Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

Tuesday, February 4, 2014


This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for the Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry.

1) The Book Thief - I ugly cry every time I read this.
2) The Time Traveler's Wife - Beautiful romance, impossible obstacle
3) Song of Achilles - The Trojan War never felt so personal.
4) Anne of Green Gables - One word: Matthew
5) The Sparrow - Tragedy on an epic level
6) Still Alice - If you know anyone who has had Alzheimer's this one will get you.
7) Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - 9/11 heartbreaker
8) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Just about my worst nightmare, but also incredibly inspiring story of the human spirit.
9) Jude, the Obscure - Leave it to Hardy to redfine tragedy.
10) Little Women - Do you guys remember Joey's reaction on Friends? Exactly.

18 comments:

Arenel said...

The Book Thief, The Time Traveler's Wife and Little Women also made me cry and also ended up being my favourites! The others I haven't read, but I guess I'll take your list as a guide to sad books, as our tastes seem to be alike here :)

Anonymous said...

When I saw this topic the first thing that came to mind was Matthew in Anne of GG. I love that man like he is real.

Heather said...

Totally forgot The Book Thief. Probably because I've only read it once and it was so long ago. Sounds like a problem I should remedy, huh? Great list! Isn't it funny how the books that make us cry wind up being favorites?

Sandy Nawrot said...

I just saw The Book Thief on someone else's list too, and YES, TTTW devastated me!!! Also 11/22/63 stopped in me in my tracks, especially that last chapter. Me Before You, and The Art of Racing in the Rain. Big, embarrassing ugly cries.

Anonymous said...

Anne of Green Gables is one of the first books I remember making me cry, because of Matthew, of course. I also cried during several other Anne books.
More recently, I took my paperback copy of The Hunger Games to the beach with me last summer. I was bawling on the beach! When my husband asked what was wrong, I could only manage "Rue!". That was probably my third re-read, not to mention multiple viewings of the movie. Gets me EVERY time!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Ekaterina Egorova - Those are some of my favorites for sure!

52booksorbust - Me too! He's just my favorite.

Heather - Definitely worth the reread!

Sandy - I honestly can't wait to read 11/22/63!

abibliophilesstyle - I did too! Those books dealt with some deep issues. Also, can't believe I forgot Rue!!!

JoAnn said...

I was flat out sobbing with Still Alice!

Unknown said...

I just got Anne of Green Gables. Now I am hesitate to start. :)

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

JoAnn - It broke my heart.

Tiffany - Don't be!!! It's just wonderful.

Bybee said...

Charlotte's Web!

Andi said...

Yes, yes, yes! I can't wait to read some Hardy later this year to make my crying experiences really complete. Tess it shall be.

Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction said...

I don't know why I haven't read The Book Thief yet - I think I must be the only one!

Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Kristi said...

There are quite a few on your list that I haven't read. Books rarely make me cry, but I love a good sad book. I read The Sparrow this summer and my goodness. So tragic.

I have a cool copy of Jude the Obscure and I keep meaning to read it. I definitely should put it on my nightstand to give it a little more priority.

I've been terrible at visiting blogs lately so who knows if it's new, but I love the new blog look.

Alex (The Sleepless Reader) said...

Of that list, I think I cried hardest with Anne of Green Gables... And I already knew what was coming because I first knew the story through the Manga cartoons that were very popular in Portugal in the 90s.

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Oh Matthew!!! So sad. I didn't love the book so much as the mini-series but it gets me everytime. And yay! I have Song of Achilles on my kindle so I need to get to it sooner than later!

Anonymous said...

Yes, to The Book Thief both times. (I rarely reread but this was just as good again. I expect the movie will bring on the tears some more.) I would add Les Miz.
Great list.

Kailana said...

I honestly don't think I have read all of The Little Women... I think the million movies have ruined that for me.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Susan - How did I forget Charlotte?!?!

Andi - Tess is on my list as well.

Nicole -I love that book!

Kristi - Thanks! The design is very new, I'm still figuring it out.

Alex - Anne in Manga, no way!?!

Trish - I watched that mini-series so many times growing up.

bkclubcare - Les Miz yes!!!!

Kailana - That's so sad! I read it when I was young and then reread it just recently. Love it!