Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Cry
Top Ten Tuesday is a great meme created by Jamie at The Broke and the Bookish that combines top ten lists and books. She’s come up with a great list of weekly discussion topics and I hope you’ll join in the discussion by commenting on this post or some of the other ones (you can find the list of participating blogs in this week's Top Ten Tuesday Post on her site).
This week’s topic is Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry.
I love a good sob fest. Here are ten of my favorites:
1. The God of Animals by Aryn KyleI read this book while on vacation in St. Croix—I was crying so hard my husband actually took the book out of my hands and refused to give it back, because he thought it was upsetting me way too much and ruining my vacation. I told him it would ruin my vacation more to not finish the book and he did finally give it back. This book struck me particularly hard because, in addition, to the sad stuff that happens with the horses, I, too, feel like the main character—I love horses but don’t have the magic touch other people seem to have and it kills me that I don’t.
2. His Dark Materials Series by Philip PullmanMy best friend turned me onto this series and I, in turn, turned my sister onto it. My sister called me one day and said, “Gee, thanks for telling me to read this. I almost died because of you!” Turns out, she and my brother-in-law were on a road trip to visit family in the mid-west, and they chose to read this series on the way. They got to the last book and both of them were crying so hard my brother-in-law almost drove off the road!
3. Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson“Thou hast not made my life so sweet to me, that I, the King, should greatly care to live.” The saddest lines ever written, I think.
4. The Sparrow by Mary Doria RussellSometimes bad shit happens and there’s not any reason for it; it just does. When it happens to a priest and entirely destroys his faith in God... :-(
5. Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa SeeThe lengths a person would go to for friendship and to honor their word - like giving up the love of their life.
6. Hagar by Lois HendersonWhen God speaks to Hagar in the desert and tells her that her descendents will be more numerous than the stars… How small we all seem in the vast cosmos and yet, how powerful and important.
7. Harry Potter #5 and #6 by J.K. RowlingUm…I’m guessing these are on everyone’s list this week.
8. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerWhen the daughter gets to see Henry one last time but Clare doesn’t… ::sob::
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BronteWhen Jane draws the self-portrait and the portrait of Blanche Ingram and makes herself truly look at them as a form of self-flagellation…::sniffle:: And, of course, her speech to Rochester when he first declares his love: “Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you.” So much longing and heart-break in that speech.
10. The Once and Future King by T. H. WhiteOh, so many heart breaking scenes in this book—the poor Orkney children, longing for their mother’s love, Merlin knowing his end has come, Arthur’s heartbreak, Lancelot trying so hard to be good… flawed people vainly struggling against their flaws, trying to rise above but knowing they are doomed to failure.
And there you have it—books that have made me sob uncontrollably. What are yours? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
And remember—support bloggers. If you read it, comment on it! :-)
TERRI BRUCE writes science fiction and fantasy stories with a literary bent from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her contemporary fantasy Hereafter (Afterlife #1) is available wherever books are sold. Look for the sequel - Thereafter (Afterlife #2) coming May 1, 2014.
Comments
They're all fantastic books - rank among my top favorites. Some I can reread (like Idylls and Once and Future King) and some are too sad, like the God of Animals and Time Traveler's Wife.
LOL - that's the problem with fantastic books that make one cry...I want to reread it so much but knowing how sad it will make me I can't bring myself to do it!