Hey there! This week I’m participating in Six for Sunday, a meme hosted by Steph at A Little But a Lot. The February theme is “Read it and Weep!” and the prompt this week is:
Books That Made Me Cry
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Ok – this list could include about half of the books I’ve read! What can I say? I’m a crier! I am so emotionally moved by books, tv, film, plays…life!! lol This is a tough topic to narrow down!!
1. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
Technically, The Paper Menagerie is a short story, but it made me ugly cry. Like hard. This is such a powerful story, beautifully written, and so moving. Be prepared with tissues with this one!!
About the Book:
Pages: 32
Publication Date: March 2011
Synopsis: Ken Liu’s incredible story “Paper Menagerie” just became the first work of fiction to win all three of SF’s major awards: the Hugo, the Nebula and the World Fantasy Award. And we’re proud to be able to reprint the whole story, right here at io9. Here’s your chance to find out what all the excitement is about, and discover one of science fiction’s fastest rising stars.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
2. The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
One of my more recent reads, The Things We Leave Unfinished is a wonderful read. I loved the alternating timelines, though one storyline saddened me more than the other. It’s a beautiful romance with many touching scenes.
About the Book:
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Feb. 23, 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: Told in alternating timelines, THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED examines the risks we take for love, the scars too deep to heal, and the endings we can’t bring ourselves to see coming.
Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton needs to start over. Having survived a brutal and very public divorce, she’s back in her tiny hometown of Poplar Grove, Colorado, hoping to find her footing. She may have been raised by one of the greatest romance writers of the twentieth century, Scarlett Stanton, but she knows love in the real world is nothing like her late great-grandmother’s novels.
Noah Harrison has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: complete the last unpublished manuscript written by his favorite author. The only caveat? Her fiery, beautiful great-granddaughter has to agree with him…and she doesn’t. Not that he’s qualified as a huge bestseller in his own right, and especially not that a happily-ever-after is the right way to end Scarlett’s story. With his publisher’s deadline breathing down his neck, Noah sets off for Colorado to try to convince her.
The deeper Georgia and Noah delve into Scarlett’s passionate, World War II romance with American fighter pilot Jameson Stanton—and the letters they left behind—the harder they’ll have to fight their own undeniable attraction. But there’s a reason Scarlett could never bring herself to finish the manuscript, and discovering the truth will bring them into a love story spanning two lifetimes: a journey of danger and sacrifice, loyalty and secrets, tragedy and, ultimately, the healing power of love.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This will come as no surprise! I constantly talk about how much The Song of Achilles moved me. It is such a beautiful read that made me feel all of the feels, and I just adore it!
About the Book:
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Sept. 20, 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Synopsis: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
4. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Every time I read Les Miserables, watch any of the films or concerts, or see the musical, my heart is wrenched out of my chest, stomped on and squished before it is carelessly shoved back into my body. And yet I love it. It’s such an inspirational story that I never tire of.
About the Book:
Page Length: 1463
Synopsis: Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
5. The Ever After by Amanda Hocking
I didn’t expect for this story to leave me in tears, but after a super intense finale and a shocking and unexpected death, I lost it. I couldn’t believe what happened and whose lives were lost. It was powerful and so sad!!
About the Book:
Series: The Omte Origins #3
Page Length: 496
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: Jan. 5, 2021
Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking concludes the magical world of the Trylle with The Ever After, the final book in her last Trylle arc.
Nestled along the bluffs of the forested coast lies the secret kingdom of the Omte–a realm filled with wonder…and as many secrets.
The Ever After closes the last trilogy of the long-running Trylle series.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
6. Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
A friend from work recommended this book, and I still haven’t forgiven her. This was one of the most upsetting, saddest books I’ve ever read. I tend to avoid books like this, where I know it end in heartbreak or loss. However, my friend reassured me I’d love it. She was wrong! Worst friend ever! lol
About the Book:
Page Length: 289
Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2003
Publisher: Vision
Synopsis: Beautifully captures the joys of a new family as it builds to an overwhelmingly moving climax. This is an unforgettable love story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.
James Patterson has written a love story!–a powerfully moving and suspenseful novel about families, loss, new love, and hope.
Katie Wilkinson has found her perfect man at last. He’s a writer, a house painter, an original thinker–everything she’s imagined she wanted in a partner. But one day, without explanation, he disappears from her life, leaving behind only a diary for her to read.
This diary is a love letter written by a new mother named Suzanne for her baby son, Nicholas. In it she pours out her heart about how she and the boy’s father met, about her hopes for marriage and family, and about the unparalleled joy that having a baby has brought into her life. As Katie reads this touching document, it becomes clear that the lover who has just left her is the husband and father in this young family. She reads on, filled with terror and hope, as she struggles to understand what has happened–and whether her new love has a prayer of surviving.
Written with James Patterson’s perfect pitch for emotion and suspense, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas captures beautifully the joys of a new family as it builds to an overwhelmingly moving climax. This is an unforgettable love story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Here are some runners-up (with links to Goodreads):
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller (That ending!)
- How Dare the Birds Sing by Marina Osipova ( I still haven’t recovered from this one!!)
- The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (WWIIfiction – need I say more?)
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Such a powerful and moving story!)
- Champion by Marie Lu (Another one with a tear-jerker ending!)
Have you read any of these? Did they make you cry? Which other books have brought you to tears? Comment below!
Ohhh The Things We Leave sounds really interesting! Okay, no all of these books sound interesting! 😍 I don’t, personally, pick up books where I know I’ll be crying and if I do have to read such book, I usually put it down until I feel mentally strong to handle it 😅.
It’s a good one!!
I do the same. I get so emotionally invested in the stories that I try to avoid ones that I know will destroy me. lol
I’ve not read any of these, apart from Crooked Kingdom which did make me cry! And the musical of les mis makes me cry too!
Yes! Every time I see it, I sob. lol
Hello from another emotional reader/viewer who’s not ashamed to admit how easily they cry at moving books, films, tv etc.
Suzanne’s Diary sounds so tempting, but also sounds like it might break me!
I love that – there’s no shame in being moved by the things we read, watch, etc. I like that I feel deeply. 🙂
I read Suzanne’s Diary years ago, and it absolutely destroyed me! lol Good story, but so devastating and emotional. It reminded me of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Very sad!! I’ve never read another book by the author because the book upset me so much.
I’ve not read any of these but I love a book that can make me cry! Wonderful post!
I’ve never read the book but Les Mis will always be a tear-jerker for me. I’ve only read a few books that made me cry, which is something since I’m a very emotional person.
I generally try to avoid books that I know will make me cry. lol But, yeah, Les Mis gets me every time. It’s such a powerful and poignant story. I just adore it!
I recently finished reading/listening to Words on Bathroom Walls… made me cry, and laugh, and laugh and cry at the same time.
I’ll have to take a look at some of these you mentioned, I do love a good tear-jerker from time to time.
I’ll have to check that one out!