Is it wrong that the only book to ever make me cry proper real tears . . .

[TheCountessOlenska]

is Black Beauty

However many times I read it! And also, at several different points in the story!! (Ginger off to the knackers yard, Black Beauty's ruined knees, when James says "why it's our old Black Beauty from Orchard Farm, I'd know that star on his forehead anywhere" etc etc)

I don't even like horses that much

Matthew dying in Anne of Green Gables. A shiver just went down my spine, I'm that much of a sap.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham about a teenager dying of cancer. Jesus Christ I wept! It sounds overly sentimental but is actually really well written.

Private Peaceful - read the last chapter of this on the train and sniveled and sobbed. A brilliant, brilliant book. So utterly moving.

Bridge to Terabithia, oh god...

LBE, are you my DH in disguise? [suspicious] He will not allow the DCs to have Goodbye Mog, as he 'is not ready for it yet'. He's 43, FFS...

The green mile gets me at the end with the mouse

For me,the most poignant bit in "Little Women" is when Beth plucks up courage to go next door and thank old Mr.Lawrence for sending her the lovely piano. He says softly as she is going "I had a little girl once,with eyes like those..."

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.

I saw it in a bookshop and remembered loving it when I was a child. So does DS2 but I can't get more than half way before the blubbing starts. DH can't even stay in the room.

Mog, ah Mog. Your death was enough to make me sit in the dark and think dark thoughts.

Oh The Selfish Giant, you are SO right... [sad but beautiful]

I think I sobbed through PS I Love you and definitely through Schindler's Ark.

The worst ones for me are "Through A Glass, Darkly" by Jostein Gaarder, and "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde, but "I Heard The Owl Cry My Name", and "Before I Die" are strong contenders.

The Cat that Walked a Week - I cried so much my mum made me read the ending when I was only half way through the book to see that it had a happy ending! My DS cried in the Norton books, so sad cat books must be a genetic weakness.

grr, this thread prompted me to re-read Black Beauty and I have just been crying big fat tears all over 3 week old DD whilst she feeds.

LadyBeagleEyes, my son is the same - he won't even look at Goodbye Mog. I cried all over the bookshop when I bought it - local one thank goodness where they know I'm not a total loon. Can't quite make it through Peepo without a sniffle either.

The end of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson made me sob - don't quite know why. Just something about the elegiac quality of the writing that's really moving. Ditto the bit in The Hare with the Amber Eyes when the family have escaped from Nazi controlled Europe to the UK and the father of the family still has his bookcase key in his pocket.

It's good and cathartic stuff though, often, isn't it? Sometimes when I'm feeling low for no reason I actually read the upsetting bits of things - sort of gives you permission to feel sad.

To kill a mockingbird-the line about how scout escorted boo radley home and never saw her neighbour again-gets me every time!!

Also agree with when matthew dies in Anne of Green Gables-or beth in little women.

And children of the oregon trail-our teacher read this aloud to the class when we were about 9 years of age and I hated it because I found it so harrowing.

Ditto The silver Sword

Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant. And Dogger.

Goodnight Beautiful by Dorothy Koonsom (adult fiction-sobbed and sobbed!)
Sister by Rosamund Lupton (adult fiction-sobbed!)
No matter what-childrens book by Debi Gliori-couldnt read it to LO without filling up!!
Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo

Oh and Goodbye Mog :(

Bridges of Madison County, same with the film; the bit when he's in front of her at the traffic lights. Dear God, gets me every time.

YY, Beth in Little Women, Hazel in Watership Down, all the sad bits in Harry Potter (especially the bit where Dumbledore talks about Cedric).

But I also SOB reading The Time Traveler's Wife - because they know what's going to happen, and it's so sad. Full on snotty bed-shaking sobs. It wakes DH up.

the bit in harry potter when harry is going to die and hes so brave but cant say goodbye to anyone....then hagrid has to carry him and everyone sees him dead...and fred dying....sob!
james herriott too with thd little dog with mange that he keeps in a stable to try and treat, and when he goes to put her to sleep shes all happy to see him.....im welling up just thinking about it!

Oh, lordy saintmerryweather, I remember that bit in James Herriot. I sobbed

In fact, there was lots of stuff in JH that made me cry.

And the ending of The Mousehole Cat. The first time I read it to the dcs
( without reading it through first. Big mistake. ) Great shuddering sobs and little voices, all concerned - "What's wrong, Mummy?" And when I tried to explain they just looked at me like I was really insane.

Well have just welled up at that excerpt from Watership Down although dont think it made me cry at the time - I was a hard child! Since I've had a baby though its all changed and the stupidest thing will bring tears to my eyes!!

The Little Prince though was one that would do that even before

Ah, the selfish giant! Makes me cry just thinking about it.

I have never read the end in a non strangled voice. Such beautiful illustrations too, in our copy anyway.

I can't read The Selfish Giant out loud, my voice cracks.

The story of Gelert too, it's part of a guided reading scheme at school. Word has got round that Mrs Shockers always cries when it's being read, so I find children studying my face for tears rather than concentrating on the book!

I was in pieces after The Hunger Games, a total wreck! It's all just so unfair!

Sad by Micheal Rosen, not because it actually makes me sad, just because he words it so right.