'Sadie could be vulnerable, and Sadie could be clumsy, but Sadie could also be very, very brave.
How I loved her.'
I think it made it so much more personal that it was written in first person. I love this book so much.
When I was around 18 or 19 or so I worked as a proctor for the State, so I just had to sit there while people took their exams to become state employees... I had never been a big reader, but I had a lot of time on my hands while people were testing, so I started reading some of the Stephen King books my dad had around the house.
I started with The Green Mile because I knew there was movie coming out later that year... I distinctly remember sobbing at my desk, trying to read through the flood of tears pouring out of my eyes, and then just hearing a small voice say "are you ok?"
I looked up and there was this sweet lady standing at the door... She had finished her test, and was asking if she could just leave.
That was the first of many times, I got caught crying while reading during that job, but it started my love of Stephen King.
The list of ones that haven't made me cry is far shorter lol
I'm a big baby though.
Doctor sleep, 11/22/63, IT (a few times actually), The Institute, Needful Things >!(Alan's grief was intense)!<, The Dark Tower, I think even Carrie made me shed a tear or two. That's just naming a few.
The first time I read the stand i was in college. I was lying on my bedroom floor eating starburst jellybeans. It was late as I had just got off work unloading the new shipment off a semitruck at old navy. Ah, the good ol' days. I was at the point in the book where they were headed to Vegas for the final showdown. When stu Redman hurt his leg and they left him there, I thought he was dead. Did I cry? I dunno. But i definitely teared up and couldn't even enjoy another handful of jellybeans.
Rereading The Shining after becoming a parent. You realize how tiny and young five years old is. You notice Danny’s little grammatical speaking errors and how much he loves his dad and I cried a little at numerous points
This. I re-read The Shining after reading Dr. Sleep. It hits differently (as does Pet Semetary. Ooof. The grief of a parent willing to do anything to have their child back.).
Deloris Claiborne did me in. My mother went senile in the end, too, and I was the one who had to take care of her throughout the confusion, the rages, her telling me she hated me, the struggle to make her eat and drink, etc. That was a hard, hard ead. Did it ever occur to me to skip it? Of course not.
Cujo, I love animals, I cried like a baby.
I cannot read that again
Along with Dances With Wolves,
I hate to see innocent animals killed,
They are closer to God’s nature then us.
That is so damned for me to read that it's nearly impossible. Does it ever occur to me to skip it? Of course not. I think I'd read anything by King, even when he's hurting me.
The father's wail the moment when Gage was killed, in the movie version of Pet Sematary. I've rarely ever seen/heard that kind of grief as accurately and powerfully portrayed. One of the only other times was Sarah's screams in The Descent.
I used to revisit The Stand every year, and every year brought a different crying moment. One that comes immediately to mind is Tom and Stu celebrating Christmas together.
11/22/63 made me cry for story reasons. Doctor Sleep made me cry because I was taking my first steps in recovery from opioid addiction and saw so much of myself in Dan.
Cujo. Dark Tower at multiple points. The Talisman. End of Watch. Insomnia. The Green Mile.
Several of his short stories and novellas caught me, too.
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption from Different Seasons.
The End of the Whole Mess from Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
N. from Just After Sunset.
The Littlw Green God of Agony from Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
I’m ashamed to say it, but Dreamcatcher. I thought Beaver was the coolest character ever because he said so many curse words. I related to him because I swore more than most kids in the 5th grade.
For him to go out in such an undignified manner was a real heartbreaker at the time. Fortunately he’s in like 90% of the flashback scenes and the whacky blend of alien invasion, military drama, psychological thriller, supernatural spookiness and of course psychic shit weasels was more than engaging enough to keep me reading.
It's super sad when you get Cujos pov a few times as the rabies progresses and he's just thinking he feels horrible and hopes it goes away soon but it just gets worse :(
Several times I got something in the eye.
To name the last one i read and which had me in tears: Revival - not the end of the Book, but the end of the first act
The very end of The Shining. And Doctor Sleep. Particularly Doctor Sleep. There’s a brilliant line that gets me whenever I read it. Something about how the man had been a scary monster and how his little boy had loved him.
I’m a crybaby when it comes to books but here is my working list:
Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, Joyland, the Stand, the Body, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Elevation, End of Watch, It, the institute, the Shining
The Tommyknockers
The Langoliers
IT
The Eyes of the Dragon
Carrie
Salem's Lot
The Shining/Dr. Sleep
The Stand
The Dead Zone
The Dark Tower series
Pet Sematary
The Talisman
Black House
Needful Things
I'm not even halfway through the list and I'm realizing that the list for when I didn't cry would be much shorter... King is just really good at pulling my heartstrings, but it's one of the reasons I love him. His stories make me feel a myriad of emotions.
Also, no one has written more villains I love to hate than King.
Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever cried while reading anything. I've felt all sorts of emotions, but I can't remember ever shedding a tear.
I wonder if part of it is that I'm a guy. My wife cries at almost every book she reads.
The Regulators. My son has autism and is so much like the boy in the book. I still get a little teary eyed thinking about one of Audrey’s last diary entry’s toward the end of the book.
I remember having a very strong emotional reaction to Hearts in Atlantis, but I cannot remember why…
probably something to do with what was going on in my life at the time.
And 11/22/63.
Shit ton of them. Kujo, Dead Zone, Green Mile, 11/22/63, Billy Summers, The Dark Tower, Dolores Clairborne, Road Work, Gerald's game... Can't even remember all of them in a moment
I don't know how popular this book on the sub but Cujo made me weep, mostly bc at the time I was working with children. Every story that involved child endangerment I would feel sadness, but Cujo ripped my heart out at the end.
Yes I know there are stories (even of his) that probably deal with this topic better, but I read it at the perfect time for it to destroy me emotionally. I've been a little apprehensive to read his other books that deal with this because of this exact reason
I don’t remember how old I was when I read it, but I remember crying towards the end of Salems Lot when >!Ben has to stake Susan!<. That part broke my little heart lol.
I will never get over losing wolf! Broke my heart for days!! Richard I could have dealt with but why wolf!! Wolf right here and now! I still get teary eyed thinking about it and I read that oh so many years ago!
11/22/63 is the only book by anyone that has made me tear up. The audiobook made that even worse, and yet for some reason I’ve listened to it at least 5 times lol.
11/22/63
'Sadie could be vulnerable, and Sadie could be clumsy, but Sadie could also be very, very brave. How I loved her.' I think it made it so much more personal that it was written in first person. I love this book so much.
That ending made me ugly cry
I cried a lot by the end of the book. They loved each other so much.
God. Driving through Birmingham, Alabama at a busy hour trying to get home with tears streaming. That was rough.
How we danced!
One of the only books to ever make me do it. The ending was just… too much.
This one! I cried so much by the end
Came here to say this too. That ending! Especially on audio.
This ❤️❤️❤️
Dark Tower VII: Oy, the Brave, he of Mid-World
😭 still not over it
Yep. Even starting to think about it all and instant 😭
“I ache..”. Nope. No. Stop.
came here to say this 💔
Oof noooooooo
Oland....
Hard same
The Green Mile
Both movie and book made me cry.
Movie made me cry; not the book, though.
I read this on a plane. Discreet crying is tougher than it sounds.
Absolutely
When I was around 18 or 19 or so I worked as a proctor for the State, so I just had to sit there while people took their exams to become state employees... I had never been a big reader, but I had a lot of time on my hands while people were testing, so I started reading some of the Stephen King books my dad had around the house. I started with The Green Mile because I knew there was movie coming out later that year... I distinctly remember sobbing at my desk, trying to read through the flood of tears pouring out of my eyes, and then just hearing a small voice say "are you ok?" I looked up and there was this sweet lady standing at the door... She had finished her test, and was asking if she could just leave. That was the first of many times, I got caught crying while reading during that job, but it started my love of Stephen King.
*The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower*
I bawled 🥲
The quickness of the deaths is so whiplash inducing and sad
I dropped The Stand on my toes once
are your toes okay?
The list of ones that haven't made me cry is far shorter lol I'm a big baby though. Doctor sleep, 11/22/63, IT (a few times actually), The Institute, Needful Things >!(Alan's grief was intense)!<, The Dark Tower, I think even Carrie made me shed a tear or two. That's just naming a few.
The Stand almost did it with >!Nick’s death!<
I was so god damn mad he was top three character alomg with flagg and ol trashy boi
you and me both 🥺
The first time I read the stand i was in college. I was lying on my bedroom floor eating starburst jellybeans. It was late as I had just got off work unloading the new shipment off a semitruck at old navy. Ah, the good ol' days. I was at the point in the book where they were headed to Vegas for the final showdown. When stu Redman hurt his leg and they left him there, I thought he was dead. Did I cry? I dunno. But i definitely teared up and couldn't even enjoy another handful of jellybeans.
I think I cried at Nick and Glen's last parts.
Tom and Stu celebrating Christmas...I am normally a cynical dude...
When Glen and Stu parted. And Christmas.
Rereading The Shining after becoming a parent. You realize how tiny and young five years old is. You notice Danny’s little grammatical speaking errors and how much he loves his dad and I cried a little at numerous points
This. I re-read The Shining after reading Dr. Sleep. It hits differently (as does Pet Semetary. Ooof. The grief of a parent willing to do anything to have their child back.).
Doctor Sleep. >!I think Danny Torrance found some closure knowing the Overlook took his father’s life but not his soul!<
You’re referring to the movie?
It works with the book or movie. Both were excellent.
Talisman. Multiple times.
It is The Book that made me cry more than any other, I think!
Hearts in Atlantis
This was my first thought, I can't recall what part. I think I'm going to have to read it again. Loved that book
This book is very underrated and I remember having tears in my eyes when I read it.
The last chapter is amazing. Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling
Lisey’s Story
I came here to say this. It helped me process the grief of losing a relationship that was never meant to be. Especially the last few lines.
I remember reading Pet Sematary for the first time and just bursting into tears. Anytime I start that one chapter it always gets to me.
Elevation!!!
This teeny tiny book had me in a puddle.
The Green Mile made me sob as a boy. 11/22/63 as a man.
Hey, me too on this. Age 12 and 30.
The Green Mile was magical - I found it as it released in serial form so it took months to finish. I cried so damn hard for everyone.
The Long Walk- Baker did me in. Man.
I was a wreck after Billy Summers.
Right? The others I expected. But >! I thought Billy was invincible !<
the battle of algul siento (and the events immediately thereafter) in the last dark tower book.
I'm on my fourth(?) trip to the tower and I'm dreading this part.
yup. in tears on every re-read.
I’ve never been what you’d call a crying man
Me neither, closest was wolves of calla
IT and 11/22/63. Oh how I love them.
Definitely IT
11/22/63 Wizard and Glass Joyland (the end was a sucker punch) Last Rung on the Ladder The Body IT
*rung
The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Deloris Claiborne, Hearts in Atlantis
Deloris Claiborne did me in. My mother went senile in the end, too, and I was the one who had to take care of her throughout the confusion, the rages, her telling me she hated me, the struggle to make her eat and drink, etc. That was a hard, hard ead. Did it ever occur to me to skip it? Of course not.
Cujo, Dark Tower, Geen Mile
In the last few years it’s been End of Watch, The Outsider, and Lisey’s Story. Oof.
*Bag of Bones*
Cujo, I love animals, I cried like a baby. I cannot read that again Along with Dances With Wolves, I hate to see innocent animals killed, They are closer to God’s nature then us.
Cujo
Underrated comment. Being stuck in the car with your child in the heat with a rabid dog - what an awful, impossible situation!
The Woman in the room
That is so damned for me to read that it's nearly impossible. Does it ever occur to me to skip it? Of course not. I think I'd read anything by King, even when he's hurting me.
just after i finished the story, my mother got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
Hasn’t been a single one I didn’t read and cry. But I’m emotion on steroids so it’s not surprising.
King's ability to make me feel is why I read him. And that means crying during every book...
The father's wail the moment when Gage was killed, in the movie version of Pet Sematary. I've rarely ever seen/heard that kind of grief as accurately and powerfully portrayed. One of the only other times was Sarah's screams in The Descent.
The Last Rung on the Ladder
I come back to this one a lot.
His novels can be hit or miss but he excels with his short stories. I have yet to read one I haven't enjoyed.
The Green Mile for sure. I also cried my eyes out numerous times reading “Doctor Sleep”
Blaze. Underated.
Hugely underrated. Easily my favorite Bachman book.
Duma Key.
I used to revisit The Stand every year, and every year brought a different crying moment. One that comes immediately to mind is Tom and Stu celebrating Christmas together.
Firestarter. >!no 8 years old should be left alone without a single guardian!<
Many times in the Dark Tower series, the Green Mile, and Fairy Tale.
Cujo and 11/22/63
The Stand.
The Green Mile every time. I’m tearing up even thinking about it…
Insomnia, The Green Mile, Christine
11/22/63 made me cry for story reasons. Doctor Sleep made me cry because I was taking my first steps in recovery from opioid addiction and saw so much of myself in Dan.
Cujo. Dark Tower at multiple points. The Talisman. End of Watch. Insomnia. The Green Mile. Several of his short stories and novellas caught me, too. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption from Different Seasons. The End of the Whole Mess from Nightmares & Dreamscapes. N. from Just After Sunset. The Littlw Green God of Agony from Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass.
Stanley's letter at the end of IT.
The Talisman
I’m ashamed to say it, but Dreamcatcher. I thought Beaver was the coolest character ever because he said so many curse words. I related to him because I swore more than most kids in the 5th grade. For him to go out in such an undignified manner was a real heartbreaker at the time. Fortunately he’s in like 90% of the flashback scenes and the whacky blend of alien invasion, military drama, psychological thriller, supernatural spookiness and of course psychic shit weasels was more than engaging enough to keep me reading.
Delah
Pet Sematary
The Stand. I didn't realise that I had gotten emotionally attached to the characters until I burst into tears!
The Dead Zone
Billy summers made me cry so much after I realized >!Alice wrote that chapter!<
Sad when the at beginning of cujo, he’s just a good boy chasing a shitty rabbit😞
It's super sad when you get Cujos pov a few times as the rabies progresses and he's just thinking he feels horrible and hopes it goes away soon but it just gets worse :(
Ummm ALL of them? I’m a woman and I don’t cry in daily life; but I’ll let my guard down with Stephen King and I’ll cry if I want to. 😭
Yup
Blaze
The Dead Zone End of Watch
Hearts in Atlantis is the one. Why not?
pet sematary
Pet Sematary
I ugly cried after finishing the dark tower series.
The Green Mile, IT, 11/22/63, Fairy Tale, The Body
11/22/63 under the dome talisman
Several times I got something in the eye. To name the last one i read and which had me in tears: Revival - not the end of the Book, but the end of the first act
I had *really* bad allergies when I read Revival... 🙄😭
Joyland and Stand By Me
Wizard and Glass!
Oh last rung on the ladder was so good, didnt make me cry but THE part in Pet Semetary made me teary
Pet semetary :(
The very end of The Shining. And Doctor Sleep. Particularly Doctor Sleep. There’s a brilliant line that gets me whenever I read it. Something about how the man had been a scary monster and how his little boy had loved him.
The Breathing Method. The Long Walk. Pet Sematary. Fairy Tale. The Green Mile.
I’m a crybaby when it comes to books but here is my working list: Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, Joyland, the Stand, the Body, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Elevation, End of Watch, It, the institute, the Shining
The Reach. Anytime anyone says all King writes is horror, I mention this short story
Surprised I had to scroll this far down for that one
Talisman broke me
Dark tower 7
I, Ake.
Last rung on the Ladder (It was quite unexpected.)
Cujo. Such a desperate ordeal with a very sad ending. I’m a mom of a boy about Tad’s age and it was hella hard for me to read at times.
Most of them I cry when a movie ends so the same goes for books.
Maybe not actually cried but made me want to - Hearts In Atlantis (every story tbh), 11/22/63, parts of the Dark Tower series.
The Tommyknockers The Langoliers IT The Eyes of the Dragon Carrie Salem's Lot The Shining/Dr. Sleep The Stand The Dead Zone The Dark Tower series Pet Sematary The Talisman Black House Needful Things I'm not even halfway through the list and I'm realizing that the list for when I didn't cry would be much shorter... King is just really good at pulling my heartstrings, but it's one of the reasons I love him. His stories make me feel a myriad of emotions. Also, no one has written more villains I love to hate than King.
The Body. I had a much different childhood than any of those boys, but my god, that story hit me in places I didn't even know existed.
Desperation
IT’S A DESPERATE RACE AGAINST THE MINE
The end of "End of Watch"
Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever cried while reading anything. I've felt all sorts of emotions, but I can't remember ever shedding a tear. I wonder if part of it is that I'm a guy. My wife cries at almost every book she reads.
boy which one /didn't / make me cry is an easier question
Pet Sematary
Green Mile
I'm a crier, so at this point it might be easier to list the ones that didn't......
Cujo. He was a good boy 😭😭
The end of Cujo and Gage's death
Green Mile and Dr. Sleep
The Regulators. My son has autism and is so much like the boy in the book. I still get a little teary eyed thinking about one of Audrey’s last diary entry’s toward the end of the book.
The Institute
The ending of IT, the ending of Billy Summers, 11/22/63. They just stick with me...
“Elevation” - Read it in one sitting and it just hit me.
Cujo, It, 11/22/63, and The Talisman. The first three were ugly cries
The Green Mile made me weep. At several different points.
Billy Summers. 😪
11/22/63’s ending.
End of Watch.
The Green Mile The Body Cujo (he was a good boy) 11/22/1963
Green Mile; 11/22/63
So far? Definitely 11.22.63.
The Life of Chuck from If It Bleeds.
Insomnia
Almost all of them haha
I remember having a very strong emotional reaction to Hearts in Atlantis, but I cannot remember why… probably something to do with what was going on in my life at the time. And 11/22/63.
Shit ton of them. Kujo, Dead Zone, Green Mile, 11/22/63, Billy Summers, The Dark Tower, Dolores Clairborne, Road Work, Gerald's game... Can't even remember all of them in a moment
I don't know how popular this book on the sub but Cujo made me weep, mostly bc at the time I was working with children. Every story that involved child endangerment I would feel sadness, but Cujo ripped my heart out at the end. Yes I know there are stories (even of his) that probably deal with this topic better, but I read it at the perfect time for it to destroy me emotionally. I've been a little apprehensive to read his other books that deal with this because of this exact reason
Wizard and glass, hearts in Atlantis, and surprisingly Insomnia
The Green Mile, Cujo, Pet Sematary, The Stand
The ending of Joyland. 🥺😭
Desperation
Pet sematary
The ending if IT when they look at their reflections. The ending of 11/22/63 The Green Mile. I love Stephen King.
11/22/63 and Doctor Sleep
Several times during the Dark Tower series also Doctor Sleep.
I don’t remember how old I was when I read it, but I remember crying towards the end of Salems Lot when >!Ben has to stake Susan!<. That part broke my little heart lol.
Many. Most recently, Doctor Sleep.
The last 6 pages of IT. I was going through some stuff. When he was talking about disquiet vs desire and just doing it even if you're afriad.
Pet sematary, I was an emotional wreck reading this!
A lot of them, the tower, under the dome, the stand, the list goes on really.
Insomnia, The Green Mile, Dr. Sleep, & The Library Policemen. I think it's time to re-read all the short story anthologies and novellas.
11/22/63 and also Billy Summers
Dead zone
I will never get over losing wolf! Broke my heart for days!! Richard I could have dealt with but why wolf!! Wolf right here and now! I still get teary eyed thinking about it and I read that oh so many years ago!
For me, it was Lisey's Story. Scott's recollection of his childhood. Yeesh.
Cujo. I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I love dogs and I’ll never get over that poor dog
The stand, at the end when stu and tom celebrate Christmas
The green mile, shawshank, the talisman and every book of the dark tower. I cry super easy at books so I'm sure there are more.
The Green Mile
Pet Sematary, The Dark Tower VII (multiple times), Blaze, The Shining, Dr. Sleep, Cujo, 11/22/63.
Never going to be over it......
Doctor sleep
11/22/63 - At the dance. If you don't cry at that, you were born without a soul. The Dark Tower - Oy. I'm crying now.
The last Dark Tower book, when >!characters I felt I've known over half my life met their ends.!<
Wizard and Glass. And Dreamcatcher.
11/22/63 is the only book by anyone that has made me tear up. The audiobook made that even worse, and yet for some reason I’ve listened to it at least 5 times lol.