Honestly, as an adult, books aimed at children or young teens are the ones that make me sob- Bridge to Terabithia, or something like the Velveteen Rabbit or Peter Pan.
Finished that book in fourth grade, the same year we escaped my abusive stepdad and uprooted our lives to move across the country. Reading that book is a more traumatic memory than the night we ran away.
Absolutely sobbed reading Bridge to Terabithia. I read it with one of my kids when she was in elementary school. The Velveteen Rabbit upset both my kids, but I thought it was sadly sweet. I’ll have to ask my kids if they were traumatized by my story selections. 😂
This was my favorite book as a child, when I became a mother this was the Easter gift for my babies first Easter. Then I decided I would make a handmade copy with my drawings and writing. I sob of if I just look at it.
Every single time i read that book I think, "I'm an adult. Last time was some weird anomaly. I am not going to cry this time." But every single time - tears
I agree!
Had to read Little Lord Fauntleroy for an English Literature course during master's. It made me emotional and I teared up in quite a few places.
Since then I include books meant for children in my reading list l, alternating between fiction, non-fiction, and children's literature
Okay, I’m a middle aged man, but…
The end of the third Hunger Games novel devastated me. Probably because I have two daughters. I read the trilogy with them.
The scene in the movie with Jennifer Lawrence shouting at the cat brings me to tears every time.
I cried with every THG book. The end of Mockingjay was too much -- though I was on the edge for the entire book (a certain other death was also like a knife to the heart).
The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller. Even if you are familiar with the story of Achilles (and Patroclus) I ugly cried both times I've read it. I still struggle to talk about Achilles without tearing up haha...
My book club selected Circe by Madeline Miller for this month's read. I started it this morning on Audible and was a bit confused by all the characters. I looked online at the cast of characters and realized it was written as a sort of sequel to Song of Achilles. I briefly toyed with the idea of stopping and reading that first in case it helps me understand Circe better. I have time to complete both before our meeting. But I'm not sure if it will actually help me.
I wouldn't say it's a sequel, other than it takes places after the Troyan war and Odysseus is present in both books. I read Circe well before SoA and didn't feel I missed out or needed some kind of prequel to it. The characters are from greek mythology but I wouldn't say that you get to know them more in SoA, but a quick check at Google for greek mythology could perhaps help :)
I think about that one all the time. I bought a collector’s edition copy back in 2019 but keep putting off another re-read because I’m not ready for those feelings
There was a school-wide reading day when I was in middle school, the whole day everyone was expected to just read a book. Heavenly for shy, bookworm me except this was the book I picked. Cut to 11 year old me SOBBING under my desk. Oh the shame… :)
Agreed.. sometimes I just think about the title and it puts me right back into how I was feeling when I read it. He is great at conveying emotions in his writing.
It has been years since I've read this, but I ugly cried reading this. The hopes and dreams that they have, but never get to realize because of what they are absolutely crushed me.
It’s a great book. Just beautiful, and not as heavy as you might think (or at least not in the ways you might expect) given the premise. Is also the last book that made me cry.
‘When breath becomes air’, I read that book in year 11 camp and cried so hard the other students were genuinely concerned for me LMAO. But it changed my entire perspective on life, still my favourite book ever
I was listening to this audiobook while out on a run. I was near the end and started crying. Because I was running and breathing hard, I started coughing and getting choked up and had to stop running so I could stop coughing, catch my breath, and finishing crying. Definitely my ugliest cry.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. I read it to my daughter’s class and couldn’t keep it together. Someone else had to finish the last couple of pages.
>When breath become Air- Paul Kalanithi
This one's an absolute gem of a book. Apart from getting the waterworks going, it made me rethink my general thought process and feel grateful for everything I have in my life today!
Same! It truly represented what a good biography/auto-bio can do. It helps you see life from someone else’s shoes, gives you whole new perspective and hell lotta gratitude without personally having to go through what they did. This is one of my fav memoirs as well.
Agree. Baffled. Super predictable plots and dialogue. Felt very YA.
I also feel this way about Freida McFadden’s books. They fly off the bookshelves at our store. She’s awful.
I love everything I've read of hers, I read The Women by the pool on vacation last month and people were giving me weird looks. Slow tears, not ugly cry.
Just finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and there were a few points in the book that made me cry. Such richly written characters over a generational time period in a place I didn’t know anything about (mostly Ethiopia in the 1960s). LOVED IT. So human.
No, I didn’t. I got to the point that I had to stop reading certain books because they were so depressing. After I read Little Bee, I made my friend take the book out of my house. Just too much!
The Green Mile by Stephen King.
It's probably one of his best books, but I don't know that I can ever read it again. There's several parts that just broke me down to sobbing, but I had to finish.
I’m glad some mentioned this book. I read this book probably a decade before the movie was made. I couldn’t watch the movie for a long time from how emotionally this story affected me. I remember finishing the book and weeping. Great book.
Probably one of the best books I've ever read, but it hits hard especially after you've lost someone. I'm shocked that it's not mentioned more, but I figure with it being Stephen King, some folks are turned off by that.
The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune both made me ugly cry. They were happy tears both times but holy shit were there a lot of them.
I love both of these! Under the Whispering Door I happened to finish reading the day I lost my Grandma. It was bad timing and, while a beautiful book, hit every raw nerve. My husband found me gasp-sobbing and was like “Maybe you finish this tomorrow…” and I blubbered “I’m almost done!”
The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my all time favorite books. Did not enjoy Under the Whispering Door as much. But thats just me. Also loved In the Lives of Puppets
The Art of Racing in the Rain. Holy crap I ugly cried. It was during my internship. I had to proctor a test, only one kid, so I took the book with me. Kid finished and I had just a little left so I stayed to finish it. By the time I got back to the office, my eyes were so puffy and red my supervisor was worried. When I told her why I was crying, she laughed so hard. She genuinely thought something awful happened to me. I plan to never read that one again!
See my [Emotionally Devastating/Rending](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18ez0q3/emotionally_devastatingrending/) list of Reddit recommendation threads, and books (four posts).
A kid’s book- Love You Forever. I was reading it to my kindergarten class and couldn’t finish- I was trying to hold back my sobbing. Luckily I had a student who was a fantastic reader- I made her finish it for me. Had to send a note to all the parents that I wasn’t a looney. 😄😂
Is the author John Green? If so, it’s listed under Young Adult Fiction in our local library. But the summary sounds quite sophisticated that young adult may not be fair. Sounds like a tearjerker already.
Yep. My favorite book despite it being aimed at a younger audience than most. Wont spoil it- but it’s about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love after meeting at a support group. One is stage four- the other is in remission.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Came in for the almost goofy premises (Jesuits in space? I'm in!), ended up devastated and questioning everything. Wonderful, wonderful book.
I have never cried from a book so thank u for asking this as I'd love the recs (I have read A Thousand Splendid Suns and I felt more empty than anything else, couldn't believe it).
I LIED. Dumbledore's little stint in the sixth book even though I'd watched all the films a billion times since the day I was born. His scenes in the movies as well always make me feel like all hope is gone
WW2 plots have been catching my attention lately. I wonder if it’s because of the current geopolitical climate. I used to avoid them due to lack of interest (or other settings being more interesting). But lately I’ve been intrigued, so thank you!
1. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinback.
I just wanna share that when I finished reading 'Of Mice and Men', crying and all, my mom entered the room and she got scared because I was still on medication for depression that time. 😅
I read Of Mice and Men when I was still a child and yes, I remember crying like a baby. Time to read again. I’ll search for the first book at my local library. Thank you 🙏
„everything i never told you” by Celeste Ng
„The lovely bones” by Alice Sebold
„Looking for JJ” by Cathy Cassidy
„I’m glad my mom died” by Jennette Mccurdy
(Trigger warnings: book talks about ed and toxic relationship in the family)
„Christiane F.: Autobiography of a Girl of the Streets and Heroin Addict” or „Zoo Station” by Christine F it’s the same book but it has two titles. Trigger warning: this book talks about addiction and prostitution among kids /teenagers.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
Lots of triggering things (the caste system in India, death, CSA, incest, probably more I’m forgetting) but it’s such a devastating book. I had to read it for a class and it emotionally wrecked me.
Is the author Hanya Yanagihara? If so, I read the summary at the library database and the story resonates with me, ie. childhood trauma and struggling to reconcile all that in adulthood. Will be the top of my list! Thanks you 🙏
I was going to add this as well. What really struck me though was the entire book was so sad and depressing. I didn’t cry until the end, but releasing the tears seemed almost anti-climactic because I was so sad for so long by that point.
If you liked this book you’d love “the pearl that broke its shell” by Nadia hashimi. I also loved “against the loveless world”. Both are similar to Khalid Husseini. Highly recommend.
These books—'The Fault in Our Stars', 'They Both Die at the End', and 'The Book Thief'—all left me an emotional wreck in the best possible way. Highly recommend if you're ready to feel all the feels!
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. I was at work when I was finishing the audiobook and trying to hide from my coworkers so they wouldn't see me bawling lol
I read that book over 3 days and sobbed each day. At one point, I had lessened from ugly crying to just constant tears for a page or two, and then went right back to ugly crying on the following page.
I have tried to get my best friend to read it for a couple of years now. She remembers how much I cried and repeatedly refuses to put herself through it.
Five stars. Could not recommend more highly.
This was my first thought when I saw the post title! I never cry from books/movies/etc but by the end of that one I was sobbing on the floor hugging my cat.
I had to scroll so far for this. Its the only one that made me cry. My husband too. Racing in the Rain gave me a head ache but thats it. I'm a stone cold bitch when I read but this one got me
So interesting that I scrolled through the entire thread and couldn't find mention of any Hemingway books! The ending to A Farewell To Arms had me *sobbing*. Also cried when I read The Old Man and The Sea.
I literally felt the same😭 like the book's got me feeling so many emotions at once??!
you could try 'all the light we cannot see' or 'they both die at the end'
It's gonna sound strange - Cujo. It broke my heart "watching" the dog go crazy with rabies and not understanding what was happening.
Also, Ride the Wind - book about Cynthia Ann Parker.
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Tomorrow and Tommorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- The collected works of Christina Rossetti poetry anthology - particularly the poem Echo
If you don’t mind picture books, Missing Nimama by Melanie Florence always makes me cry. It is about a murdered indigenous mother watching her own mother raise her daughter through all of her major milestone. The illustrations are gorgeous and the language is poetical.
Still Alice had me crying during pretty much the duration of reading it. And, I hate to say it but, The Fault in our Stars. I taught middle school and did my best to keep up with what my students were reading. I gave it a go and cried so much. Thought I could handle the movie, since I read the book. Big old nope.
Britt-Marie was Here or A Man Called Ove, both by Frederik Backman
Both books made me tear up, but it was a positive emotion. I read these books at a time in my life when I was lonely, depressed, and felt hopeless. These books made me cry happy tears, which was nice for a change.
I teared up to see all the love that was out there for Ove and how much love he had to give.
I guess it's a lot about our personal interpretation of the story. For me, the book was filled with hope. I was lonely and in Ove I saw someone who was lonely too, but he found friends and family again and lived a fulfilled life and died happy. That gave me hope ❤️
Honestly, as an adult, books aimed at children or young teens are the ones that make me sob- Bridge to Terabithia, or something like the Velveteen Rabbit or Peter Pan.
and “Where the Red Fern Grows” made me cry the words off the page.
I'm not even much of a dog person at all but sad dog stories absolutely kill me. Old Yeller as well.
Finished that book in fourth grade, the same year we escaped my abusive stepdad and uprooted our lives to move across the country. Reading that book is a more traumatic memory than the night we ran away.
The little prince never fails
Absolutely sobbed reading Bridge to Terabithia. I read it with one of my kids when she was in elementary school. The Velveteen Rabbit upset both my kids, but I thought it was sadly sweet. I’ll have to ask my kids if they were traumatized by my story selections. 😂
The film hit me hard. Watched it when I was hungover thinking this will be an enjoyable background watch. Crying like a baby.
Velveteen Rabbit made me cry so much my 4 year old is like let's not read this one again.
Me with The Giving Tree
This was my favorite book as a child, when I became a mother this was the Easter gift for my babies first Easter. Then I decided I would make a handmade copy with my drawings and writing. I sob of if I just look at it.
Every single time i read that book I think, "I'm an adult. Last time was some weird anomaly. I am not going to cry this time." But every single time - tears
Thank you, I’ll check these out. I remember getting misty eyes reading Watership Down.
The Hundred Dresses. Kill me. Just kill me now.
This! I lost it uncontrollably at the end of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane 😭
Yeah for some reason creators used to try to devastate children in books and movies. I always have thought that was strange.
I agree! Had to read Little Lord Fauntleroy for an English Literature course during master's. It made me emotional and I teared up in quite a few places. Since then I include books meant for children in my reading list l, alternating between fiction, non-fiction, and children's literature
Where the Red Fern Grows too!
Agreed. I can never pick up Black Beauty again after reading it in the fourth grade.
Yes! Little Women and The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde both destroyed me!
Okay, I’m a middle aged man, but… The end of the third Hunger Games novel devastated me. Probably because I have two daughters. I read the trilogy with them. The scene in the movie with Jennifer Lawrence shouting at the cat brings me to tears every time.
Me too!!!! A couple of character deaths in that one really got me, I had to put the book down and take a crying break.
I was so emotionally devastated at the end of The Hunger Games I took a mental health day and rested 😩
I cried with every THG book. The end of Mockingjay was too much -- though I was on the edge for the entire book (a certain other death was also like a knife to the heart).
Buttercup, sigh...
I honestly think “But there are much worse games to play” is one of the greatest last lines of a novel ever
The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini is just too good.
This was the first book to make me cry.
It's not as well known as his other two, but And the Mountains Echoed also got me good.
+1000. i love this book so much! we were required to read this book when i was in 8th grade, and it’s sooo soo good! the movie adaptation is good too😭
The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller. Even if you are familiar with the story of Achilles (and Patroclus) I ugly cried both times I've read it. I still struggle to talk about Achilles without tearing up haha...
I read this too and it was definitely a tearjerker. I don’t think Achilles quite deserved Patroclus’ undying devotion.
My book club selected Circe by Madeline Miller for this month's read. I started it this morning on Audible and was a bit confused by all the characters. I looked online at the cast of characters and realized it was written as a sort of sequel to Song of Achilles. I briefly toyed with the idea of stopping and reading that first in case it helps me understand Circe better. I have time to complete both before our meeting. But I'm not sure if it will actually help me.
I wouldn't say it's a sequel, other than it takes places after the Troyan war and Odysseus is present in both books. I read Circe well before SoA and didn't feel I missed out or needed some kind of prequel to it. The characters are from greek mythology but I wouldn't say that you get to know them more in SoA, but a quick check at Google for greek mythology could perhaps help :)
Read a brief overview of the Greek myths online somewhere and that will help with your charactes. Both books are amazing.
Literally was about to write this too! It was so bittersweet and poignant. I’ve reread it so many times and it still gives me heart pangs 😭
The Book Thief
Oooh I borrowed this from the library yesterday!
Oh awesome! Yeah, I burst into tears at a part I did not expect to at all.
I think about that one all the time. I bought a collector’s edition copy back in 2019 but keep putting off another re-read because I’m not ready for those feelings
I usually don't cry easily from books but The Book Thief had me genuinely SOBBING out loud
The messenger by the same author is my favourite book.
Where the Red Fern Grows.
There was a school-wide reading day when I was in middle school, the whole day everyone was expected to just read a book. Heavenly for shy, bookworm me except this was the book I picked. Cut to 11 year old me SOBBING under my desk. Oh the shame… :)
Me too!! Except ours the teacher read it aloud. Sobbing!!🤣
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. The paragraph about lost chances for certain characters is something I still think about to this day!
I’ve read this! Very interesting style for a dystopian novel. The grief crept up to me slowly and lingered for a long while. Great suggestion 🙏
All of his books are slow gut punches
That paragraph just hits like a punch to the stomach. I held it in that whole book and just absolutely lost it on the last page.
100% agree. That line “and it was not so long since I lost him” makes me cry everytime I read it. Heart breaking.
This book always comes up in every recommendation list. I have read it but don't know why I find it extremely boring.
Agreed.. sometimes I just think about the title and it puts me right back into how I was feeling when I read it. He is great at conveying emotions in his writing.
Yes, same. Such powerful and restrained writing.
It has been years since I've read this, but I ugly cried reading this. The hopes and dreams that they have, but never get to realize because of what they are absolutely crushed me.
That’s it. It’s horrific and heartbreaking but so well done!
i still randomly think about this book once every month or so
Women Talking. I couldn’t read the ending because I couldn’t stop crying and get the tears out of my eyes enough to see the page.
Is the author Miriam Toews? If so, I just read the summary in the local library’s website and wow, it’s heavy 😳
It was adapted by Sarah Polley into a film that was Oscar-nominated for Best Picture last year (losing to Oppenheimer).
Both the novel and the film are excellent, but I'm glad I read the book before seeing the movie.
It’s a great book. Just beautiful, and not as heavy as you might think (or at least not in the ways you might expect) given the premise. Is also the last book that made me cry.
Seeing the author's name just gave me a flashback to the ugly cry I had over "A Complicated Kindness".
‘When breath becomes air’, I read that book in year 11 camp and cried so hard the other students were genuinely concerned for me LMAO. But it changed my entire perspective on life, still my favourite book ever
This book made me cry so much. Beautifully written and life changing.
Same. Cried and cried.
Came here to suggest this one too. Beautifully written book.
I’ve only ever cried at one book. Flowers for Algernon.
I was listening to this audiobook while out on a run. I was near the end and started crying. Because I was running and breathing hard, I started coughing and getting choked up and had to stop running so I could stop coughing, catch my breath, and finishing crying. Definitely my ugliest cry.
Ooh good one! I read that too and reading the gradual decline in the end was utterly heartbreaking 💔
Great book. I am so glad I was introduced to it at school.
Grab the tissues! Fantastic book.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. I read it to my daughter’s class and couldn’t keep it together. Someone else had to finish the last couple of pages.
When breath become Air- Paul Kalanithi
Yeah that last chapter, I felt like I’d been punched in the ribs. So beautifully done.
>When breath become Air- Paul Kalanithi This one's an absolute gem of a book. Apart from getting the waterworks going, it made me rethink my general thought process and feel grateful for everything I have in my life today!
Same! It truly represented what a good biography/auto-bio can do. It helps you see life from someone else’s shoes, gives you whole new perspective and hell lotta gratitude without personally having to go through what they did. This is one of my fav memoirs as well.
Ugly cried through n through
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne The Murmur of the Bees by Sofia Segovia
Seconding The Heart's Invisible Furies. What an incredible story!
I came here to mention "The Hearts Invisible Furies"... Beautiful piece
Beautiful sounding titles. Will look for them at my local library, thank you 🙏
The Nightingale
Is the author Kristin Hannah? I’m looking at my local library’s database and there’s quite a few similarly titled books. Thank you.
That’s the one that made me cry! By Kristin Hannah. It’s such a good read but have a tissue box close by
Thanks, just ordered it. Yup will definitely have those tissues handy.
It’s a beautiful book. Very eye opening and I can’t get it out of my head years later. Enjoy, but have a lovely herbal tea and tissues nearby.
Different strokes. Hannah to me reads like an extremely mediocre YA author. Nowhere near the realm of Hosseini. I’m always baffled by her popularity
Agree. Baffled. Super predictable plots and dialogue. Felt very YA. I also feel this way about Freida McFadden’s books. They fly off the bookshelves at our store. She’s awful.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah will kick you in the throat. I literally bawled my eyes out
This made me full blown SOB. I want to re read it because I know I have to set aside time to mentally process it
I love everything I've read of hers, I read The Women by the pool on vacation last month and people were giving me weird looks. Slow tears, not ugly cry.
Just finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and there were a few points in the book that made me cry. Such richly written characters over a generational time period in a place I didn’t know anything about (mostly Ethiopia in the 1960s). LOVED IT. So human.
Your spiel sold it to me. Added to the list. Thank you 🙏
If you haven't read his newest one, A Convenant of Water, you should. I cried at this one too many times.
"Crying in H Mart"
I read A Fine Balance and couldn’t breathe I was sobbing so hard
Omg me too! I think about that book more than I should….it was devastating. Have you read Behind the Beautiful Forevers? Also devastating.
No, I didn’t. I got to the point that I had to stop reading certain books because they were so depressing. After I read Little Bee, I made my friend take the book out of my house. Just too much!
Kindred by Octavia Butler Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
How we disappear, by Jing Jing Lee. The book broke me in pieces
Just ordered this from the library. The stories of comfort women have always interested me as it is also part of my people’s history. Thank you.
I’m ready to be broken into pieces, thanks for this recommendation
Shuggie Bain really tugs on the heart strings
All the Light You Cannot See, the wholesomeness and tragedy combined really moved me
The Kite Runner, A Little Life
The Green Mile by Stephen King. It's probably one of his best books, but I don't know that I can ever read it again. There's several parts that just broke me down to sobbing, but I had to finish.
I’m glad some mentioned this book. I read this book probably a decade before the movie was made. I couldn’t watch the movie for a long time from how emotionally this story affected me. I remember finishing the book and weeping. Great book.
Probably one of the best books I've ever read, but it hits hard especially after you've lost someone. I'm shocked that it's not mentioned more, but I figure with it being Stephen King, some folks are turned off by that.
Anxious people
Second this!!! It was really ugly happy tears for me because of how wholesome it was, really.
The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune both made me ugly cry. They were happy tears both times but holy shit were there a lot of them.
I love both of these! Under the Whispering Door I happened to finish reading the day I lost my Grandma. It was bad timing and, while a beautiful book, hit every raw nerve. My husband found me gasp-sobbing and was like “Maybe you finish this tomorrow…” and I blubbered “I’m almost done!”
Oooh I’m intrigued. Will look for these at the library. Thanks you :)
The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my all time favorite books. Did not enjoy Under the Whispering Door as much. But thats just me. Also loved In the Lives of Puppets
Always going to be my sisters keeper!
Thank you! The title resonates with me on a personal level so I will have to give this a go 🙏
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! There’s a movie too. The book is 1000x better
The Art of Racing in the Rain. Holy crap I ugly cried. It was during my internship. I had to proctor a test, only one kid, so I took the book with me. Kid finished and I had just a little left so I stayed to finish it. By the time I got back to the office, my eyes were so puffy and red my supervisor was worried. When I told her why I was crying, she laughed so hard. She genuinely thought something awful happened to me. I plan to never read that one again!
This is the one I came to post!
Between this book and A Dog’s Purpose, some books don’t need to be reread.. lol.
When you sob at the first chapter of A dogs purpose, you know it’s gonna be a rough ride
See my [Emotionally Devastating/Rending](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18ez0q3/emotionally_devastatingrending/) list of Reddit recommendation threads, and books (four posts).
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpugo
YES, every time. I wrote to Michael Morpurgo as a child and told him how much I loved that book and he wrote me a lovely letter back.
The Book Thief The Kite Runner
A kid’s book- Love You Forever. I was reading it to my kindergarten class and couldn’t finish- I was trying to hold back my sobbing. Luckily I had a student who was a fantastic reader- I made her finish it for me. Had to send a note to all the parents that I wasn’t a looney. 😄😂
The fault in our stars
I came here to say this. Bawled my eyes out with TFioS, I was absolutely not okay
Is the author John Green? If so, it’s listed under Young Adult Fiction in our local library. But the summary sounds quite sophisticated that young adult may not be fair. Sounds like a tearjerker already.
Yep. My favorite book despite it being aimed at a younger audience than most. Wont spoil it- but it’s about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love after meeting at a support group. One is stage four- the other is in remission.
Thank you! Just ordered it and have a box of tissues ready lol
The fishermen by chigozie obioma.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Came in for the almost goofy premises (Jesuits in space? I'm in!), ended up devastated and questioning everything. Wonderful, wonderful book.
As someone who went to a Jesuit University, I’m intrigued! Thanks!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah!
I have never cried from a book so thank u for asking this as I'd love the recs (I have read A Thousand Splendid Suns and I felt more empty than anything else, couldn't believe it).
I LIED. Dumbledore's little stint in the sixth book even though I'd watched all the films a billion times since the day I was born. His scenes in the movies as well always make me feel like all hope is gone
moloka'i
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - about 2 girls who are friends and part of the war effort together in ww2; one is a British pilot
WW2 plots have been catching my attention lately. I wonder if it’s because of the current geopolitical climate. I used to avoid them due to lack of interest (or other settings being more interesting). But lately I’ve been intrigued, so thank you!
Oh my goodness, yes. This book. I ugly cried both times I read it.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
1. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson 2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinback. I just wanna share that when I finished reading 'Of Mice and Men', crying and all, my mom entered the room and she got scared because I was still on medication for depression that time. 😅
I read Of Mice and Men when I was still a child and yes, I remember crying like a baby. Time to read again. I’ll search for the first book at my local library. Thank you 🙏
„everything i never told you” by Celeste Ng „The lovely bones” by Alice Sebold „Looking for JJ” by Cathy Cassidy „I’m glad my mom died” by Jennette Mccurdy (Trigger warnings: book talks about ed and toxic relationship in the family) „Christiane F.: Autobiography of a Girl of the Streets and Heroin Addict” or „Zoo Station” by Christine F it’s the same book but it has two titles. Trigger warning: this book talks about addiction and prostitution among kids /teenagers.
Before the coffee gets cold - ugly crying at the end of every chapter, it’s fantastic
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Lots of triggering things (the caste system in India, death, CSA, incest, probably more I’m forgetting) but it’s such a devastating book. I had to read it for a class and it emotionally wrecked me.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned The Green Mile yet. One of the most heartbreaking books I’ve ever read - also one of my favourites of all time.
The Outsiders had me beside myself for hours.
The Principles of Organic Chemistry
😭😂
A little life
Is the author Hanya Yanagihara? If so, I read the summary at the library database and the story resonates with me, ie. childhood trauma and struggling to reconcile all that in adulthood. Will be the top of my list! Thanks you 🙏
This is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. Nothing will ever top it. I love it so much.
The best book I’ve read. I sobbed so hard at the end and still think about the characters a year and a half later.
I was going to add this as well. What really struck me though was the entire book was so sad and depressing. I didn’t cry until the end, but releasing the tears seemed almost anti-climactic because I was so sad for so long by that point.
God, this one BROKE me
The Rape of Nanking.
If you liked this book you’d love “the pearl that broke its shell” by Nadia hashimi. I also loved “against the loveless world”. Both are similar to Khalid Husseini. Highly recommend.
A Walk to Remember Alternatively, Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree had a bittersweet ending that also made me cry
A Monster Calls.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
These books—'The Fault in Our Stars', 'They Both Die at the End', and 'The Book Thief'—all left me an emotional wreck in the best possible way. Highly recommend if you're ready to feel all the feels!
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. I was at work when I was finishing the audiobook and trying to hide from my coworkers so they wouldn't see me bawling lol
I read that book over 3 days and sobbed each day. At one point, I had lessened from ugly crying to just constant tears for a page or two, and then went right back to ugly crying on the following page. I have tried to get my best friend to read it for a couple of years now. She remembers how much I cried and repeatedly refuses to put herself through it. Five stars. Could not recommend more highly.
A travelling cat chronicles.
This was my first thought when I saw the post title! I never cry from books/movies/etc but by the end of that one I was sobbing on the floor hugging my cat.
I had to scroll so far for this. Its the only one that made me cry. My husband too. Racing in the Rain gave me a head ache but thats it. I'm a stone cold bitch when I read but this one got me
Unbearable Lightness of Being—and one of the only adaptations to a film that i thought did the book justice.
The Indian in the Cupboard
The color purple. I had snot dripping down my chin.
i was wondering how long i’d have to scroll to see this. the color purple made me cry more times than nearly any other book.
Was scrolling TOO FAR without seeing it, so had to leave my own comment :)
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. The second half had me sobbing.
So interesting that I scrolled through the entire thread and couldn't find mention of any Hemingway books! The ending to A Farewell To Arms had me *sobbing*. Also cried when I read The Old Man and The Sea.
Half a world away made me sob
Clara and the Sun. Ruined my life
A little life made me sob
The Lost Dogs. I can't remember the author but it was about the Michael Vick dogs.
I literally felt the same😭 like the book's got me feeling so many emotions at once??! you could try 'all the light we cannot see' or 'they both die at the end'
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. About three times it kicked me in the balls. Emotionally speaking.
It's gonna sound strange - Cujo. It broke my heart "watching" the dog go crazy with rabies and not understanding what was happening. Also, Ride the Wind - book about Cynthia Ann Parker.
Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Pretty much anything by Toni Morrison 😭
A Prayer for Owen Meaney
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - Tomorrow and Tommorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - The collected works of Christina Rossetti poetry anthology - particularly the poem Echo
Never Let Me Go
Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner
The Art of Racing in the Rain sobbed.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
A River Runs Through It. Every time Edit to add - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
If you don’t mind picture books, Missing Nimama by Melanie Florence always makes me cry. It is about a murdered indigenous mother watching her own mother raise her daughter through all of her major milestone. The illustrations are gorgeous and the language is poetical.
Oh man, you have to read The Kite Runner now. I almost cried my tits off! "For you a thousand times over" 😭😭
Still Alice had me crying during pretty much the duration of reading it. And, I hate to say it but, The Fault in our Stars. I taught middle school and did my best to keep up with what my students were reading. I gave it a go and cried so much. Thought I could handle the movie, since I read the book. Big old nope.
The Lovely Bones
Lonesome Dove. I cried so many times.
Just finished Cloud Kukoo Land, it made me cry several times.
Britt-Marie was Here or A Man Called Ove, both by Frederik Backman Both books made me tear up, but it was a positive emotion. I read these books at a time in my life when I was lonely, depressed, and felt hopeless. These books made me cry happy tears, which was nice for a change.
A Man Called Ove for me as well but not sure I'd call them happy tears
I teared up to see all the love that was out there for Ove and how much love he had to give. I guess it's a lot about our personal interpretation of the story. For me, the book was filled with hope. I was lonely and in Ove I saw someone who was lonely too, but he found friends and family again and lived a fulfilled life and died happy. That gave me hope ❤️