘And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!'" The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
  • "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it, you've got to stand it."Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx

Share your favorite last line(s) below, and don’t forget to check out our favorite first lines, here.