When an author leaves cliffhangers

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PhotonGuy

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i think he didnt want to say it was Narnia because it is sometimes viewed as a kids book and didnt want to have his chops busted.
I would have to agree with hoshin1600.

Also the fact that its a fantasy series and I've had my chops busted here before when I mentioned fantasy stuff.
 

Dirty Dog

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I would have to agree with hoshin1600.

Also the fact that its a fantasy series and I've had my chops busted here before when I mentioned fantasy stuff.

Correction. You've had your chops busted here when it appeared you were having difficulty differentiating between fantasy and reality.
 

Tez3

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I would have to agree with hoshin1600.

Also the fact that its a fantasy series and I've had my chops busted here before when I mentioned fantasy stuff.

No, as DD says you haven't, you have quite often seemed to mistake fantasy for reality. In the case of the Narnia series you should have looked up the author and read his intentions, which were to finish the series and not write any more books about Narnia. The last book actually rounded up everything to HIS satisfaction. As I said somethings the author will leave to his readers imaginations and it's so in this case. You can't complain, it's the author's wish and he knew what he was doing.
 
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PhotonGuy

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So anyway this thread has died down but since we were discussing children's books and cliffhangers I want to mention this. There was this American author who wrote a children's book about a mouse and in the end of the book the mouse goes looking for his friend, a bird, and it ends in a cliffhanger because it doesn't say if he finds her. A classmate of mine said the author wasn't fair because he doesn't say if he finds her or not.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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So anyway this thread has died down but since we were discussing children's books and cliffhangers I want to mention this. There was this American author who wrote a children's book about a mouse and in the end of the book the mouse goes looking for his friend, a bird, and it ends in a cliffhanger because it doesn't say if he finds her. A classmate of mine said the author wasn't fair because he doesn't say if he finds her or not.
This entire thread was focused around trying to know what book you were talking about, so it only briefly got to cliffhangers. Now you are reviving the thread, by mentioning a different book and again not mentioning its name...
 
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PhotonGuy

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This entire thread was focused around trying to know what book you were talking about, so it only briefly got to cliffhangers. Now you are reviving the thread, by mentioning a different book and again not mentioning its name...
Exactly.
 

Buka

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As an avid reader - minimum of a book a week, usually two, for well over fifty years, I appreciate what everyone is saying. Certain cliff hangers irritate me, as do books where the bad guy gets away. And yes, I know a sequel will be written and eventually he'll get caught. But it still irritates me.

I'm uncommonly passionate about books. Several books I disliked so badly that I tore them into pieces upon completion. Even read a couple of them decades later to see if I had matured. I hadn't. I tore them up with even more vigor.

As for kids books, so what, I'm a kid at heart anyway. I remember a few years ago, somebody told me about the book "Holes" which was common reading in a lot of schools. I had never heard of it. Oh, my God it blew me away. Absolutely loved it.

Everyone should read. Yeah, yeah, nobody has the time. Probably don't have time to train either.

And they all lived happily ever after. :)
 

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Everyone should read.

I can't agree with this sentence more.

I love reading, it engages the mind and activates imagination so much more than TV/film can.

I don't read as consistently as you describe - not due to "don't have the time" but more down to mood. Last Wednesday I started reading The Hobbit and yesterday finished Return of The King - that's a series of books I reread at least once a year (along with the Narnia books as it happens, and the fifty shades set).

Our local doctor's surgery has a charity bookshelf that does 5 books for £1, I fairly often go and grab an armful of random books and drop off the previous armful (minus the ones I think I'll read again) - I pretty much view it as open ended rental.

It's also an activity I encourage in my kids - not that they need much encouragement but imo there's definite value in it for them.
 

Buka

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I frequently reread books. Right now I’m retreading Centennial by Michener. Probably for the tenth time in forty something years. I’m enjoying it as much now as I ever did. In my opinion it has the richest cast of characters I’ve ever encountered in a novel. Not really surprising as it takes place over centuries.

But big thanks to you, Pdg, Made me realize I haven’t read them in years. They’re up next!
 

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Alright, the book is Stuart Little by E.B. White
There were multiple questions in that book that went unanswered. I don't think it's unfair; rather I always thought it was the point of the book. Not everything ends wrapped with a tidy little bow, and I appreciate a children's book that acknowledges that.
 

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I would have to agree with hoshin1600.

Also the fact that its a fantasy series and I've had my chops busted here before when I mentioned fantasy stuff.

Don't stress. Being a nerd is cool these days.

Otherwise Narnia is a good example because they were just kind of kicked back out in to the real world.

I have been racking my brain to think of books that just left me in the lurch.

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series ends pretty brutality.

The book mostly harmless anyway. Apparently the series has continued with a new author.
 
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PhotonGuy

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There were multiple questions in that book that went unanswered. I don't think it's unfair; rather I always thought it was the point of the book. Not everything ends wrapped with a tidy little bow, and I appreciate a children's book that acknowledges that.
The only question that went unanswered that I can think of is whether or not Stuart finds his friend, the bird.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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The only question that went unanswered that I can think of is whether or not Stuart finds his friend, the bird.
It's been a while since I read it. But from what I remember, as a kid I thought there were a lot of unanswered questions, and loved that. That could very easily have been my child-mind misunderstanding it-I'll have to find it from my bookshelf.
 

granfire

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Don't stress. Being a nerd is cool these days.

Otherwise Narnia is a good example because they were just kind of kicked back out in to the real world.

I have been racking my brain to think of books that just left me in the lurch.

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series ends pretty brutality.

The book mostly harmless anyway. Apparently the series has continued with a new author.
Eowin Colfer wrote the 6th book, supposedly finishing it.
 
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PhotonGuy

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So I mentioned before how when authors leave cliffhangers it can be frustrating, especially if you know the author isn't going to write any more, which would include writing a conclusion to the cliffhanger, because the author is dead. Now, authors can obviously write what they want but in everybody's opinions, is it fair when authors leave unresolved cliffhangers? What a friend of mine in elementary school said about the author Elwyn was that he was not fair for ending his book in a cliffhanger.
 

Tez3

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is it fair when authors leave unresolved cliffhangers?

So what, make up your own ending or move on. It's fiction and there's so many more books out there to read to worry about the ending of one that you didn't like...millions of other people may like the ending and find it unfair that you are moaning about it, as I said before it's the author's book to write, read it or don't read it.
 
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PhotonGuy

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millions of other people may like the ending and find it unfair that you are moaning about it, as I said before it's the author's book to write, read it or don't read it.
I never said I didn't like it Im only asking other people what they think of cliffhanger endings. If people think Im moaning about it and if they think that's unfair that's their problem.

And for the record I do think Elwyn was a good writer, even if he is a bit gruesome in some of his books which are supposed to be children's books.
 

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