Greatest last line of a book?

[charlie_cochrane]

Somebody (blowed if I can remember who - KC Warwick?) blogged last year about the best last line being from Mary Renault's The Mask of Apollo. They were right.

All tragedies deal with fated meetings; how else could there be a play? Fate deals its stroke; sorrow is purged, or turned to rejoicing; there is death, or triumph; there has been a meeting, and a change. No one will ever make a tragedy—and that is as well, for one could not bear it—whose grief is that the principals never met.

It's brilliant. And, of course, it made me think of Jonty and Orlndo and how great a tragedy it would have been (particularly for the latter) if they had never met. *sobs*

Comments

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Thinking of last lines. I like the end of Charlottes Web:

'It is not often someone comes along that's a true friend and good writer. Charlotte was both.'

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's lovely.