Famous Last Lines: Final Sentences From 290 Iconic Books

by Daniel Grogan

Famous Last Lines features the final sentences from 300 works of literature, from Don Quixote to The Girl on the Train. 

The closing words of any text carry a lot of weight. Famous Last Lines unpacks more than 300 notable final lines, from classical epics to contemporary short stories. Spanning centuries of writing, each entry, whether for Don Quixote or The Girl on the Train, provides context for these notable last lines, making clear what makes them so memorable and lasting. Famous Last Lines provides readers with a comprehensive collection of brilliant conclusions.

336 pages, Hardcover

Published November 13, 2018

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interestingly, in the introduction, the author shared an ‘startling’ conversation he overheard between his mom and and his grandma about reading and books. His grandmother stated “You know, I always read the last paragraph of a book before I start it.” At age 10 or 11, the author, upon hearing this, sputtered “Wait, what? Why?” His grandmother then told him “ It’s just what i’ve always done. I like reading the last lines on their own.” That bit of information never left Daniel Grogan. Daniel Grogan’s Famous Last Lines - Final Sentences from 290 Iconic Books begins with Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote (1615) and concludes with Mohsin Hamid’s How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013). The author chronologically selects the last line or the last couple of lines of books he considers as iconic, and then he explains his selection in a short commentary all on one page (Some are a bit longer than one page but not by much.) I found myself agreeing with him often in relation to the books that I have read. As I read the ‘last lines’ from books from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, I found myself asking “Is this book what I consider as iconic?” too much and too often. I liked the author’s premise and style of writing, but disagreed with his choice of books too many times in the years stated above to rate this book more than 3.75 stars, but I am glad that I read this book!

[Brenda Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently completed reading this book,and although I enjoyed it, I could not overlook a glaring error. Being a Canadian and an extremely proud fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery and her Anne of Green Gables series, I was dismayed to see the summation paragraph about the last line of this treasured tome refer to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert as being married. They were siblings who lived together, and in fact Marilla never married, which is a crucial detail to understanding her character and her relationship with Anne, not to mention Matthew. This makes me ponder if Mr. Grogan even read this book, leaving me to further question if the books within that I have not yet had the pleasure to read are correct in plot and character. Anne of Green Gables is well known and cherished around the world, having been produced as a play, TV series and motion picture...how could such a mistake have gotten overlooked by editors and the publisher, and singularly the author?! That said, still a good read, albeit tainted for this reader because of the affront to Ms. Montgomery and her work.

[Gaby Meares · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be fun. Each book entry includes a brief synopsis. Imagine my horror when I read the outline provided for Anne of Green Gables [pg 57]. The passage says that Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are a "married couple” and that Anne remains with Marilla after the death of “her husband”. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are not a married couple; they are brother and sister.
Obviously the author has not read the book, leading me question how many of these books he actually has read. Zero confidence in the author.

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading books about books. Usually in reading bibliography I discover some gems to add to my TBR list.
While this claims to be the last line, it is actually a collection of endings. Then Grogan gives a brief summary of the book telling details that I would rather discover on my reading of the book.