Books That Made Us Cry

List of the Month
August 2024 (see all)
Talk
August 2024 List of the Month: Books That Made Us Cry
Description
Some books have such a powerful effect upon us as readers that we find ourselves moved to tears. Our List of the Month this August is devoted to those tearjerkers—the books that made us cry. Each participant may vote on ten titles. Please feel free to add notes, explaining what moved you about each book. Given the subjective and personal nature of the list, there is no downvoting.
1
52,519 members
2,242 reviews
½ 4.4
20 Members
rarm, SimoneA, kleo, raidergirl3, HeathMochaFrost, stephenis, perennialreader, Porua, Katealayne, Aug3Zimm, ahef1963, Barbsn, stephanieann1983, carole888fort, barefootsong, Brandy1411, Carrieida, Tosta, HH_Library, C.Z
Explanations
Porua: Not a favorite book but Liesel and her relationship with her 'Papa' made me cry, even though back then my father was still with us. I know I would never return to it.
2
26,447 members
654 reviews
4
17 Members
timspalding, fastaxion, raidergirl3, norabelle414, navelos, Yamanekotei, ahef1963, Verkruissen, stephanieann1983, beehappy, elorin, ManWithAnAgenda, slimikin, C.Z, dishehara, Poppy-Pooh, cre8tivemaxx
Explanations
navelos: I remember hiding behind my bedroom door reading this so I could read and weep in peace.
slimikin: At 14: me, reading in the living room completely unprepared for the ending, unable to lower the book from my face because I didn't want my dad to see me crying because of a BOOK (he saw anyway, was v. sympathetic)
C.Z: This book gets me every time
3
28,025 members
515 reviews
4.2
16 Members
Aquila, aprille, EerierIdyllMeme, kleo, Cecrow, EMS_24, souloftherose, Yamanekotei, Barbsn, Verkruissen, Joligula, Russell_F, ManWithAnAgenda, searavens, Tosta, Poppy-Pooh
Explanations
Russell_F: Hazel's passing away. The Black Rabbit calls.
searavens: I called out loud, "Don't let Bighead be dead!"
6
18,724 members
438 reviews
4.1
7
41,654 members
1,070 reviews
4.2
8
17,387 members
225 reviews
4.1
11 Members
aprille, hipdeep, TeresaInTexas, amanda4242, CarltonC, kleh, KarenFunt, Katealayne, themulhern, msemmag, musicmanfh
Explanations
amanda4242: I cried so hard at the end that I went through most of a box of tissues.
CarltonC: I only read this recently, but the second half of The Candle in the Wind had me blubbering. By some literary magic, White changes something quite mannered into an epic tragedy.
Katealayne: It is such a long story that I became engrossed and by the end, exhausted and sad. I read the last few chapters sitting under an oak tree outside an Elizabethan moated house. I don’t know if I was saddened more by the death of Arthur or the end of the book.
themulhern: It is poor Gareth who makes me cry. It is a very moving book.
musicmanfh: I have always been drawn to the Authuriad material. I read this first in the early 1967 or 68, while working in the Education Library at SDSU. I remember laughing out loud at the Questing Beast section (indeed named my old pickup truck the Questing Beast), but the final line of the book "...with the cannons of his adversary thundering in the tattered morning, the Majesty of England drew himself up to meet the future with a peaceful heart" always gets me
10
42,141 members
1,313 reviews
4.1
11
17,073 members
238 reviews
4.2
12
12,956 members
240 reviews
½ 4.3
13
12,694 members
641 reviews
4.1
14
26,894 members
1,015 reviews
3.8
15
10,060 members
123 reviews
3.9
16
8,545 members
438 reviews
4.1
17
32,853 members
1,649 reviews
4.2
18
108,822 members
1,642 reviews
½ 4.4
19
6,583 members
91 reviews
4.1
20
16,989 members
327 reviews
3.8
21
3,035 members
115 reviews
½ 4.3
22
20,698 members
619 reviews
4.2
23
3,008 members
119 reviews
3.9
24
12,401 members
389 reviews
4
25
26,098 members
428 reviews
4
26
5,495 members
408 reviews
½ 4.3
27
2,355 members
118 reviews
4.1
28
22,664 members
371 reviews
4.1
29
6,851 members
339 reviews
4.2
30
12,273 members
680 reviews
4
31
8,852 members
218 reviews
4.2
32
10,599 members
284 reviews
½ 4.6
5 Members
sturlington, RBeffa, satxreader, Hope_H, treegardner
Explanations
sturlington: I lived with this book for so long. I not only cried at the turn of events but also because it was nearly over and I was going to miss it.
33
44,772 members
726 reviews
3.9
34
8,785 members
400 reviews
4.1
35
18,986 members
459 reviews
4.1
5 Members
DannisWrites, themulhern, Russell_F, ManWithAnAgenda, vdandie
Explanations
themulhern: When Estraven gets shot at the end. Such a hero.
36
6,820 members
62 reviews
4.2
4 Members
hipdeep, yoyogod, konallis, vampyrite
Explanations
hipdeep: "I could never really play the thing..."
37
22,236 members
1,092 reviews
½ 4.3
38
3,714 members
130 reviews
½ 4.3
39
29,544 members
599 reviews
4.1
5 Members
hipdeep, TeresaInTexas, DannisWrites, treegardner, HH_Library
Explanations
hipdeep: "I wouldn't show weak eyes to your father for the world."
40
12,203 members
398 reviews
4.1
41
16,884 members
854 reviews
4.2
42
18,495 members
483 reviews
½ 4.3
43
17,189 members
650 reviews
3.8
44
53,299 members
875 reviews
4.2
45
12,424 members
183 reviews
½ 4.4
4 Members
reconditereader, elorin, ManWithAnAgenda, vdandie
Explanations
reconditereader: Possibly the best of the Discworld series; has surprisingly dark moments and a moving ending.
46
6,292 members
107 reviews
½ 3.5
4 Members
Aquila, BonnieJune54, gypsysmom, Hartsellang
Explanations
Hartsellang: I read this as a teenager when i had ponies of my own and so it touched me. I can't say if it would have the same affect on me nowadays.
47
62,385 members
813 reviews
3.9
48
46,810 members
1,685 reviews
4.1
49
7,631 members
79 reviews
4.1
3 Members
raidergirl3, saskia17, MDGentleReader
Explanations
saskia17: Walter is my favorite of Anne's children. This and the piper at the end of Rainbow Valley never fail to make me cry.
50
42,179 members
491 reviews
3.9
3 Members
cbl_tn, kleh, Hope_H
51
2,696 members
137 reviews
½ 4.3
52
7,271 members
112 reviews
½ 3.3
53
17,943 members
1,356 reviews
½ 4.4
54
16,450 members
208 reviews
3.9
55
6,957 members
510 reviews
½ 4.4
56
4,064 members
267 reviews
4.1
57
11,515 members
320 reviews
4.1
58
25,700 members
282 reviews
½ 3.7
59
7,258 members
192 reviews
3.9
60
11,075 members
447 reviews
4.2
61
19,709 members
209 reviews
3.8
62
1,884 members
190 reviews
½ 4.3
63
2,392 members
35 reviews
3.9
2 Members
amandrake, jeanie0510
Explanations
amandrake: An intense book and the ending is powerful. Difficult to explain which emotion it is that makes you cry. I think it's more than one.
64
24,955 members
306 reviews
4
2 Members
SpreeMetVoeten, KarenFunt
Explanations
SpreeMetVoeten: Beautifully written, but it is not so much the relationship between the protagonists that got me, but theirs with their dog... So loving.
65
3,404 members
147 reviews
4.2
2 Members
igorken, elorin
Explanations
igorken: I wept all the way through, for reasons related to the plot as well as reasons related to the author's illness, also evident in his writing.
66
2,681 members
39 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
gypsysmom, elorin
67
1,355 members
98 reviews
3.9
2 Members
vwinsloe, Barbsn
68
26 members
5
2 Members
kleo, Poppy-Pooh
69
14,487 members
472 reviews
4.2
70
4,362 members
295 reviews
4
71
21,317 members
1,312 reviews
4.2
72
319 members
17 reviews
½ 4.5
73
24,288 members
857 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
ReshiBec, Laura.a
74
3,574 members
35 reviews
4
2 Members
cpg, Poppy-Pooh
Explanations
cpg: "I die his Majesty's good servant but God's first."
75
3,627 members
66 reviews
4.2
76
3,120 members
72 reviews
3.9
77
4,435 members
29 reviews
4
2 Members
Morphidae, elorin
78
113,466 members
1,002 reviews
½ 4.4
79
15,453 members
394 reviews
4.1
80
3,806 members
117 reviews
4.1
81
819 members
56 reviews
4.1
82
4,606 members
94 reviews
3.8
83
309 members
27 reviews
4.1
2 Members
paradoxosalpha, Charon07
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: Not all the stories are tear-jerkers, but a few are--especially "In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind."
85
10,193 members
555 reviews
3.9
2 Members
katemcangus, Tosta
86
10,059 members
125 reviews
½ 4.5
87
8,563 members
412 reviews
4.1
88
12,392 members
473 reviews
4.2
2 Members
ReshiBec, slimikin
Explanations
slimikin: At 37: suppose I should be grateful that certain characters feel so real that their loss leaves me sobbing...but I'm not. And I still haven't picked up the next in the series.
89
8,357 members
542 reviews
3.9
90
16,095 members
1,027 reviews
4
2 Members
ablachly, ReshiBec
91
171 members
14 reviews
4
2 Members
saskia17, Bookbee1
Explanations
saskia17: Placeholder for many, many Amy Lane books that have made me cry.
92
13,492 members
419 reviews
3.9
93
54,880 members
337 reviews
½ 4.5
Member
anglemark
94
45,684 members
1,124 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
TheLOFT
95
27,484 members
224 reviews
3.9
Member
slimikin
Explanations
slimikin: At 9: crushed that there were no more new adventures to read, even more crushed that I couldn't get to Narnia via my parents' walk-in closet
96
21,709 members
265 reviews
3.8
Member
Selliers
Explanations
Selliers: The part where Tess writes to Angel to tell him how heartlessly he had acted towards her. Hardy portrayed Alec as the obvious hypocritical cad, but it's really Angel who breaks Tess.
97
17,822 members
492 reviews
4
Member
msjudy
98
11,431 members
626 reviews
4
Member
Carojo95
99
10,400 members
152 reviews
3.9
100
9,318 members
392 reviews
4.2
Member
dishehara