OrdinaryTime Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 on Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters that she died before she wrote the last chapter! I just finished reading all 670 pages in terrible innocence of this horrific reality (and sadly ignoring my children during the last 200 pages today!) Imagine my shock when I finally reach the last chapter, which should supply that wonderful fulfillment of a story whose threads all fit together, and instead I find a note by the publisher that the author died before finishing! Talk about disappointment. I went back to the Introduction, which I never read before my first perusal of a novel so I can form my own ideas about the work, and it does mention it there. But shouldn't there be some other warning somewhere?!? Uncomplete work??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 The identical thing happened to me. I was so disappointed. No emotional closure... and I need emotional closure. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 The identical thing happened to me. I was so disappointed. No emotional closure... and I need emotional closure. :) I'm glad I'm not the only one who read the whole thing with no clue! And I need emotional closure, too. Especially in a book where character development is waaaaay more important than the plot line. It's like Anne and Gilbert never reconciling or Darcy and Elizabeth never having the final proposal scene...horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 So wait, isn't there a Wives and Daughters film? Does that end abruptly in a big cliffhanger? Or am I just thinking that because of North and South has a film version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Yes, there is a film and the makers made their own ending. I'm not sure that's how the author would have ended it (too happy for most of her books), but I liked it! I read the book after having seen the movie first and was shocked to find it didn't have an ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 I haven't watched the film yet. Maybe I'll watch to get some emotional closure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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