Anyone else felt sad and cried after they read this book?

[Darth]

My heart ached and I had tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.

[Susan]

Sad? Not exactly, maybe melancholic. I thought the ending was very hopeful: the child has grown up and, in spite of the comment about whether or not he "passed", we can infer that he is a genuine artist, that the creative promise of his childhood is being realized. I'd say he has "passed". Add to that, at the times in his life when he needed comfort, he was drawn to the place where comfort is to be found. Of course he wishes he could see Lettie again, but he is no longer the child, so she would not be the Lettie he remembers. In another sense, he HAS seen her again, in Ginnie and the grandmother.

It's the sadness of "you can't go home again." Like the first time I visited the neighborhood where I grew up and saw that my playhouse was gone from the backyard of our old house -- but it will always be true that it WAS there. I could be sad that the character doesn't always remember, but he remembers when he needs to.

[Darth]

Susan wrote: "Sad? Not exactly, maybe melancholic. I thought the ending was very hopeful: the child has grown up and, in spite of the comment about whether or not he "passed", we can infer that he is a genuine a..."

Melancholic! That's the exact word that popped into my head as I finished the book.

I didn't see the hopeful ending until reading what you wrote. I agree, the ending is a positive one. I was just saddened by the faded and blended and smudged together memories of the boy's childhood.

[Nalleli]

Susan wrote: "Sad? Not exactly, maybe melancholic. I thought the ending was very hopeful: the child has grown up and, in spite of the comment about whether or not he "passed", we can infer that he is a genuine a..."

[JO]

Darth wrote: "My heart ached and I had tears streaming down my face uncontrollably."

I was sad too but then I read allot of the comments on here and they made quite a bit of sense. I am giving it some time and then I will read it again. There was much I missed I think in my first reading

[Mary Jane]

I wept while reading this book. Starting when he was in the fairy ring. However, the tears I shed resulted from big emotion, which ultimately led to comfort.

[Daren]

this book along with every other i've read of his gave me wicked nightmares... probly the level of "sadness" for me was as Susan put it... Melancholy

[Justine]

Seems as if there was the overall feeling of melancholy amongst all of us readers ... Although I was hit with a sad pang of realization - and perhaps, a bit distraught - when the boy, now a man, was told that he was gotten by the birds.

[JO]

Justine wrote: "Seems as if there was the overall feeling of melancholy amongst all of us readers ... Although I was hit with a sad pang of realization - and perhaps, a bit distraught - when the boy, now a man, wa..."

Really he was gotten by the birds? I don't remember that? How is he alive if he was gotten by the birds. I really do need to reread this book

[Justine]

Joni.... It said at the end that the birds really did eat his heart. That was the brilliance of the ending

[Darth]

Mary Jane wrote: "I wept while reading this book. Starting when he was in the fairy ring. However, the tears I shed resulted from big emotion, which ultimately led to comfort."

I agree. I felt refreshed after crying. Like it was a closure to something.

[Robert]

For anybody who enjoys watching (insightful and not mass produced) anime, Ocean evoked a really similar feeling to when I watched 5 Centimeters Per Second. A deep heartache and sad realisation of regret, and a feeling that all the tears have already been shed, and that to add more would be a shame.

[krisusnoona]

i was sad but i didnt cried , i felt there's something missing , though i cant pinpoint it , =l

xoxo

[Ken]

no. This book was far from a tear jerker. Too much was missing. It was fairly weak.

[Kelli]

Kenneth wrote: "no. This book was far from a tear jerker. Too much was missing. It was fairly weak."

I agree, Kenneth. There were some good moments, but overall it was rather underwhelming.

[Ken]

btw, David Mitchell's "number9dream" was nearly a tear jerker for me. So there's a comparison and a recommendation.

[Radhika]

I absolutely did! It wasn't even a conscious sadness. It came from somewhere deeper...

[Radhika]

Darth wrote: "My heart ached and I had tears streaming down my face uncontrollably."

The same thing happened to me!

[Darth]

Radhika wrote: "I absolutely did! It wasn't even a conscious sadness. It came from somewhere deeper..."

Yes, it came from from deep within. Felt like I was crying for something long forgotten and hidden away.

[Radhika]

Darth wrote: "Radhika wrote: "I absolutely did! It wasn't even a conscious sadness. It came from somewhere deeper..."

Yes, it came from from deep within. Felt like I was crying for something long forgotten and ..."

Mr Gaiman huh?

[Shelbie]

Kenneth wrote: "no. This book was far from a tear jerker. Too much was missing. It was fairly weak."

Unfortunately I agree. I wanted to like this book so much, but it was hard for me to get through it.

[Rodrigo]

Yes. I thought I was the only one. I finished it at dawn, so it was very nostalgic and sad.

[Tash]

I felt like my heart was broken a little bit by this book. I cried at the end. Course I did.

[D]

I cried! I too felt a little broken by it. Something so bittersweet about it.

[Carla]

I loved the way this book made me actually feel for the characters. At the end I was sad... not the usual Disney type ending of most stories. I was hoping that she would be there and the two of them could have been together, or at least been able to remain friends.

[عماد]

I mourned Lettie! This novel was really touching. I even dreamed about it the other night:(

[عماد]

Carla wrote: "I loved the way this book made me actually feel for the characters. At the end I was sad... not the usual Disney type ending of most stories. I was hoping that she would be there and the two of the..."

I hoped that too:(

[anday]

Justine wrote: "Joni.... It said at the end that the birds really did eat his heart. That was the brilliance of the ending"

huh? I don't remember this at all. And it's not in the plot description on wikipedia. Can you point me to when it says this?

[Ken]

She sacrificed herself so that he would 'survive'. I can't believe some of you were hoping for the happily ever after ending. That is, to me, the worst kind of ending a book can have if it's not a fairy tale. And even those are heavily modified from their source material. Hanzel and Gretel for example, end up in the oven. End of story.

This book was nowhere near the emotional power offered by American Gods, or something like David Mitchell's "number9dream"

[Mark]

Darth wrote: "My heart ached and I had tears streaming down my face uncontrollably."

I did cry a wee tear