So, I've covered just about every other genre in the literature world lately, so I'd really appreciate any recommendations regarding sad/depressing novels that you've read... and I mean sad. I want a BIG tear-jerker... as much so as possible.
Any help would be... err, helpful.
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky is the most depressing book I've ever read, followed closely by Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy.
the luminous grass of the prairie hides
feet lovely and still as sleeping doves,
porcelain bones strong enough to carry a life,
but weighty and unmovable
As black Dakota hills. ~ Riesa
I just finished Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres (now a movie too) and it has got to be the most depressing/heartbreaking novel I have read, to-dateIt's a true story and covers the gamut of depressing topics: racism, child abuse, parents-who-don't-deserve-to-be-parents, religious zealotry, and on and on. All I can say is I'm really happy Julia has become a successful writer and overcome the horrors of her childhood.
"Sophie's Choice" by William Styron. It was so emotionally devastating that I still can't bring myself to watch the movie version, to this day.
Also, a short story with the similar theme: "The Shawl" by
Cynthia Ozick.
There is much to be said for catharsis, however; sometimes some good can be gained from painful emotional experiences
"The Idiot" Dostoevsky
"The Sorrows of the Young Werther" Goethe
"Iceland Fisherman" Pierre Loti
Lots of people will also tell you Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, but I didn't think it was that depressing, I think War and Peace could also be included here, but it contains so many other emotions at the same time.
Last edited by Etienne; 10-23-2007 at 12:32 PM.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
I literally cried at the end of that. Depressed me so much. There are others, but this was the worst for me. It is also quite thought-provoking. Very heartbreaking. If you want a tear-jerker, read this one!
My Antonia, not exactly a sad book, though I was heavily depressed. Also some Zola work is always depressing, and Hardy as well.
Ender's Game actually gives a sort of nervous breakdown, I just lay on the floor crying.
Fullmoon wo Sagashaite is so sad and immortal Rain, then again Naruto makes me sad, Flowers for Algernon, the dreaded romance novels, most things by Anne Rice. And the Notebook (the book) is very sad also.
It's easy to make me sad I guess.
Shall these bones live?
Flowers for Algernon was quite sad, as was My Brother Sam is Dead. But nothing got me like Where the Red Fern Grows.
'...A cast of your skull, sir, until the original is available, would be an ornament to any anthropological museum. It is not my intention to be fulsome, but I confess that I covet your skull.' --Dr. Mortimer, The Hound of the Baskervilles
ooh, this is embarassing but the fashion pack by Marion Hume... there was a very tragic event within the book, and i think this event coupled with exasperation of the situation and the sheer fact that i had just read 500 pages in one sitting made me bawl my eyes out... i would never admit this to a friend and im sorry if anyone else has read the book... haha... actually no i would rather people let me know if they had i want to know if they had a similar experience or not - it would make me feel so much better!
it was the part where the american editor died in the crash... devestating!!
this wasnt the saddest book, but this was one of the books that i have had more of an emotional reaction to... annother was Margaret Atwood - the silent assasin...
Last edited by grittylit; 10-23-2007 at 11:06 PM.
The Silent Angel by Heinrich Boll is a good one.
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.
An anti-war novel about a man who's lost his arms, legs, sight, hearing, and is being kept alive by machines. Stream of consciousness writing.
Diary of Anna Frank - I didn't cried; I am a male! But I felt very sad.
At thunder and tempest, At the world's coldheartedness,
During times of heavy loss And when you're sad
The greatest art on earth Is to seem uncomplicatedly gay.
To get things clear, they have to firstly be very unclear. But if you get them too quickly, you probably got them wrong.
If you need me urgent, send me a PM
I have felt depressed reading the following (maybe it was just me at the time):
Charlotte Bronte Vilette
Erskine Childers The Riddle of the Sands
E W Hornung Raffles
A couple of people have mentioned The Idiot. It was the first great Russian classic I ever read, and I re-read it again this year. Awe inspiring, yes, but not depressing for me.
There is a devastating ending to The Transit of Venus by
Shirley Hazzard. The unpleasant surprise may pack an emotional wallop; yet again, there is something to be said about the Greek idea of "catharsis" in tragedy. For instance, King Lear evokes tragic emotions in the audience, but somehow reading the play -- or especially watching a live performance done well -- is a life-affirming experience.
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