judging books by ONLY their closing line

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  • Опубліковано 13 бер 2023
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 239

  • @kattnisseverdeen8029
    @kattnisseverdeen8029 Рік тому +1114

    I remember when I decided to randomly read the last line first and I picked the WRONG book. It was catching fire and the last line was “Katniss there is no district 12” 😂

    • @alexandraa23
      @alexandraa23 Рік тому +35

      when we were like 12, my friend ruined the end of the series for me so I literally just never read mocking jay LOL

    • @runawayfromme77
      @runawayfromme77 Рік тому +43

      catching fire was the first thing that came to mind when i saw the title of this video! back in high school i liked to read the last line of the book before i start it, lemme tell you that after catching fire i immediately stopped 😅

    • @Jay_lovescats
      @Jay_lovescats Рік тому +14

      I DID THE SAME THING! I was just like “I didn’t see that nope”

    • @sweetviolents29
      @sweetviolents29 Рік тому +11

      This is made so much funnier by your username and icon lol

    • @deepamishra9224
      @deepamishra9224 Рік тому +10

      This comment should come with a spoiler alert 😢

  • @melissapetito3069
    @melissapetito3069 Рік тому +1092

    omg i would love a video re-ranking these books after you read them to see if the final line was represantative of the book as a whole

  • @kyraivens1651
    @kyraivens1651 Рік тому +65

    This reminded me of when i read The Fault in Our Stars like 10 years ago so it was before everyone and their mums knew how it ended and I decided to read the closing line which was 'I do, Augustus. I do.' and I thought they were going to get married

  • @elsitacacahuete427
    @elsitacacahuete427 Рік тому +215

    Hundred Years of Solitude’s final line is as brilliant as the first line.

    • @palcicaa
      @palcicaa Рік тому +5

      Tbh that ending truly made it one of my favorite books of all time

  • @ChemicalPenguinn
    @ChemicalPenguinn Рік тому +170

    The sass when Jack put the candy house at the bottom 🤣
    I'd do the same, honestly

    • @meikusje
      @meikusje Рік тому +2

      I thought that was a great last line tbh! It gives closure, but also presents opportunity.

  • @kaitlynrae6352
    @kaitlynrae6352 Рік тому +122

    I feel like it would be so cool to rank the same set of books separately based on the cover, opening line, and closing line, and then compare each of those rankings with a final review of each book. Curious if the opening line/closing line would be more telling of the overall rating of the book…

    • @anenadecastro
      @anenadecastro Рік тому +4

      Boosting this because he NEEDS to do a video about this. Amazing idea!! 😲😲😲

    • @oa5538
      @oa5538 Рік тому +1

      Yess

  • @maggiefelisberto5281
    @maggiefelisberto5281 Рік тому +189

    That closing line from Checkout 19 made me so angry; I can't believe you liked it

    • @StarStar-ec1dd
      @StarStar-ec1dd Рік тому +8

      IKR

    • @hannahohno
      @hannahohno Рік тому +23

      exactly hahaha it would have put me off reading it at all. And to him was the complete opposite.

    • @kathdong9685
      @kathdong9685 Рік тому +14

      Totally! I'll just buy a dictionary if I need this...

    • @mwu365
      @mwu365 Рік тому

      The only one I really like lol

    • @ralucahuruniuc
      @ralucahuruniuc Рік тому +1

      Checkout 19 is my only DNF of this year and after this video I'm pretty happy I didn't push through 😅

  • @melissagonzalez2464
    @melissagonzalez2464 Рік тому +73

    Maybe the last line of Checkout 19 is also the acknowledgment page lol

  • @shohinisen4068
    @shohinisen4068 Рік тому +68

    Ok but can we talk about the gorgeous artistic covers ?!

  • @literally_elly
    @literally_elly Рік тому +58

    I love that Jack had to read a last sentence that was a page and a half long 😂😂

  • @Christine-jg2ch
    @Christine-jg2ch Рік тому +30

    I’ve just taken Checkout 19 off my want to read list 😂

  • @tiakiwi
    @tiakiwi Рік тому +90

    Aaaa I’m so happy you did this! Very interested to see if any of the ‘disappointing’ lines hit waayyy different once you know the context…intrigued to see the reviews for all of these!

  • @bestnarryever
    @bestnarryever Рік тому +12

    Decided to immediately add “just by looking at him” to my TBR bc of the line and THE SYNOPSIS IS INCREDIBLE?!??? I’m shocked!

  • @F00L_Of_A_Took
    @F00L_Of_A_Took Рік тому +2

    i cant believe checkout 19 got the first spot tbh. there were so many inconsequential words in a row i felt like language lost all meaning

  • @AsclepiusPress
    @AsclepiusPress 5 місяців тому +1

    Final line of my fantasy standalone PHARMAKIDES:
    Mute swans understood the mysteries, and took note of which flowers were in bloom.

  • @meikusje
    @meikusje Рік тому +25

    Are you reading my mind 😱 I finished Dave Egger's You Shall Know Our Velocity this weekend and thought: I know Jack Edwards has done videos on opening lines, but he should really do a video on closing lines as well.
    FYI: the closing line for YSKOV is "It stopped for a minute I swear, but then the sound and pictures came back on and for two more glorious and interminable months we lived".

  • @MarianaQuesada
    @MarianaQuesada Рік тому +12

    "That's my closing line" Listen, I'm so used to the way you end your videos that I always say it along with you, 10 out of 10.

  • @Roscoethecat
    @Roscoethecat Рік тому +3

    "I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope. " Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. Makes me cry every time I read it.

  • @kaitlynnelson2139
    @kaitlynnelson2139 Рік тому +17

    I used to do this with every book I read before I read it, to see if I could guess how the story arrives at that place. Until I spoiled a major character death, that is 😅

  • @IAMXisasgoodaschocolatespread
    @IAMXisasgoodaschocolatespread Рік тому +2

    "I'm really good at forgetting things." Same Jack, same 😂.

  • @Silviduhh
    @Silviduhh Рік тому +16

    Honestly this is my favorite way to pick a new book!! It’s intriguing. I also know right away if I’m curious how the MC got there. If I’m invested to see the build up. This is the superior way of picking books lol

    • @Silviduhh
      @Silviduhh Рік тому +4

      Also have a poor memory, I never remember 😂

  • @chelsealee144
    @chelsealee144 Рік тому +21

    I actually have a ritual with every book that after i read the first chapter, i always read the last line of the book. It started when i was younger to curb the impulse of flipping to the end and just finding out the whole ending and then not reading the full book. I guessed it was like if i know the literal last line i wouldn’t have the impulse bc it’s the ultimate ending. Not sure how but it worker psychologically and books just tend not to have spoilers in the last line.

  • @manonvo8615
    @manonvo8615 Рік тому +9

    I can never remember all the books for my own ranking, but I would definitely put checkput 19 all the way last😹 it's unique yes... but I uniquely hated it

  • @cecileglangetas149
    @cecileglangetas149 Рік тому +8

    My own selection:
    1st place: Just By Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell
    2nd place: Real Life by Brandon Taylor
    3rd place: Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
    4th place: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
    5th place: Nevada by Imogene Binnie
    6th place: Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
    7th place: The Sugar House by Jennifer Egan
    Last place: Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett
    Very curious about all of those books and excited to read them!
    Love your content, keep going ❤

  • @Marie-oh8es
    @Marie-oh8es Рік тому +2

    Great video! I would love it if you did this video with books you have already read, I think it would be so interesting to hear your thoughts on the closing lines in the context of the entire book.

  • @xCarleex
    @xCarleex Рік тому +96

    Song of Achilles has one of the best ending lines of all time. You should add that one to your next video.

    • @MaxximusP
      @MaxximusP Рік тому +35

      He has already read Song of Achilles- so it wouldn't fit in this series

    • @joon3638
      @joon3638 Рік тому +2

      can you tell what was the last line of SOA?

    • @Abhi-wl5yt
      @Abhi-wl5yt Рік тому

      @@joon3638 Lookaway if you don't want spoilers...
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      "Go," she says. "He waits for you."
      "IN THE DARKNESS, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun"

    • @yourLittleSinner
      @yourLittleSinner Рік тому +22

      "Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun.:

    • @salvaahamed5640
      @salvaahamed5640 Рік тому +5

      Go!, He waits for you is the best line

  • @jenniferbolt4146
    @jenniferbolt4146 Рік тому

    Notes on an execution was so good. The context was definitely needed.

  • @austret4609
    @austret4609 Рік тому +14

    i don’t know why but before starting a new book i ALWAYS read the last line and then if i remember it it’s always interesting to see how my perspective and understanding of it changed after i finished the book and just what it really means

    • @unidentifiedartist
      @unidentifiedartist Рік тому +2

      I DO THIS TOO!! I thought I was the only one! But I don't always do it lol- sometimes I forget

    • @cfbg
      @cfbg Рік тому

      This seems goofy to me.

  • @Crixtine
    @Crixtine Рік тому +3

    love this! i don't know why but i've always had the habit of reading the closing line before starting a book

  • @tyche3729
    @tyche3729 Рік тому +1

    omg I worked an event in which rachel yoda and a few other authors and musicians held readings and performances about motherhood and the relationship between a child and a mother! all of them were so well spoken and their delivery was great

  • @tallactordude
    @tallactordude Рік тому +9

    It would be interesting at some point with one of these videos, either the first line or last line ones, to have you go back to those same books after you have read all of them and see how the ranking of the books them selves compares to the ranking of either the first or last lines. And to be honest, the one you picked as first, just having listened to the last lines, I probably would’ve put about seventh on that stack.

  • @throneofpages
    @throneofpages Рік тому +1

    you are so brave for doing this i would be terrified 🤡🥲

  • @maxallaire7113
    @maxallaire7113 Рік тому +6

    this series has made me STRESS about the first and last lines of my book 😆

  • @angeldsouza777
    @angeldsouza777 Рік тому +8

    This literally gave me anxiety! 😲
    I would be devastated to know the final line before having read the book - how could that not colour the reading experience?! (Like seeing Tom Hanks already rescued in the trailer for Castaway...)

  • @koalakarakookie
    @koalakarakookie Рік тому +1

    I have read Notes On An Execution and I absolutely loved it even though I didn’t know how I would feel about it but the rest of the books sound like I just got more books I need to add to my tbr. I need to this when I finish reading the two books I’m currently reading for my next pick.

  • @annamaria9392
    @annamaria9392 Рік тому +1

    I used to do reading the closing lines with every book I read in middle school and would spoil myself all the time 😭 but that closing line of just by looking at him was so good

  • @azu_rikka
    @azu_rikka Рік тому +6

    Now, getting back to opening lines, please let us know what you think of the opening line of 'one hundred years of solitude', I LOVE that opening line, it gives you a glimpse of the present, past and future of what is/will/was happening in the story, just fantastic!!!

    • @juanaabadiebottcher5508
      @juanaabadiebottcher5508 Рік тому

      The last line is amazing too. Damm, the whole last paragraph is electric and you read it each time sort of breathless

    • @juanaabadiebottcher5508
      @juanaabadiebottcher5508 Рік тому +2

      I read it for the first time when I was fourteen and it changed me at a molecular level, lol

  • @sophiecaroline7222
    @sophiecaroline7222 Рік тому

    I just love the last line of Wuthering Hights. Gives me the chills.

  • @neerajas2895
    @neerajas2895 Рік тому +7

    Jack, please make the video of all the books you've read in 2022 🙏🙏🙏

  • @aarabhiblackdale7724
    @aarabhiblackdale7724 Рік тому +6

    honestly, i would have put Nevada in my top spot solely because "so get the fuck off my back,Roland" made me laugh out so loud.

    • @user-qt2kn7wx1o
      @user-qt2kn7wx1o Рік тому +2

      I legit thought he said “rodent” instead of “Roland” lmao 😂

  • @shraddhakharole3631
    @shraddhakharole3631 Рік тому

    You can also make a video on comparing the opening/ closing line video an rating the actual book as a whole. Means the books that u rated highest as the best opening line did u like them as much as you did after reading it!!!

  • @MelSaydam
    @MelSaydam Рік тому

    OMG! This video... I hate checking the end of the book or any spoilers but it was tempting! really tempting...Then I looked at the books and they were not on TBR but NOW after your video they are :D

  • @RunReadMeep
    @RunReadMeep Рік тому +3

    Do this with books you have read and see if your rankings match the before and after 🙌🏽

  • @cora2560
    @cora2560 Рік тому

    Cant wait for part 2 of this video!!

  • @klatchabobby
    @klatchabobby Рік тому

    Something I've learnt about these is that I like my final lines to be normal length. Anything longer than say thirty words and it just becomes convoluted

  • @rosesisler9275
    @rosesisler9275 Рік тому

    I can't wait for your review of Candy House!! I read it and I have feels about it. Haha, this is a fun idea. Mad love, Jack-Jack!

  • @Larissa_KD
    @Larissa_KD Рік тому +2

    My list would be exactly the same, but with Checkout 19 at the bottom hahahah

  • @ameliareads223
    @ameliareads223 Рік тому +2

    I would have ranked Checkout 19 4th. It was so confusing, but it did have a nice groove in reading it out loud. Maybe it makes more sense in context, but to me it just felt like a bunch of words.

  • @halimamuslimah
    @halimamuslimah Рік тому +1

    Checkout 19 would've bee toward the end for me. I did like this video & look forward to you doing more like it. It was fun.

  • @Elvalenciiaa
    @Elvalenciiaa Рік тому

    YESSSS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!

  • @emmal7510
    @emmal7510 Рік тому +3

    That last sentence in Checkout 19 might be impactful in context, but in the abstract it seemed, to me, like "competing for the longest sentence in English literature."
    4,491 words (Ulysses). Proper sentence is only 1,287 words. (Absalom, Absalom) (According to Google.)

  • @victoriac7215
    @victoriac7215 Рік тому +2

    Keep waiting anxiously for your review of Young Mungo. Interested to see what you think of it. I’ve just finished it.

  • @AJ-ms2pm
    @AJ-ms2pm Рік тому +4

    I think song of achilles has one of the best closing lines(with having read it)

  • @Sirapa7
    @Sirapa7 Рік тому +1

    Out of context, I love everything Jack wears. 😍

  • @Paaseliten
    @Paaseliten Рік тому +4

    Ooh! You should have read the closing line of The Great Gatsby. My favorite closing line ever.

    • @Sazbo17
      @Sazbo17 Рік тому +3

      What’s the closing line?

    • @nl3064
      @nl3064 Рік тому +1

      He's reading the closing lines of books he hasn't read yet. Were you not paying attention at all? It's pretty safe to assume that he's read Gatsby.

    • @Paaseliten
      @Paaseliten Рік тому +2

      @@Sazbo17 The closing line of "The Great Gatsby": "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

  • @izzydavie5505
    @izzydavie5505 Рік тому

    I always read both the opening and the closing line when I start a book!

  • @aarabhiblackdale7724
    @aarabhiblackdale7724 Рік тому

    pls ur silence was so loud when u placed candy house, istg i was in hysterics

  • @teneshaanderson4761
    @teneshaanderson4761 Рік тому +3

    I like that you actually show the books in the thumbnail

  • @francinecorry633
    @francinecorry633 Рік тому +3

    I read Real Life and don't really remember the ending. It wasn't a favorite of mine.
    Just by the ending of Checkout 19, I wouldn't read it.
    I'd love to see you take those same books and rank the first line and then do a final ranking after you read them.

  • @sundanceekid8
    @sundanceekid8 Рік тому +2

    jack I loved the video, as I always enjoy these video ideas that are fun and feel very natural in a way! jjdjd but this would be my ranking lmao:
    1. Nevada
    2. Just by looking at him
    3. Checkout 19
    4. Nightbitch
    5. Real life
    6. Notes on execution
    7. Young Mungo
    8. The candy house

  • @jules48ee
    @jules48ee Рік тому +7

    I am so excited for you to read Young Mungo. If we were allowed to rate books 6/5, this would get it. Probably my favorite book of the year. Happy reading!

    • @darbo1701
      @darbo1701 Рік тому +4

      Ah yes, I doubt he'll ever get around to it. I mean, when did he first start talking about it? Probably when it released? LOL

    • @jules48ee
      @jules48ee Рік тому

      @@darbo1701 We can always hope 😅

    • @kaseytucker9608
      @kaseytucker9608 Рік тому +1

      I’ve been waiting for his review for ages! One of my all time favourite reads 😭

    • @jules48ee
      @jules48ee Рік тому

      @@kaseytucker9608 it was so good 👌👌👌

  • @Lillyjoy
    @Lillyjoy Рік тому

    Wow some of those had such cool last lines!

  • @Lulu_Reads_Books
    @Lulu_Reads_Books Рік тому +17

    Trust me, that last line of "Just By Looking At Him" is nothing compared to the opening line. IYKYK! 😂

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. Рік тому +1

    On an unrelated note, I really love the Shirt featured in this video.

  • @MediocreAtBesd
    @MediocreAtBesd Рік тому

    not me adding books to my tbr solely cause of their final sentence so to get tl the part I love I gotta get through the whole thing

  • @AlexKillzMC
    @AlexKillzMC Рік тому

    Omg this shirt looks so good on Jack!

  • @kaylieswartz2431
    @kaylieswartz2431 Рік тому +1

    You should read The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim (if you haven’t already). It’s a poetic novel that tells the story of a Ghanaian emigrant and her journey in search for a sense of home.

  • @fatimazafar6787
    @fatimazafar6787 Рік тому +1

    checkout 19 was last for me and I was shocked when he put that on top.

  • @gidabartfai4095
    @gidabartfai4095 Рік тому +11

    Day 1 of asking Jack to read Hungarian fiction

  • @qcldenloux5543
    @qcldenloux5543 Рік тому +2

    ever thought about becoming a rapper? the ending of checkout 19 was so funny to listen to

  • @karakask5488
    @karakask5488 Рік тому +1

    I'm so curious about the books that are turned around on the shelves behind you. I hate when I can't see the titles of books!!!

  • @hanjnk
    @hanjnk Рік тому +1

    When you said ‘omg it’s so long’ I thought that was the last line 😂

  • @jessicabutler572
    @jessicabutler572 Рік тому

    WHERE did you get that edition of Just by looking at him!!!!! it’s so beautiful!!! i much prefer it to the yellow and pink one!

  • @maryseptihet
    @maryseptihet Рік тому

    I think you should do books and just go to a random page and rank sentences in the middle of the books - as that would be very chaotic - and suit yours and this channels energy

  • @manouschkagroenewoud5319
    @manouschkagroenewoud5319 Рік тому

    LOVE!!!! YOUR SHIRT!

  • @gracelola8897
    @gracelola8897 Рік тому

    the line you read from checkout 19 is actually from an interview with her at the end, not from the actual body of the book!! still absolutely gorgeous though… classic CLB

  • @sydnie6205
    @sydnie6205 Рік тому

    you should do a video of reading books aloud - it changes reading and I think it’d be fun and interesting.

  • @denbertignacio
    @denbertignacio Рік тому

    Just By Looking At You is such a good book!!! ❤

  • @sweetviolents29
    @sweetviolents29 Рік тому

    I am obsessed with that shirt omg

  • @kulittt957
    @kulittt957 Рік тому

    I'd tell you to read Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint but I haven't even finished Volume 1 and I'm at 900 pages already. The last line needs context but once you understand it all you'll feel is pain or maybe something bittersweet.

  • @melanygomez613
    @melanygomez613 Рік тому

    I loved this idea!

  • @trevorbrooks3322
    @trevorbrooks3322 Рік тому

    Makes me sad knowing how many books you now have to read before reaching Notes, which was doubtless the best book I read in 2022, if not one of the best, most well written stories I've ever read. So glad it's made the list though!

  • @ember.readss
    @ember.readss Рік тому +3

    YOU INSPIRE ME TO READ MORE

  • @liliszekely4361
    @liliszekely4361 Рік тому

    Oh trust me once you read Young Mungo that line will be a boat on the horizon after spending 4 days out in the ocean in a life jacket

  • @annabellepope5482
    @annabellepope5482 Рік тому

    can you do a video ranking the books once you've read them and compare please thanks :))

  • @samanwitapanda7521
    @samanwitapanda7521 Рік тому +1

    Whenever I buy a book, the first thing I do is read the opening line of it and then the last line. I'm always scared to do that but it's fun. 😂

  • @kaseytucker9608
    @kaseytucker9608 Рік тому

    i WISH if we were villains was in the lineup for this. that is a closing line to end all closing lines

  • @wobbling-around
    @wobbling-around Рік тому

    Lots of things to say:
    1. Thanks for listening to us because the was such a good idea and I just found a new book to add to my list because of the gorgeous final line.
    2. When your book comes out, I'm expecting a live reading in London 🙃
    3. My order wouls be:
    1Just By Looking at Him
    2 Nevada
    3 Real life
    4 Night bitch
    5 Checkout 99
    6 Yung Mungo
    7 Notes on execution
    8 The candy house

  • @margerykemp2767
    @margerykemp2767 Рік тому +3

    how about you rank books on the basis of lines from the middle of the book?

  • @Kenough_in_Wonderland
    @Kenough_in_Wonderland Рік тому +2

    The endless of Checkout 19 made me never ever want to read that book 😂

  • @mae__
    @mae__ Рік тому

    The stark difference from checkout 19 to the Candy House💀😂😂😂😂

  • @oluwatobiare674
    @oluwatobiare674 Рік тому +2

    need ur shirt rn

  • @masonwinfreyplatman2294
    @masonwinfreyplatman2294 Рік тому

    Just starting the video but can I just say. Jack your shirt is *chefs kiss*

  • @aBriiL97
    @aBriiL97 Рік тому

    okay but that hollow men joke was so nerdy of you

  • @annabanana8013
    @annabanana8013 Рік тому

    Just because I absolutely loved Real Life I would pick that. I loved the finale sentence of the story. It’s very fitting.

  • @TheNauglafel
    @TheNauglafel Рік тому

    I think I'd put Notes on an Execution at the top because it feels more impactful than others somehow, I can imagine myself reading the book and being moved by that ending.. Checkout 19 is also a really good one, it doesn't give any clues about the story by itself which is really cool.. I've found the other ones generic or cheesy..

  • @meganhaswell4298
    @meganhaswell4298 Рік тому +1

    you need to do it with books you've judged the first line of and see if the rankings are the same

  • @mckinleyforth5157
    @mckinleyforth5157 Рік тому +1

    Is it just me that reads the ending lines of most books while I read them. I thought that was a common thing.

  • @mimicry.
    @mimicry. Рік тому +2

    That shirt is amazing

  • @kelseytaylor6314
    @kelseytaylor6314 Рік тому +1

    I was in foyles today and I heard 2 girls talking about you! You're so popular in London! Xx