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Original poster

Books that break your heart

146 replies

Moominfan · 04/12/2019 20:52

Colson whitehead under ground railroad. He brought out another book knickel boys and I just can't bring myself to read it.

Room- I started it and just knew I'd be thoroughly depressed by this book so shelved it.

OP posts:
ThrilledToTiddlyBits · 05/12/2019 21:11

YY to War Horse and A Monster Calls.

I read the lovely bones and couldn't connect with the character at all, no tears shed there.

Never Let Me Go was another I remember sobbing over, and that bit from His Dark Materials (Hester and Lee).

HuckfromScandal · 05/12/2019 20:57

Anne of Green Gables.
I must have read it over 100 times, I start to well up before I even read the bit that makes me cry, and then I ugly cry every time!

And One Day, was just so unexpected, was listening to it on audio, out for a walk, and my god I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

ecuse · 05/12/2019 20:57

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguru. Full on ugly crying.

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford - I didn't weep, but it just fills me with a sort of yearning wistful sadness every time

HarrietSchulenberg · 05/12/2019 20:52

Before I Say Goodbye by Ruth Picardie. Read it when pregnant with DS1 nearly 20 years ago and it haunted me for weeks. Still does.

SheSnapsThenSheFarts · 05/12/2019 20:51

I came on here to say Goodnight Mr Tom, glad I'm not the only one who cries every time! I cry at the film too.....

poseysbobblehat · 05/12/2019 20:48

Water ship Down - when Hazel leaves his body and goes with the black rabbit.

TheCanterburyWhales · 05/12/2019 20:29

My Sister's Keeper for me too.

I thought Splendid Suns and Kite Runner were dreadfully badly written. It felt like the writer had gone "now what do we need for a best seller about Afghanistan? Bit of maiming and violence against women? Sorted!"

Time Traveller's Wife irritated the bejaysus out of me.

I cried at Angela's Ashes.

Also a different PS I love you- a teenage love story where he dies.

Love Story itself. "then I did what I had never done before in his presence, let alone his arms; I cried"

incognitomum · 05/12/2019 20:26

On Chesil beach...totally sobbed

I cried at Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
And the unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Saucery · 05/12/2019 20:25

The Wisdom Of Sally Red Shoes, too.

PorpentinaScamander · 05/12/2019 20:21

Agree with My sister's keeper, and any of Torey Hayden's books.

Will add
PS I love you, Cecilia Ahern
Do they hear you when you cry, Fausiya Kasindja (spelling could be wrong)
Hope in a Ballet Shoe, Elaine and Michaela DePrince
No Greater Love, Danielle Steele. I couldn't put this one down when I first read it aged 12ish. I almost got run over walking to school because I was reading it Blush

MrsCobbit · 05/12/2019 20:18

Beth dying on Little Women always causes ugly sobbing...

Kolo · 05/12/2019 20:14

Can I try that last sentence again? I can't get rid of the book, but I can't bring myself to read it again.

Kolo · 05/12/2019 20:13

@Asterisktheknackered that was what I was going to post. So achingly sad and beautiful. I get get rid of the book but I can't bring myself to reading it again.

ActualFemale · 05/12/2019 20:12

The Book Theif.

It's also the only book where the movie is exactly how I'd imagined it. Usually the movies of books are a let down to me and never as good as the experience of reading it.

orangeisnotmycolour · 05/12/2019 20:11

The war horse

Original poster
Moominfan · 05/12/2019 20:10

I made the mistake of reading road whilst heavily pregnant. Ugly cried on the bus when he gave his son a can of coke

OP posts:
MrsL2016 · 05/12/2019 20:06

Another one for My Sister's Keeper. Also the Flowers in the Attic books (except the 3rd).

WhatsNextMrsLandingham · 05/12/2019 20:03

Philip Gould's Before I Die. Heartbreaking and difficult to read the end chapters, but also beautifully written.

TeaMeBasil · 05/12/2019 20:03

I am terrible for sobbing over books but The Lovely Bones just didn't do it for me at all!

Mintypea5 · 05/12/2019 20:02

The outsiders 😭

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 05/12/2019 20:00

I thought the lovely bones was a big pile of wank. Not emotional at all.

I do have a heart of stone though.

The only book I have ever cried at was Intimacy by Hamid Kureishi

TidaQuel · 05/12/2019 20:00

A monster calls, had me sobbing

Looobyloo · 05/12/2019 20:00

The last last days of Rabbit Hayes.

JayeAshe · 05/12/2019 19:58

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Also Jude the Obscure
... because we are too many ... 《wail , sob》

The Time Traveller's Wife

Asterisktheknackered · 05/12/2019 19:54

*held

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