Usually italicized in print. Underlining was a substitute for italics on typewriters without the capability of italicizing.
Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows. I don’t know what it is - it’s sad when I read about a beloved human character dying, but if it’s a dog, it’s devastating.
I’ll throw in my vote for Flowers for Algernon, too. It would have been easier to take if Charlie had died.
My memory is awful tonoc, so bear with me.
Gone With the Wind --when Bonnie Blue dies.
Phantom Tollbooth -when Milo has to say goodbye to Tock.
Remains of the Day --the whole thing is sad. He is truly incapable of expressing his love,
Jane Eyre --when she leaves because Mr. Rochester is found to be married, but then I always cheer when I get to that sentence:“Reader, I married him.”
And Ladies of the Club --when John dies. When Johnny dies. When Anne dies.
many more, but can’t think of them.
Ah, thank you, brianmelendez. Ignorance fought and won!
Exactly. The ending was just too cruel, illustrated perfectly in these lines especially:
“Little Charlie Gordon staring at me through the window – waiting. Please, God, not that again.”
and the worst
“P.S. please tel prof Nemur not to be such a grouch when pepul laff at him and he would have more friends. Its easy to have friends if you let pepul laff at you. Im going to have lots of friends where I go.”
Diana Gabaldon’s Dragonfly in Amber when Claire leaves Jamie to go through the stones and return to the present. And then again later in the book when Claire finds out Jamie didn’t die at Culloden and yet again when Claire returns to Jamie 20 years later.
I cried pretty much through the entire book.
Songs of the Humpback Whale, when you find out why Rebecca is so despairing. And ditto many of the previous books.
I thought the Goblet of Fire was sad when
Cedric is just murdered. I mean, he was this promising young boy, really nice and whatnot and he was just killed for no reason. It’s just so sad…
Then in Order of the Phoenix
when Sirius is killed. He was one of my favorite characters and Harry’s only link to his parents. One minute he was helping Harry, laughing, the next he was gone. And poor Harry, his last remaining almost family member is just gone.
After that I was just sitting there crying for a while and my brother came in the room and just sorta looked at me. Heartless bastard.
sniffle
Another Guy Gavriel Kay book: Tigana.
Who knew that Stealing the name of your land could be such a powerful narrative force
or that there was such a thing as heartbreakingly sad incest
Not me.
I came into this thread thinking Mitch Albom’s ‘Tuesdays With Morrie’ might make someone’s list. In my opinion, his ‘Five People You Meet In Heaven’ is a much more emotional read. I wouldn’t have even mentioned either of these works had they not been posted already, and now that Delly’s let the cat out of the bag, I guess it’s safe to delve a little deeper into why a fictional tale about the death of an amusement park repairman had such a strong impact…
The ‘Five People You Meet In Heaven’ is the type of story that forces the reader to look deep inside themselves and ask questions they may never have pondered before. As I read it, I knew the strong emotions I was feeling had nothing to do with the characters in the story - but instead were caused by the metaphorical questions I was asking about myself:Am I comfortable with my beliefs?
Have I led a good life?
What people’s lives have I had a large influence on?
How many people have I hurt?
Which people have been most important to me?
What decisions I’ve made have negatively affected others?
Which actions should I have taken that would have been more positive?I guess when one is forced to look back and reflect on life, the mixture of guilt and regrets with one’s joys and accomplishments truly lead to a cleansing of the soul - and any tears that may result are simply a by-product of that mix