Saddest book you have read?
Discussion
perdu said:
In fiction the saddest, most desolate book ever.
"On The Beach" Nevil Shute.
I know I will never read that book again although some of his others are inspirational such as "Trustee From The Toolroom".
I haven't read that for years but I recall it being more bleak rather than sad."On The Beach" Nevil Shute.
I know I will never read that book again although some of his others are inspirational such as "Trustee From The Toolroom".
JapanRed said:
perdu said:
In fiction the saddest, most desolate book ever.
"On The Beach" Nevil Shute.
I know I will never read that book again although some of his others are inspirational such as "Trustee From The Toolroom".
I’ve ordered this book from Amazon. Had never heard of it until you mentioned it but the synopsis reads brilliantly. "On The Beach" Nevil Shute.
I know I will never read that book again although some of his others are inspirational such as "Trustee From The Toolroom".
Edited by dontlookdown on Tuesday 7th September 07:51
havoc said:
heisthegaffer said:
I felt Chicken hawk was sad at the end.
That was in my mind when I posted above about war reminiscesMy father my son is good. Son was brown water patrol boat skipper. Father was admiral responsible for agent orange decision. Son got cancer from that decision.
The Savage Continent by Ken Lowe.
I've probably put the book down half a dozen times before completing it as it gets too much. It's given me dreams.
Very, very depressing.
It's about the aftermath of WWII on the European mainland.
It's a record of almost unmitigated horror. Cruelty to others didn't end when Hitler topped himself. Racial persecution continued for years, and goes on today of course. Ethnic cleansing started even before the war ended. Survivors of the extermination camps were sent away from their home towns, and worse. No country seems exempt from blame, not even the British, although for us it seems to have been lack of applications and a degree of incompetance. Not excusable of course.
Deaths continued. Rape as a weapon of dominance continued. People were killed because of their ethnic origin. Refugees were turned away from their home countries.
The book is relentless, impossible to read at one sitting.
We can't use the old excuse of the horrors of the war turning otherwise kind people as it still goes on, with the same support.
I'd read Lowe's book on the devestation of Hamburg by British and American bombers. There's another horror story, but at least it ended. Savage Continent continues.
I've probably put the book down half a dozen times before completing it as it gets too much. It's given me dreams.
Very, very depressing.
It's about the aftermath of WWII on the European mainland.
It's a record of almost unmitigated horror. Cruelty to others didn't end when Hitler topped himself. Racial persecution continued for years, and goes on today of course. Ethnic cleansing started even before the war ended. Survivors of the extermination camps were sent away from their home towns, and worse. No country seems exempt from blame, not even the British, although for us it seems to have been lack of applications and a degree of incompetance. Not excusable of course.
Deaths continued. Rape as a weapon of dominance continued. People were killed because of their ethnic origin. Refugees were turned away from their home countries.
The book is relentless, impossible to read at one sitting.
We can't use the old excuse of the horrors of the war turning otherwise kind people as it still goes on, with the same support.
I'd read Lowe's book on the devestation of Hamburg by British and American bombers. There's another horror story, but at least it ended. Savage Continent continues.
Derek Smith said:
The Savage Continent by Ken Lowe.
I've probably put the book down half a dozen times before completing it as it gets too much. It's given me dreams.
Very, very depressing.
It's about the aftermath of WWII on the European mainland.
It's a record of almost unmitigated horror. Cruelty to others didn't end when Hitler topped himself. Racial persecution continued for years, and goes on today of course. Ethnic cleansing started even before the war ended. Survivors of the extermination camps were sent away from their home towns, and worse. No country seems exempt from blame, not even the British, although for us it seems to have been lack of applications and a degree of incompetance. Not excusable of course.
Deaths continued. Rape as a weapon of dominance continued. People were killed because of their ethnic origin. Refugees were turned away from their home countries.
The book is relentless, impossible to read at one sitting.
We can't use the old excuse of the horrors of the war turning otherwise kind people as it still goes on, with the same support.
I'd read Lowe's book on the devestation of Hamburg by British and American bombers. There's another horror story, but at least it ended. Savage Continent continues.
I have read this too. It is relentlessly bleak, but important that more people become aware of these things, rather than just having the typical UK rose-tinted view of "the war" and aftermath (which didn't affect the mainland British in any comparable way).I've probably put the book down half a dozen times before completing it as it gets too much. It's given me dreams.
Very, very depressing.
It's about the aftermath of WWII on the European mainland.
It's a record of almost unmitigated horror. Cruelty to others didn't end when Hitler topped himself. Racial persecution continued for years, and goes on today of course. Ethnic cleansing started even before the war ended. Survivors of the extermination camps were sent away from their home towns, and worse. No country seems exempt from blame, not even the British, although for us it seems to have been lack of applications and a degree of incompetance. Not excusable of course.
Deaths continued. Rape as a weapon of dominance continued. People were killed because of their ethnic origin. Refugees were turned away from their home countries.
The book is relentless, impossible to read at one sitting.
We can't use the old excuse of the horrors of the war turning otherwise kind people as it still goes on, with the same support.
I'd read Lowe's book on the devestation of Hamburg by British and American bombers. There's another horror story, but at least it ended. Savage Continent continues.
I spoke to a French friend of mine about it, and she told me that her father had talked about his experiences of occupation and the treatment of female collaborators afterwards.
Berlin: The Downfall is a good book, but similarly awful.
I suspect, for me, it's probably Cancer Ward by Solzhenitsyn. But then again, although it's bleak, it's quite funny in parts. I love Russonov, who genuinely thinks he's too high up in the party to have cancer.
So yes, it's sad, but it's the kind of book that, if you get diagnosed with cancer, you could read and think how lucky you were to have cancer in the UK in 2021 rather than the Soviet Union in 1954.
So yes, it's sad, but it's the kind of book that, if you get diagnosed with cancer, you could read and think how lucky you were to have cancer in the UK in 2021 rather than the Soviet Union in 1954.
irc said:
For me it's 1914 by Lyn McDonald. RIP - googling the title I found out she died this week aged 91.
She wrote several histories of WW1 from the point of view of the combatants. The first I read was 1914 which covers the lead up to the war and the fighting up to Christmas.
It is a very good book in its own right based on first hand accounts oven to get by veterans.
What made it a sad book for me was it was my grandfather's story. In the Seaforth Territorials at the outbreak of war he was in France by October and on the Western Front until the end of the war. The only one of 4 brothers to get home.
He spoke a little about it. but this book takes you there.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/1914-Lyn-Macdonald/dp/071...
I've read that book. Truly excellently researched. Sorry to hear she is dead. Very talented. That said I didn't find it sad as such, albeit with your family history it may have hit you more.She wrote several histories of WW1 from the point of view of the combatants. The first I read was 1914 which covers the lead up to the war and the fighting up to Christmas.
It is a very good book in its own right based on first hand accounts oven to get by veterans.
What made it a sad book for me was it was my grandfather's story. In the Seaforth Territorials at the outbreak of war he was in France by October and on the Western Front until the end of the war. The only one of 4 brothers to get home.
He spoke a little about it. but this book takes you there.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/1914-Lyn-Macdonald/dp/071...
A sad book for me is "11th month, 11th day, 11th hour" which is about all the deaths that occured in the last day of WW1. Mostly unnecessary. Several allied generals sent their troops over the top on the morning of the armistice despite their being less than 4 hours to go and knowing it would be signed. Utter tragic waste of life. I forget the numbers but something like 5,000 died on the allied side alone. German machine gunners tried to wave them back and shouted the war was over etc but had no choice but to shoot in self defence. Some allied troops were ordered over the top at 10am and even 1030am... unbelievable.
Lots died as the artillery on both sides fired off their stock of ammo as some generals had threatened courts martial if they didn't... and so on.
Whilst on the one hand it all seemed an utter waste of life in the last few hours several allied generals (including the great US General Pershing) warned that an armistice was a let out clause for the Germans and they'd be back within a generation. They argued that Germany needed to be comprehensively defeated and a unconditional surender signed. But the politicians knew best and an armistice was signed and of course the Germans were back 20 years later ...
perdu said:
In fiction the saddest, most desolate book ever.
"On The Beach" Nevil Shute.
One of those books that I had never got around to reading, so on reading this comment it nudged me to."On The Beach" Nevil Shute.
Well, yes, that is the saddest book I think I have ever read. A good book, and one that I don't regret reading, but god it is desperately sad the whole way through and more so at the end.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
elanfan said:
The Bible
It's 50 years since I read it, but as I recall, so much unnecessary death and violence. The lead character, God I think his name was, must surely be one of the most unpleasant characters in the history of fiction. David_M said:
One of those books that I had never got around to reading, so on reading this comment it nudged me to.
Well, yes, that is the saddest book I think I have ever read. A good book, and one that I don't regret reading, but god it is desperately sad the whole way through and more so at the end.
If you enjoyed that experience you probably should read "Requiem for a Wren" as well.Well, yes, that is the saddest book I think I have ever read. A good book, and one that I don't regret reading, but god it is desperately sad the whole way through and more so at the end.
The saddest book my 8yo has read is called "Charlie and Me: 421 Miles From Home".
Edited by nd0000 on Saturday 13th November 18:02
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