What book tugged at your heartstrings?

[tilt190]

Okay, so maybe even the toughest of us has cried (in public) when reading a book (may it be waiting at the dentist's office or at the airport). What made it so it affected you emotionally, without being too contrived?

For example, Gabrielle Zevin's ELSEWHERE made me cry because it is so relatable--the fear of death, the hopelessness of it all.

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN was terribly sad and bittersweet, too. The dog-MC, who was wise, funny, and unique, dies in the end--but not before finishing his purpose in life.


I'm writing a short story in which my MC dies after saving another MC--and it's about the power of miracles. I just wanted to hear everyone else's take on what elements make them emotional.

[Use Her Name]

I guess like a lot of people the element that makes me cry (not that I'll admit it) is when a character fails after trying so hard. Also when a "win" is bittersweet, like in order to win some nice person had to die or something. I don't think I go for rank sentimentality. Maybe I do. I don't know.

[joyce]

Marley and Me: Life with the world's worst dog by John Grogan, made me laugh till I cried and cry from sadness. Having owned labs for many years, there were so many things in that book I could relate to. Like he, I knew how bad they could be but you still loved them anyway. The heartbreak of their death makes you realize just how much they were a part of your life. Great book if you want to shed some tears.

[Karen Duvall]

Loss always makes me weepy. Whether its by death, or theft, or accident, it's very easy to relate to and well-written characters who express grief at their loss will get me every time. The one book I've read at least three times and I always cry at the end was a novel called MOTHERS. For the life of me I can't remember the author's name, but I think it was Olivia somebody. It's been years, but I'll never forget the story about a surrogate mother who's daughter dies in a sledding accident while she's pregnant with someone else's child. It's soooooooo sad. *sniff*

[Bo Sullivan]

Oliver Twist did it for me! A heartbreaking story with a happy ending. All the elements of a great story.

[sunna]

I don't cry easily or often, so it's got to be something pretty striking to make me tear up while reading. The last one I can remember was a passage in Pink Slip by Rita Ciresi when the MC has just lost a close family member/best friend: she wrote it as a direct address from the MC to the dead character, a sort of mental eulogy, and it was very visual and wrenchingly lyrical.

[Kitty Pryde]

Anything by Bryce Courtenay, in particular "The Power of One", "Tandia", and "Smokey Joe's Cafe". The writing is pretty straightforward storytelling without being too sentimental, but he expresses the underlying themes so strongly that the story always gets to me. In a good way. Often the scene is a MC losing someone they depended on, and they think they can't get by without that person, but then you know that they will persevere and struggle as they carry that person's memory. WIN!
When a writer does something like kill off a kid, sometimes i can picture him sitting at his desk, cackling to himself as he's picturing ME crying over it. then i feel angry and manipulated for crying at such a scene. so i think maybe if you set out to make a point about the world, you could make me cry feeling the truth and profundity of the story. but if you set out to make me cry, you might just make me feel angry about feeling like crying.

[Madison]

A Separate Peace (I was angry!)

To Kill a Mockingbird (ditto!)

Voyage of the Dawn Treader/Last Battle every time (what beautiful books!)

oh wow, so many more... including 'Something's Rotten' (by Jasper Fforde) because I was laughing so hard

[selkn.asrai]

Atonement devastated me. If I'm to be candid, I was haunted for days. Bravo, Ian McEwan.

In the Heart of the Sea, although nonfiction, is pretty terrifying and tragic, too.

[josephwise]

Of Mice and Men, when it is hinted that George is only pretending to be Lenny's cousin.

And its sci-fi adaptation, Akira, had a similar moment during the playground flashback.

That sort of difficult compassion always gets to me.

[RickN]

Marley and Me: Life with the world's worst dog by John Grogan, made me laugh till I cried and cry from sadness. Having owned labs for many years, there were so many things in that book I could relate to. Like he, I knew how bad they could be but you still loved them anyway. The heartbreak of their death makes you realize just how much they were a part of your life. Great book if you want to shed some tears.

Ditto for me. I'm a sucker for good dog books anyway, but, as a long-time Lab owner, this one hit close to home.

[selkn.asrai]

Ditto for me. I'm a sucker for good dog books anyway, but, as a long-time Lab owner, this one hit close to home.


What about cat books? The series by Peter Gethers on Norton, a Scottish Fold, was lovely. And the last of the three, The Cat Who'll Live Forever, was a tearjerker for sure.

[ChaosTitan]

I don't often cry over books, but "Broken" by Megan Hart had me weeping hard near the end. It is erotica (if anyone chooses to seek this out), but the writing is very powerful and the story so heartbreaking...

The only other books I remember bawling over are "The Green Mile" by Stephen King and "A Summer to Die" by Lois Lowry. I'm sure I've misted up at others, but those three really got to me.

[Carmy]

The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart.

Child of the Morning by Pauline Gedge.

[redpbass]

It's a weird choice I'm sure, but so far the only book that has hit me just right was The Sackett Brand by Louis Lamour. Here you have Tell Sackett, a big, awkward guy (I can relate :p) finally finding the love of his life in the previous book and then out of nowhere, BAM. She's dead, murdered horribly before they even got their life together started. Of course, then Tell proceeds to kill everybody in a very satisfying way, but still...

...why are you looking at me like that?

[tilt190]

I haven't read MARLEY & ME, since the back-cover copy looked kid-ish, but I'll definitely read it sometime. A WALK TO REMEMBER was also sad at the end, because the MC had changed so much.

[CaroGirl]

I cried while reading Where the Red Fern Grows aloud to my kids. I also cried on the bus while reading the sad part in Lottery, by our very own Orion/Patricia Wood.

[Shadow_Ferret]

To be honest, I generally don't read books that tug at my heartstrings. Crying hurts. I'd rather avoid it altogether.

[CaroGirl]

To be honest, I generally don't read books that tug at my heartstrings. Crying hurts. I'd rather avoid it altogether.
Crying doesn't hurt me. Sometimes it's even a relief. If there's hurt, it's because of what's causing me to cry, not the crying itself.

Are you sure you're doing it right?

[Shadow_Ferret]

Crying doesn't hurt me. Sometimes it's even a relief. If there's hurt, it's because of what's causing me to cry, not the crying itself.

Are you sure you're doing it right?
I'm a guy, so probably not. :)

Being emotionless works for me.

[emandem]

I'm with Shadow Ferret, and I'm a woman. I read for escapism, and I don't want to escape into any world sadder than what I already see on a daily basis. Not that I don't have an appreciation for the occasional tear-jerker I've read in the past.

[tehuti88]

Being abandoned or left behind/alone in life always tugs at me, for the reason that so many people have done this to me in my own life.

I recall when reading Basil Johnston's "The Manitous"--really not a heart-tugging type of book, it's just retellings of Ojibwa myths--I came to the stories about Manabozho, the culture hero, and his family. His father bailed out before he was born, his mother died giving birth to him, and his eldest brother moved on. His beloved third-oldest brother was drowned, and then when his second-oldest brother tried pulling a prank on him, Manabozho accidentally drove him off (not knowing who it was at the time). He was left with only his grandmother. Then, his own people, the Ojibwa, forgot about him, so he packed up his things and bitterly left. This made me cry so much. I just sympathized completely with him having people bailing out or not being there when he needed them most, with feeling totally forgotten. In fact that's one of the reasons I write about him so much; I just feel like I "know" him and how he feels.

Silly, I know, but that's what tugs at my heartstrings in terms of reading, because I know how awful it feels to be alone and forgotten.

[Phaeal]

WARNING: LotR Spoiler, for those from other planets. ;)

I've cried over so many books I can't begin to list them. I cry if something's particularly sad, or particularly happy, or particularly beautiful. I have a great time. One particular incident comes to mind:

A bunch of us used to gather to read the Harry Potter books out loud, from the midnight release until we got to the end. I happened to get the chapter in HP and the Order of the Phoenix in which Harry sees Neville Longbottom visiting his parents at St. Mungo's Hospital. Neville's mad mother keeps giving him candy wrappers, as if they were precious gifts, and Neville saves every one, even though his grandmother tells him to throw them away. This passage had me reading choked up and streaming. Writers take note of the power of the right tiny detail.

Same thing happened to me in a Lord of the Rings marathon reading. I got the chapter in which Sam thinks Frodo is dead and mourns over his "corpse." It was great -- not a dry eye in the house.

[Charlie Horse]

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN was terribly sad and bittersweet, too. The dog-MC, who was wise, funny, and unique, dies in the end--but not before finishing his purpose in life.


Thanks for sharing the ending of this book that is still on my "must read" list.

As for the question..."A Prayer for Owen Meany" is the first to pop into mind. I won't say what happens in the end for those of you who haven't read it.

[RickN]

Thanks for sharing the ending of this book that is still on my "must read" list.

In fairness to tilt, the book opens with the dog in his final days, reminiscing over his life. His impending death is the impetus for the book, so you're not surprised. Tilt only spoiled the first couple pages. :-)

[Phaeal]

Heh, this was exactly the thread you should have avoided if you fear having endings spoiled. Especially the endings of dog books, which have a significant statistical lead in the tearjerker category so far. ;)

[Charlie Horse]

In fairness to tilt, the book opens with the dog in his final days, reminiscing over his life. His impending death is the impetus for the book, so you're not surprised. Tilt only spoiled the first couple pages. :-)

That's a relief. My sister fell in love with the book and apparently so have quite a few other. I'm like sixth on the hold list at the library.

[benbradley]

"The Five..."
I'm a guy, so probably not. :)

Being emotionless works for me.
I'm with Shadow Ferret, and I'm a woman. I read for escapism, and I don't want to escape into any world sadder than what I already see on a daily basis. Not that I don't have an appreciation for the occasional tear-jerker I've read in the past.
I was a fan of Spock on Star Trek when I was 8-10 years old (and the original series was originaly on TV). I wanted to be just like Spock. No, it didn't scar me for life, it was just a reaction to the family I was growing up in which did indeed ... woops, that goes into the memoir file.

But yeah, lots of people learned to be like the John Wayne archetype. If you're like that, please feel free to use this thread as a list of books to avoid. :)

[mrockwell]

The final book of the Fionavar Tapestry, The Darkest Road, by Guy Gavriel Kay. Also, Tigana. I'm a sucker for GGK endings.

-- Marcy

[michelle25]

As for the question..."A Prayer for Owen Meany" is the first to pop into mind. I won't say what happens in the end for those of you who haven't read it.

I second that - awesome book!

[IdiotsRUs]

Hmm I can think of one or two

In LOTR, I always snivel when Eomer finds his sister on the battlefield. Every. Single. Time. Gets me right here *thumps chest*

I bawled my little heart out with the Green Mile

The Brave ( both the book and the film) screw me up for days afterwards.

Oh and there are a couple of CJ Cherryh books that I read a while ago where I was sooo in love with the MCs. But that's probably a little different sort of heartstring tugging :)

[Ken]

The Oddesey,
when Odysseus shoots an arrow thru the 9 rings,
disgards his peasant disguise, and recaptures his reign.

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

Anything by James Herriot - All Creatures Great and Small, etc. You won't cry only at the end; you'll cry in just about every other chapter.

'Lonesome Dove'.

[IdiotsRUs]

Anything by James Herriot - All Creatures Great and Small, etc. You won't cry only at the end; you'll cry in just about every other chapter.

Gods I'd forgotten about those! I read the whole lot when I was about ten and cried like nobody's business. Mind you I laughed just as much.

[Adam Hammonds]

Just occurred to me: Flowers for Algernon. A sad story written from (somehow) one man's mind and a myriad of intelligences. I found it hugely affecting.

[sunna]

Oh and there are a couple of CJ Cherryh books that I read a while ago where I was sooo in love with the MCs. But that's probably a little different sort of heartstring tugging :)

Idrys. I had the worst high school crush on him. :D And that moment at the end of Fortress of Dragons, where they're sitting on the hill after the big end-all battle....goddamn, I wish I was good enough to wrap up a 4-book relationship in three sentences like that. I'd completely forgotten, but I did get a little misty at that scene.

[Lccorp2]

E. E. Knight's Dragon Outcast, when Rugaard begs his father for a name--and is flatly told he doesn't deserve or need one.

I sniffled.

[RickN]

Anything by James Herriot - All Creatures Great and Small, etc. You won't cry only at the end; you'll cry in just about every other chapter.

'Lonesome Dove'.


Some of my all-time favorite books. I'll read stories from them today and laugh just as hard as I did *cough-cough* years ago when I first read them as a teen.

[P.H.Delarran]

the first book that comes to mind is a children's book, Love You Forever, by Robert Mensch. I used to read that to my kids and would choke up so badly at the end that I could hardly finish. every time. terrible thing. lovely book.
I know I've cried at grown up books too, just none come to mind right off.

[Jersey Chick]

A Prayer for Owen Meany - it's one of my favorite books, but it makes me cry every time I read it.

The Velveteen Rabbit - yeah, it's a kid's book, but whenever I read it to one of my kids, I choke up and have to pretend like I've got an eyelash in my eye.

The Giving Tree- chokes me up as well. God, I'm such a sap. I can't even consider reading books with animals as main characters because they always make me cry (and I blame Disney for that - curse you, Walt) :)

[TerzaRima]

Of late my little niece has been obsessed by this book called The Two Bobbies: A Tale of Hurricane Katrina. It's the (apparently true) story of a cat and dog, abandoned in New Orleans during Katrina, who are found running the streets together by animal rescuers. In the shelter, the vet determines that the cat is blind, and that the dog has been serving as (her?) eyes on the street. The pair are adopted by an adoring family with a big yard, and I'm a goddamn puddle of tears even thinking about it. All the Herriot stories, Lad: A Dog, a great memoir about this hard luck Irishman and his Doberman called I Have Heard You Calling In the Night, etc. etc. make me incoherent with pathos and snot.

Books about people don't generally make me cry, though. I am a cold and uncaring harpy.

[benbradley]

the first book that comes to mind is a children's book, Love You Forever, by Robert Mensch. I used to read that to my kids and would choke up so badly at the end that I could hardly finish. every time. terrible thing. lovely book.
I know I've cried at grown up books too, just none come to mind right off.
I've heard a synopsis of that book.

*** "Spoiler" Warning (not really, but if you're already familiar with either the song or the book below, this will 'tug', so be sure the coast is clear before reading further ***

I know of at least one more children's book apparently designed to cause that reaction. Furthermore, I've known two UU ministers who apparently like to make their congregations cry - they would read such books as the "children's focus" part of the service, or just plain read them aloud as part of the regular adult service. But then, at one of these congregations it was a tradition to sing "Sunrise, Sunset" (from "Fiddler On The Roof," if you don't know it I'll let you Google the lyrics on your own) at the spring graduation ceremony. And yes, parents cried. Right there in the service.*

There's one I recall from such a service but I don't recall the name of it (logically it would be "Christmas Train" but the description of that title isn't this book), maybe someone knows it and can tell me the title and/or author (if for no other reason than I can AVOID reading it at the wrong time, like, during a job interview). The story goes like this:

There's an area of the country where people are very poor, but every Christmas there's a train that goes through the area and toys are thrown out as presents for children. It's the story of a particular boy who hopes to get some really neato present, but is disappointed with getting a toy stethoscope. <remainder of synopsis deleted. You're welcome>

If you've read it, that should be plenty to bring it all back to you. <I apologize>

* Sentence fragment used for effect.

[EriRae]

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult got me. My aunt has had two kidney transplants, so the questions in the book really touched me.

Honestly, any sad scene in any book makes me cry. Every time. Never fails, unless I'm dehydrated.

[TerzaRima]

It's the story of a particular boy who hopes to get some really neato present, but is disappointed with getting a toy stethoscope.

I haven't read it, but the cockles of my heart are twitching irritably just thinking of all the inspirational hijinks that ensued.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

One book that really tugged at my heart was Heart's Blood by Jane Yolen. It is an SF title about a man who trains fighting dragons, and in this particular one (it is the second in a series, starting with Dragon's Blood) the dragon dies defending her master. I felt both for the dying dragon and for her master, as they were telepathically connected when she died.

But the ending was really cool, and was well worth, in my opinion, the heartbreak.

[CaroGirl]

Speaking of Christmas trains, I almost always cry when I read Polar Express.

[Cherry Bear]

Where the Red Fern Grows made me want to burst into tears when the dogs died, which was especially embarrassing because I was in public. Similarly, The Pigman, The Cay, and ridicule me if you must, when the owl died and when Dobby died in Harry Potter. That seemed so much more significant than when real people died.

[SPMiller]

It's a short story, and I've probably mentioned it on AW somewhere.

The Engine at Heartspring's Center by Zelazny.

[The Lonely One]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower always got to me. I don't know why but no matter how many times I read it I cry at some point.

[Lyra Jean]

Moving Mars by Greg Bear. Parts of it makes me cry and it's not that type of book.

While I was on a Mars fiction hunt at the book store during Mom's Day I found a short picture book called Mars Need Moms! (http://www.amazon.com/Mars-Needs-Moms-Berkeley-Breathed/dp/039924736X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225607239&sr=1-1) OMG! I never cried so much in my life. I'm afraid to read it again. Help!

[October]

I almost cried when I read about King Arthur when he died. All the ladies took him to Avilion, but the story makes it sound like they just buried him. Another one that made me almost cry was a Wild Sheep Chase. I also had a Vonagut book read to me and that one was sad. It was about this guy who was used to send an alien message to Earth. I don't remember the name. Anybody know?

[swvaughn]

the first book that comes to mind is a children's book, Love You Forever, by Robert Mensch. I used to read that to my kids and would choke up so badly at the end that I could hardly finish. every time. terrible thing. lovely book.
I know I've cried at grown up books too, just none come to mind right off.


OMG yes. I did that exact same thing with this book. Choked up every time I read it to the kids.

Not even my husband's insistence that it's creepy and stalker-ish could sway me from bawling my eyes out, especially at the end.

The only adult book I can think of now that really made me lose it is Odd Thomas (the first one). Man, that hurt to read - but I didn't feel manipulated or jerked around at all.

I shall not include spoilers. :D

[Petsey]

These go back a ways but always stuck in my head - Old Yeller, still makes me cry, book or movie version.

Every Christmas I read The Christmas Box by Richard Evans - makes me cry every time because I have kids and sometimes life gets in the way. It always reminds me to take more time with them. Love that little book.

Also an old autobiography called Light a Single Candle about a teenager going blind, how she coped and eventually got a guide dog that helped her physically and emotionally. I cried because it turned out good in the end. She learned to be okay with who she was.

[selkn.asrai]

When I was little, Les Mis, Summer of the Swans and The Lottery Rose all made me cry.

Aeneas' visit to the underworld was traumatic and beautiful.

And this may sound silly to some, but the first time I ever studied Lincoln's assassination, I cried. It was so fateful, and he was so tragic. So yes, over a century later, I mourned.

[Kaylee]

Christy, -- It was based on Catherine Marshall's mother's story. There are so many places in that book where I cried.

[dlenee]

Where the Red Fern Grows made me want to burst into tears when the dogs died, which was especially embarrassing because I was in public. Similarly, The Pigman, The Cay, and ridicule me if you must, when the owl died and when Dobby died in Harry Potter. That seemed so much more significant than when real people died.


Where the Red Fern Grows is what I was thinking as I read through the other posts. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Bevel, used to read for us every day after lunch. I'm very much a dog lover and that book was heartbreaking. I've wanted to read it for years, but it's so sad. That was 25 years ago and I'm still too much of a wimp to read it myself. :cry:

Dobby's death was another one. Very sad. Poor Dobby! :cry:

hmmm..we have similar books that make us sad...so, I think I'll avoid The Pigman and The Cay. :)

[sunna]

If we're going for children's books, Bridge to Terabithia got me pretty sniffly. And Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya, which I read when I was 9 I think - which was so much worse for being true - bawled my eyes out over that one, though I had to think about it for a few hours, go to bed, and then realize it was going to keep me up all night before I decided to cry over it.

[spaceman4572]

I do remember getting really emotional about a book but I cant remember the specific title. The Farseer trilogy by robin Hobb I think is an amazing series because the characters were great.

[amber_grosjean]

In one of my books (I am rewriting the series so it may be different when I get to that point), I killed off one of my characters. The way the MC felt when she lost her husband really got to me. I basically had to write an entire book in the series to help her get to the point where she could move on with her life and meet her second husband. It actually helped me move on as well.

I felt like I was mourning his death right with her. Of course, at that time, I was writing in first person which may have helped the feeling come through to me. Now I am writing in third. I think it's third lol (He said, she said). Or is that second lol? I can never get those straight. I'm used to writing in first and the two books that I tried writing differently were published so that's what I'm writing now.

Anyway, I actually had tears when he first died and a few scenes afterwards. When my grandmother died, I felt the same way so I was able to relate to the MC. I just hope I can get the same feelings from my readers once this book comes out. When it comes out lol.

Amber

[katiemac]

The Green Mile.

[scarletpeaches]

Before I Die - Jenny Downham
I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

[Akuma]

Two books:

The World According to Garp.

To see so many poignent details about a character's entire life--I became emotionally invested in the guy.

Freak the Mighty

Need I say more? Thinking about it gets me choked up. Ought to read it once more.

[Akuma]

Where the Red Fern Grows is what I was thinking as I read through the other posts. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Bevel, used to read for us every day after lunch. I'm very much a dog lover and that book was heartbreaking. I've wanted to read it for years, but it's so sad. That was 25 years ago and I'm still too much of a wimp to read it myself.

I really should read that book. My fifth grade teacher read it to us in class and, yeah, it was sad. But by the end I was too disturbed at watching our teacher, an adult man, crying as he read it to us. That kind of passion freaks me out sometimes.

[gypsyscarlett]

Where the Red Fern Grows
Call of the Wild- when Buck (I think that was his name?) was being abused
Frankenstein- when the Monster was begging his father to love him

and I am Legend. Poor guy's all alone and then he finds the dog. (okay anything with dogs tends to get to me). btw: hearing the horrid changes they made in the recent film adaption, notably the end, I absolutely refused to go see it.

[triceretops]

Fiction: All Creatures Great and Small.

Non-fiction: The Death of a Unicorn (the story about the murder of Dorthy Stratton, playmate--really shook me up)

Tri

[aruna]

My Friend Flicka, Mary O'Hara.

Possibly no book has ever affected me the same way. Bawled my eyes out when I was 12, read it again and again and every time I cried at the end. It makes good adult reading as well - even if you're not a horsey person. A real classic.

I can still quote my favourite lines from it.

[Philky]

A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway still gets me every time. The last three pages are quite possibly the most heartbreaking of any book I've ever read.

[aruna]

A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway still gets me every time. The last three pages are quite possibly the most heartbreaking of any book I've ever read.

Ha! For me it was For Whom the Bell Tolls. Cried for three daysw straight. Went on a Hemingway binge, read The Sun Also Rises Farewell to Arms. Hated both; but hated The Sun Also Rises more!

[PattiTheWicked]

Disclaimer: PattiTheWicked is NOT a crier. PattiTheWicked reads books for entertainment, not because she wants to sob like a four year old.

That having been said:

"Sold" by Patricia McCormack.
Ditto on "Polar Express," when the little boy finds the bell in his pocket and no one else can hear it.
"Velveteen Rabbit," which is why I refuse to read it.

and my newest Make Me Cry book, "The Christmas Tapestry" by Patricia Polacco, which tells the story of two old people who find each other, decades after being separated by the Holocaust.

[HeronW]

Sherri Tepper's Beauty

[billyf027]

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

So emotional and heart wrenching.

[stranger]

Gone with the Wind.

(A good few others but that sprang to mind.)

[Ageless Stranger]

Didn't make me cry, Elric's final fate was moving, in a very morbid, tragic kinda way.

[III]

Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon - several scenes for several different reasons. Really a perfect book.

[CommaSplice]

With all the Where the Red Fern Grows responses and that one lonely Old Yeller, I'd have thought somebody at least would have mentioned the other animal story that's been in my head as I read this thread:

Incident at Hawk's Hill.

I remember finishing it at lunch in fourth grade. All the teachers kept walking by my table asking my why I was crying. I still cry whenever I reread it...


I'm a serious crier, though--- Sirius died? There go the tears. Likewise for almost any main character death in a book that I'm totally engrossed in. I don't know--it's like catharsis.

[Inkyhoof]

I'd go with My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, definitly. That was heartbreaking.

Oh, and PS I Love You - that had me bawling my eyes out like never before over a book.

[darrtwish]

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold both made me cry, but they're two of my favourite books out there.

[Ulee_Lhea]

I'd go with My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, definitly. That was heartbreaking.

I was reading this on a plane, and I think the man next to me thought I was insane. I was crying my eyes out and sobbing audibly. There were parts where it lagged, but overall it was a damn good book. And the ending? Bam! Who saw that coming?

In my paperback version, there's an interview with the author (Jodi Picoult). She says she gave this book to her 12 y/o son to read, and after he read the end, he sequestered himself in his room and wouldn't let her in. I think he was in mourning.

[cherubsmummy]

I am late to the party, again, but here are my picks for tear worthy books:

Sounder, by William Armstrong. My Dad read this to me at about 10 years old. It's a book I will never forget.

The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak. Awesome book. Narrated by Death and set in Nazi Germany, it's pretty obvious it will be a hard one to read, but I found the perspective on the average German in that time interesting, and the ending had me crying off and on for days. I talked my husband into reading it and he was most upset that he cried while reading on a plane full of coal miners. He says he'll never read one of my recommendations again.

Emma

[Ulee_Lhea]

Just finished another one - The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle.

What really wrenched my heart was that much of the tragedy in it was very restrained. Instead of rape and murder and natural disasters (and you can see places where the author could have easily brought these in), she stuck to very common, everyday types of pain and loss. Things that were easy to relate to, even if you've never grown up poor on a farm in Colorado. It's extra sad if you've grown up on the sweet version of girl-horse books; Kyle's writing shows the dark, practical side of raising, breeding and breaking horses.

[missty]

I hardly ever cry at books. But 'Blue Above the Chimneys' by Christine Marion Fraser gets me every time. I am a snivelling wreck after each read, and I have read it many, many times.

[JamieFord]

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein.

[kristie911]

I've read a lot of books that made me cry but when I read the title of this thread only one book came to mind.

Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

:cry:

[Lady Cat]

Call of the Wild by Jack London (poor kidnaped doggy!)
Beautiful Joe by Margaret Saunders (about an abused dog that is given a second chance)
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (oh c’mon, who wouldn’t cry when Black Beauty meets up with Ginger again?)
The Plague Dogs (about two dogs who escape from an experimental lab)


After that I stopped reading books about animals. :cry:

[ASHER]

Where The Red Fern Grows also made me cry somewhat recently, though I attribute that to the fact my father read it to me when I was little. Aw shucks. Okay. So maybe it's a darn sad book and I love dogs too.

I have a hard time not crying at non-fiction that is..well... cry worthy. Lone Survivor: The Eye Witness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 made me SOB. I read it over and over and over and cried again and again and again. The story itself is so powerful... I recommend it to all who are interested in military non-fic! And even those who aren't, give it a try, it won't disappoint.

[Alpha Echo]

Marley and Me: Life with the world's worst dog by John Grogan, made me laugh till I cried and cry from sadness. Having owned labs for many years, there were so many things in that book I could relate to. Like he, I knew how bad they could be but you still loved them anyway. The heartbreak of their death makes you realize just how much they were a part of your life. Great book if you want to shed some tears.

Yup! Loved that book, and it made me cry from laughter and saddness. Can't wait for the movie either!

Also Little Women.

[ganymede_elegy]

Chiming in with the multitudes of people who cried over Where the Red Fern Grows. The scene where the boy's mother is trying to clean up the intestines hanging out of the dog, and then putting them back in and sewing up the wound with her needle and thread- I was a child when I read it and that scene was simultaneously the most horrifying and moving thing I could imagine, the tenderness, the desperation, the hopelessness of knowing it was really not going to save that dog. I don't know if the actual deaths that followed (two, count 'em, two) were worse than that scene, for me.

Also agreed on Dobby's death in Harry Potter! That was totally unexpected; I mean, I went into that book thinking I might wibble over some character death, but not Dobby. His character in the movies so far has been done so badly I almost forgot how much I like him in the books.

Bridge to Terabithia too, back in the day. Apparently, most books that make me get all choked up are YA (and I don't even read that much YA, excepting Harry Potter). The end of Libba Bray's last book in her Gemma Doyle trilogy, The Sweet Far Thing, just slaughtered me. I was practically sobbing, it was pathetic.

Interesting that some of you were moved by the end of My Sister's Keeper; my reaction to that ending was a toss-the-book-down-in-disgust kind of moment. I thought it was a huge cop-out, relieving the main character of having to make the choice she'd fought so hard to have the right to make, throughout the entire book.

[Perimyndith]

I've cried over plenty of adult books, but it's the kids books that really get me.

The most tear-inducing book is a little picture book that my mom gave me for my daughter before she was born (fittingly enough) called I Loved You Before You Were Born. All autographed and everything. My daughter has never had it read to her because I can't even read the first page without bawling.

We also have a book called Mama Always Comes Home which gets me very time, but usually only on the last page. It's a very sweet book, too, but the story is just waaay too close to my mama guilt complex.

[maggieuc]

An Echo in the Wind by Francine Rivers. Marcus loves Hadassah so much, and...well you'll have to read it!

[Prawn]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

At the Battle School, humanity's elite commanders are training to fight off the next invasion of earth. The soldiers have the weight of the world on their shoulders, and their decisions could save (or cost) millions of lives. And every once and a while the author reminds you that the people under all of this pressure are children of 6 or 7.

[Jojo_Dellis]

Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt

I'm echoing Where the Red Fern Grows.

[October]

I read most of Where the Red Fern Grows, but never the end of it, and I never will. It was getting to one of the sad parts (this was eight years ago, so I don't remember what part, but it was near the end,) and I had my first arythmia attack. I know it wasn't the sad book that did it, but I get too nervous to read it.

[tilt190]

I cried while reading Where the Red Fern Grows aloud to my kids. I also cried on the bus while reading the sad part in Lottery, by our very own Orion/Patricia Wood.

It was so sad. And I really loved/hated/felt depressed at the part when Little Ann has to cope after her friend died. You don't see much of that nowadays!

[Hsbittersweethrts]

Where the red fern grows...Anything having to do with dogs dying gets me every time!

[Gynn]

Okay, so maybe even the toughest of us has cried (in public) when reading a book (may it be waiting at the dentist's office or at the airport). What made it so it affected you emotionally, without being too contrived?

For example, Gabrielle Zevin's ELSEWHERE made me cry because it is so relatable--the fear of death, the hopelessness of it all.

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN was terribly sad and bittersweet, too. The dog-MC, who was wise, funny, and unique, dies in the end--but not before finishing his purpose in life.


I'm writing a short story in which my MC dies after saving another MC--and it's about the power of miracles. I just wanted to hear everyone else's take on what elements make them emotional.

The Dark Tower VII (final book in series). I was crying. I hardly ever cry when reading a book, but I was attached to the characters and everything they went through.

[jennifer75]

I loved Of Love and Other Demons.....the whole father daughter relationship got me good. Same with Lovely Bones.....father daughter thing.



yes, I see it.

[Red.Ink.Rain]

Red and White, by Ted Dekker. Actually, almost everything I've ever read by him has made me tear up in some way. Lots of impossible relationships and sacrificial love.

The end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had me bawling. *is sheepish* And also, I think I got misty at the end of Eclipse just because I was totally rooting for Jacob the whole time. :)

[Raphee]

I second that - awesome book!

Ditto for Owen Meany

[Exir]

I second The Book Thief.

[deserata]

Where the red fern grows...Anything having to do with dogs dying gets me every time!
This is me, too! ;_;

In 4th grade our teacher read it aloud to us. By the end, she was sobbing, and we were sobbing.....

Since then I've read plenty of books that were just immensely depressing (the works of Steinbeck or Faulkner come to mind), but none have made me cry since Where the Red Fern Grows.

[Storm Dream]

Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson. I remember I picked it up for about four bucks on the B&N clearance shelf what might be ten or so years ago. It attracted me because it had a) a gorgeous cover, b) was huge, and c) featured cowboys, which were one of my attractions at the time.

I think that was the only book to ever make me cry. Amazing characters, beautiful story.

On that note, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry also got to me.

We've moved twice since I got both books, and they've gone missing. grrr. May have to ransack the garage.

[KTC]

In recent memory? Hmmmm? I think I may have to go back a couple of years.

1. Before I Wake by Robert Wiersema (bastard)
2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
3. What is the What by Dave Eggers
4. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

[justinai]

Grapes of Wrath...the entire Joad family just made me heartsick.

[StevenJ]

The Spear by James Herbert. It certainly made me weep...with laughter.
Quite possibly the worst book ever written, including all of mine. :D

From an Amazon review:

The elements of horror also don't always mesh into the thriller style particularly smoothly - the zombie finale is fine, but elsewhere an otherwise exciting attempted murder on the lead character during a weapons testing session by a runaway tank is undermined by a later revelation that said tank was actually driven by the ghost of Heinrich Himmler (yes - really!).

[Jerry B. Flory]

Shadows Linger Glen Cook. 2nd book of The Annals of the Black Company
Sci/fi Fantasy from the guy who changed the whole genre for my by eliminating the thick black lines between good and evil and bringing everyone down to their human best and worst regardless of ability or position in life.
It would take too long to explain why this book really hits me in the gut. Suffice it to say it involves a man who, through the influence of Black Company related people, rises out of poverty by doing what his own very reclusive society would considerable abominable. Then, by meeting other people rises above his atrocities and own streak of cowardice and finds his moral polestar.
The great thing about Glen Cook novels is that it doesn't matter if a woman is so beautiful that men fall down and cry in font of her or that she's so powerful a sorceress that no one can stand up to her, she's still an emotionally-driven human being with needs, desires and petty selfishness and she still has a heart.
He never lets you forget they are human.

[willietheshakes]

1. Before I Wake by Robert Wiersema (bastard)


(Dusts hands.)

Well, seems my work here is done.

[KTC]

hehe. I see you're frantically getting your next one ready, Willie. My money is waiting. **impatiently taps foot**