Can You Guess This Famous Book by Its Ending?


Robin Tyler

7 Min Quiz

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About This Quiz

Is there anything better than curling up with a good book on a cold winter day? Escape into the pages as you absorb every word the author has so painstakingly thought of?

Can you predict how it will all turn out? Will the hero beat his enemies and get the girl? Or is it all in vain as the forces of evil overcome the good and chaos reigns?

That's what books do, don't they? They help us to let our imagination run wild. They put it right in the same situations with our heroes as we fight off the assassin or lovely kiss the heroine as the sun sets behind a beautiful mountain.

And over the centuries, authors have continued to regale us with tales that sometimes are difficult to read and take in; such is their brutality. We have to be thankful that authors of the caliber of Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many, many others have honed their craft to entertain us!

And when you get to the end of your favorite book and read that last line, a little bit of disappointment sets in. Did it all have to be over so quickly? But to the task at hand. Could you identify a book from its last line or paragraph?

Let's see if you can get 35 out of 35!

"After all, tomorrow is another day," is the ending to which book?

Publish on June 26, 1930, "Gone with the Wind" was written by Margaret Mitchell. The title is taken from an Ernest Dowson poem and the novel is basically a coming of age story for Scarlett O'Hara, the main protagonist. "Gone with the Wind" was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster with the same title just a few years later.


Which book includes this as its closing line, "I wish you all a long and happy life"?

Published in 2002, "The Lovely Bones" is written by Alice Sebold. An international bestseller, it tells the story of a young girl, who after she is raped and murdered, watches her family deal with their grief from heaven. A film adaptation followed in 2009, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Mark Wahlberg.


Can you name the classic novel that ends with "Might I trouble you then to be ready in half an hour, and we can stop at Marcini’s for a little dinner on the way?"

Published in 1902, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is part of the "Sherlock Holmes" series written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book ranked at 128th in the top 200 books ranked the BBC's "Big Read" in 2003.


"'God's in his heaven, all’s right with the world,' whispered Anne softly," ends which of the books below?

Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote "Anne of Green Gables" in 1906. It tells the story of Anne Shirley, an orphan sent to live with two live with a middle-aged brother and sister where she helps out on their farm. It is considered a children's classic with over 50 million copies sold.


Which novel, turned into a film starring Renee Zellweger, closed with this line - "An excellent year's progress"?

A novel by Helen Fielding, "Bridget Jones’s Diary" was published in 1996. It tells the story of Bridget Jones, a single woman living in London, England and revolves mostly around her love life. Following its publication, the book sold two million copies in a decade and was turned into a very successful movie.


Any ideas as to which famous book, first published in 1937, ends with "You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all! 'Thank goodness!' said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco jar”?

There is no doubting that J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time. And it all started with "The Hobbit." Published in 1937, this story brought the world of hobbits, elves, dwarves, dragons, and wizards to life. But Tolkien's Middle Earth was so much more in-depth than a children's tale, which he showed with his later books.


"The old man was dreaming about the lions," is the ending to which classic?

Written by Ernest Hemingway in Cuba in 1951, "The Old Man and the Sea" won the author the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 as well as the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. Essentially, it is a short story, coming in at 127 pages long.


Set in Japan, which novel has the ending paragraph which reads, "Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper"?

A work of historical fiction, "Memoirs of a Geisha" was written by Arthur Golden and published in 1997. A movie followed in 2005, which was nominated for six Academy Awards. It won three of them, for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design.


The line "He loved Big Brother" completes what book?

Written by George Orwell and published in 1949, "Nineteen Eighty Four" also called "1984" is set in the future. It tells the story of Winston Smith who starts to rebel in a world where everything is controlled by Big Brother and the Thought Police. This novel regularly makes Top 100 lists.


"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both." Which book ends with this?

A brilliant children's novel, "Charlotte's Web" was penned by E.B. White and published in 1952. At the turn of the 21st century, the book was recognized by Publishers Weekly as the best selling children's soft cover book of all time. A film version of the book was released in 1973.


Which book does this last paragraph come from? “I mean, I really do think that love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. But I also have to say, for the umpty-umpth time, that life isn’t fair. It’s just fairer than death, that’s all.”

A swashbuckling tale of true love, pirates, giants and more, "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman was published in 1973. Loved by many, the book gained even wider appeal when it was turned into a movie in 1987, for which Goldman wrote the screenplay himself.


The closing line, "For Siddalee Walker, the need to understand has passed, at least for the moment. All that was left was love and wonder," comes from which of these novels below?

Published in 1995, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells is a follow up to a previous work, "Little Altars Everywhere." A film adaptation of the book followed in 2002.



Set in a future England where violence reigns, "A Clockwork Orange" was written by Anthony Burgess and published in 1962. It regularly features on Top 100 English novel lists, including that of Time Magazine. A movie adaption with Malcolm McDowell and directed by Stanley Kubrick was released in 1972.


Name the book that closes with this, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

A true classic, "A Tale of Two Cities" was written by Charles Dickens and was published in 1859. It starts with one of the most recognized sentences in literature, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."


"Later on he will understand how some men so loved her, that they did dare much for her sake," closes which horror classic?

Irish author Bram Stoker saw his novel, "Dracula," published in 1897. It took some time for it to be a success but never brought Stoker significant amounts of money. Of course, "Dracula" lead to a host of movies, and by 2009, 217 different films featuring the vampire Count had been made.


Can you tell us which book ends with "But I don't think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt."

As with most classic novels, "The Color Purple" led to a Hollywood blockbuster. The book itself was published in 1982. Written by Alice Walker, it won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction the very next year.


Also a Hollywood blockbuster starring Heath Ledger, what novel ends with "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" was originally published in 1997 as a short story by Annie Proulx. She extended it in 1999 where it was published in a collection of her short stories. This publication was nominated as a finalist in the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction category in 2000. Adapted for the screen, the movie "Brokeback Mountain" starred Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.


The final line "Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this," comes from which novel listed below?

Written by Louisa May Alcott, "Little Women" was first published in the 1860s and in two separate volumes. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters, it follows them as they grow up into women. Both volumes were a massive success, which led to another book, "Good Wives."


"'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,'" ends which literary classic?

Can you believe that it was almost 120 years ago that L. Frank Baum dreamt up "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?" It tells the story of Dorothy, whisked away to the Land of Oz where she meets a range of characters. Interestingly, in further publications, it is simply known as "The Wizard of Oz."


Do you know which book ends with "A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR. I am haunted by humans"?

Published in 2005, "The Book Thief" comes from the pen of Australian author, Markus Zusak. Not only did a film adaptation follow in 2013, but the book was such a success, it was translated into several languages. The book is set in Nazi Germany before World War II.


"There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air." This is the last line found in which of the books listed below?

One of the earliest novels to focus on issues facing women, "The Awakening" was published in 1899. It was written by Kate Chopin and although not banned, it was heavily censored as it was thought to be immoral.


"I carry a lot of scars. I like the way that sounds. I carry a lot of scars." This comes from a book that was turned into a film starring Leonardo diCaprio. Can you name it?

Published in 1996, "The Beach" is set in Thailand and tells the story of a backpacker's search for an isolated beach, away from the tourist trappings of the country. In 2000, Danny Boyle directed the film adaptation which starred Leonardo DiCaprio.


From which massively successful novel, the last in a series, does this line come from? "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."

The Harry Potter series was an incredible success for author J.K. Rowling and turned her into a multi-millionaire. Each book in the series also became a Hollywood blockbuster starring Daniel Radcliffe.


Name the horror that "He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance" comes from.

Horror stories do not get much older than Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," first published in 1818 when she was just 20 years old. Although it is a horror, many experts believe it also contains many science fiction angles, one of the earliest examples of this.



Richard Adams, the author of "Watership Down," saw his first novel rejected by many publishing houses. But he persevered and eventually, in 1976, his story about a group of rabbits was published. It lead to an animated film as well as a TV series.


Do you which novel, now a TV series, ends with "Are there any questions?"

Now a successful TV series, "The Handmaid's Tale" was written by Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It was nominated for a range of awards including a Booker Award.


"It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan," is the closing of which classic novel featuring Captain Ahab?

A tale of revenge, "Moby Dick" was published in 1851. Now recognized as a classic, it was a relative failure after it was published and even out of print when Melville died.


Yet another book with a Hollywood adaptation, which novel features these words as its ending? "I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran."

First published in 2003, "The Kite Runner" is set in Afghanistan and focuses on a young boy, Amir, as he grows up through the Russian invasion and other tumultuous events in Afghanistan's history. It was written by Khaled Hosseini.


"Curley and Carlson looked after them. And Carlson said, 'Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?'" Can you tell us which this ending comes from?

A story of migrant farm workers set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, "Of Mice and Men" was published in 1937. It was written by John Steinbeck and was based on his experiences growing up.


This last paragraph, "And then, while the pretty brunette girl finished singing her verse, he buzzed me through like I was someone who mattered," comes from which of these below?

Released in 2003, "The Devil Wears Prada" was written by Lauren Weisberger. It was a massive seller and was on the New York Times best seller list for sixth months. Naturally, a film adaptation followed, starring Meryl Streep.


Turned into a movie starring Tom Hanks as a jail warden, which novel has this as an ending, "We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long"?

Written by the prolific Stephen King, "The Green Mile" was published in 1996 and tells the story of a prison warder and an inmate. It was first released in six volumes but eventually was made into a full book. A movie adaptation with Tom Hanks was released in 1999.


"I lost track after a while, happy to be home, weeping for my father, and thinking about what was next," is the ending of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Can you name it'?

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides was first published in 2002. Over four million copies have been sold worldwide. The novel is loosely based on the author's life or characters in it.


"Valcourt is at peace with himself." Short and sweet, this is the final line of which book?

A book that deals with the topic of AIDS as well as the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, "A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali" was published in 2000. It is the first novel of author Gil Courtemanche.


Which classic ends with "The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off"?

It took Joseph Heller eight years to write "Catch 22." A satire, this novel often uses a third person viewpoint in the writing. It is considered by many literary experts to be a true classic of 20th-century novel writing. "Catch 22" is set in World War II.


"He turned away to give them time to pull themselves together; and waited, allowing his eyes to rest on the trim cruiser in the distance." This comes from which novel involving children?

Written by William Golding, "Lord of the Flies" tells the story of a group of children who are are stranded on an uninhabited island and how their behavior changes without adult supervision as they try to govern themselves. It regularly features on Top 100 novel lists including those of Time magazine and the BBC.


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