Books That Made Us Cry

List of the Month
August 2024 (see all)
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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
52,523 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
26,448 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
28,028 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
18,731 members
438 reviews
4.1
7
41,665 members
1,070 reviews
4.2
8
17,388 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
42,144 members
1,313 reviews
4.1
11
17,075 members
238 reviews
4.2
12
12,956 members
240 reviews
½ 4.3
13
12,700 members
641 reviews
4.1
14
26,896 members
1,015 reviews
3.8
15
10,062 members
123 reviews
3.9
16
8,546 members
438 reviews
4.1
17
32,858 members
1,649 reviews
4.2
18
108,830 members
1,642 reviews
½ 4.4
19
6,583 members
91 reviews
4.1
20
16,990 members
327 reviews
3.8
21
3,035 members
115 reviews
½ 4.3
22
20,703 members
619 reviews
4.2
23
3,009 members
119 reviews
3.9
24
12,402 members
389 reviews
4
25
26,098 members
428 reviews
4
26
5,496 members
408 reviews
½ 4.3
27
2,356 members
118 reviews
4.1
28
22,666 members
371 reviews
4.1
29
6,852 members
339 reviews
4.2
30
12,274 members
680 reviews
4
31
8,855 members
218 reviews
4.2
32
10,601 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
44,776 members
726 reviews
3.9
34
8,785 members
400 reviews
4.1
35
18,989 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
6,818 members
62 reviews
4.2
4 Members
hipdeep, yoyogod, konallis, vampyrite
Explanations
hipdeep: "I could never really play the thing..."
37
22,240 members
1,092 reviews
½ 4.3
38
3,714 members
130 reviews
½ 4.3
39
29,549 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
12,208 members
398 reviews
4.1
41
16,887 members
854 reviews
4.2
42
18,497 members
483 reviews
½ 4.3
43
17,196 members
650 reviews
3.8
44
53,312 members
875 reviews
4.2
45
12,426 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
6,293 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
62,398 members
814 reviews
3.9
48
46,819 members
1,685 reviews
4.1
49
7,634 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
42,184 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
17,945 members
1,356 reviews
½ 4.4
54
16,452 members
208 reviews
3.9
55
6,959 members
510 reviews
½ 4.4
56
4,065 members
267 reviews
4.1
57
11,516 members
320 reviews
4.1
58
25,701 members
282 reviews
½ 3.7
59
7,258 members
192 reviews
3.9
60
11,077 members
447 reviews
4.2
61
19,713 members
209 reviews
3.8
62
1,884 members
191 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
24,957 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
3,406 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
14,488 members
472 reviews
4.2
70
4,362 members
295 reviews
4
71
21,318 members
1,312 reviews
4.2
72
318 members
17 reviews
½ 4.5
73
24,290 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
3,628 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
113,473 members
1,002 reviews
½ 4.4
79
15,459 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
10,062 members
125 reviews
½ 4.5
87
8,568 members
412 reviews
4.1
88
12,394 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
8,359 members
542 reviews
3.9
90
16,099 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
13,495 members
419 reviews
3.9
93
54,888 members
337 reviews
½ 4.5
Member
anglemark
94
45,685 members
1,124 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
TheLOFT
95
27,487 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
21,712 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
17,826 members
492 reviews
4
Member
msjudy
98
11,433 members
626 reviews
4
Member
Carojo95
99
10,402 members
152 reviews
3.9
100
9,320 members
392 reviews
4.2
Member
dishehara