What is the saddest book you've ever read?

[Scorched_Cascade]

Two books that have made me cry are 1984 (not sure why, I guess I got so attached to Winston Smith and I was sad to see him go in the wy he did, having given in to the machine around him before death. The fact that the death was so peaceful almost made it worse, what with the whole sympathetic euthanasia thing they had going on).

Going to second 1984 as sad as well; poor winston broken physically, mentally and spiritually.

I'm also going to chuck in "Blind Faith" by Ben Elton which is a lot like 1984 only modernised and full of satire. I really sympathised with Trafford even though I saw his downfall a mile off.

Spoiler

In the end when he climbs aboard the bonfire willingly and and martyrs himself; that last scene really resonates with me. When he looks around and sees that not everyone is cheering; some are silently watching and he makes his last speech before climbing onto the pyre and getting burned alive. "Ev Love" everybody "Ev Love"

 

[bluemistake2]

well the thing is i've never really finished a book unless it was an assingment for school, so yea.

 

[PureChaos]

Boy in the Stripped Pajamas is amazing, its so sad. Flowers in the Attic would be the saddest book i've read

 

[Eipok Kruden]

The Bible. I've never read a book with more death and evil than the Bible. I would hate to live in a world where the God of the Old Testament was real.

 

[Ubersawer]

The ending to the play Oedipus Rex made me quite disturbed to say the least, it made me sad too. Can't imagine a guy doing that... he married and had kids with his own freaking mother. His mother killed herself shortly after relizing that and Oedipus clawed his own eyes out becoming a blind beggar.

 

[Twilight_guy]

"Where the Red Ferns Grow"
The book pulled in with a happy/uplifting bits for 9/10 then Bam! sad city for the last part of the book.

 

[Ago Iterum]

PS I love you and A child name 'it'
Both were extremely sad and left me in tears.

A child named it. I was only about 13 when I read it, and it made me more angry than sad, that something like that could've happened.

Ooh! And 'of mice and men'. I felt so sad when Lenny had to die.

 

[Gahars]

Flowers for Algernon is probably up there.

The Jungle ends on an upbeat note, but DAMN is that book depressing too.

 

[AuntyEthel]

Timolean Vieta Come Home by Dan Rhodes. The main plot is about a dog trying to get home to its master, then

Spoiler

on the second last page it gets its throat slit in one of the most graphically violent scenes ever. By its master's rentboy.

 

[MasterStratus]

I would have to say Marley & Me. That ending was heart-breaking.

 

[Vorpal_UCD]

The end of Rise of Endymion, by Dan Simmons. If you're a sci-fi fan, do yourself a favor and read the Hyperion series. I've read a lot of sci-fi and still haven't found anything better.

 

[ianuam]

The Color Purple. Such desperation, and yet such a strong resilient central character.

 

[COR 2000]

My vote goes for "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel. We were supposed to read it for school, but I fought of it so sad that I wound up avoiding it because of it. I did finish it eventually, but It truly was a sad book.

 

[MONTGOMERYWOODRUFF69]

The Green Mile

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Umm... let's see. I found the end of the Amber Spyglass to be particularly sad. I actually teared up a bit. Also, Teacher Man was pretty sad, along with Kite Runner.

Saw the Kite Runner movie today at school. It made some impression on me, though not enough to move me emotionally. I may well believe the book is better.

I've never read any particularly sad book, but I was really bummed by the 6th(?) Harry Potter book.

Spoiler

The one where Dumbledore dies

Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns made me cry, the only books that have ever done that to me.

 

[RyePunk]

Survival in Auschwitz... thats kinda self explanatory.

 

[Siuss]

Either "A Child Called 'IT'" or "The Shipping News"

Spoiler

it is just a tale of a mans horridly destructive life, involving, but not limited to, his two daughters being sold (at around ages 8 and 11 I think) into child pornography and prostitution.

Edited for spoiler tags I forgot.