Saddest/Most Depressing Novel You've Ever Read

[Robert]

"Anna Karenina" made me really really sad for about one month after reading.

I have to agree wtih this. Anna Karenina was very sad.

 

[saliotthomas]

Sorry but i didn't find it sad.First because the other story in parralle is very optimistic,betwin Levin and Kitty.And rereading it i found anna not as charming as the previous image i had of her.A bit selfish,spoiled...so was Vronsky .The book show they had it coming,they loved the drama.
I loved Kitty and Levin,that saved all.
War and peace is far worst as depressing book.

 

[abecedarian]

Two of you find a find balance by mistry very depressing,i have to admit it is a bit-the evil are not punished and no one is get out of there misery-but still it id not depressed me in the sense that it's not getting at you hte the demon or johnny got his gun does.
SOLZHENITSYN is a good one to, like "the first circle",or "gulag archipelago"
about life it the gulag.

I can see where any of these books you've mentioned might be considered depressing, or 'downers'. None are happily ever after stories by any means. I haven't read Gulag Achipelago, but I did read First Circle, Cancer Ward, and A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch and I would recommend them to anyone who wants a better understanding of Russian life under the Communist regime. "Depressing" is probably not a good term for the type of works this thread is aimed at; perhaps "Realistic" is a better fit. I would definately say Solzhenitsyn's works fit that term well, and would include A Fine Balance too.

 

[Robert]

Sorry but i didn't find it sad.First because the other story in parralle is very optimistic,betwin Levin and Kitty.And rereading it i found anna not as charming as the previous image i had of her.A bit selfish,spoiled...so was Vronsky .The book show they had it coming,they loved the drama.
I loved Kitty and Levin,that saved all.
War and peace is far worst as depressing book.

I haven't read War and Peace. I'll probably save it for when I have more time to devote to it.

I liked Levin and Kitty, but their relationship wasn't as good as it could have been.

 

[saliotthomas]

I can see where any of these books you've mentioned might be considered depressing, or 'downers'. None are happily ever after stories by any means. I haven't read Gulag Achipelago, but I did read First Circle, Cancer Ward, and A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch and I would recommend them to anyone who wants a better understanding of Russian life under the Communist regime. "Depressing" is probably not a good term for the type of works this thread is aimed at; perhaps "Realistic" is a better fit. I would definately say Solzhenitsyn's works fit that term well, and would include A Fine Balance too.

totaly right,i was a bit i the caricature there.

 

[mehdirza]

Why is "War and Peace" sad? It is about the luxury life. I think there are a lot of fun books sadder than "War and Peace".

 

[saliotthomas]

I haven't read War and Peace. I'll probably save it for when I have more time to devote to it.

I liked Levin and Kitty, but their relationship wasn't as good as it could have been.

I devoured War and Peace but it is true, it time consumming,and a bit obsessing.

Kitty and Levin are shown to us in the very first years of a intense relationship,it might smoothen through the years.I hope for them.

 

[Robert]

I devoured War and Peace but it is true, it time consumming,and a bit obsessing.

Kitty and Levin are shown to us in the very first years of a intense relationship,it might smoothen through the years.I hope for them.

Did the Russian naming convention give you any problems?

 

[saliotthomas]

Did the Russian naming convention give you any problems?

Do you mean the fact the they put the father's name in betwin?if so not at all,it's far worst with novels including Arabian caracteres,then the name can take half a page.A good exemple is with "the crusades through arabian eyes" where Amin Maalouf giving the full Name of a victorius prince,and fill a full paragraph!
It was also interresting seem how much french was use in the Russian litterature in those days.

 

[Robert]

Do you mean the fact the they put the father's name in betwin?if so not at all,it's far worst with novels including Arabian caracteres,then the name can take half a page.A good exemple is with "the crusades through arabian eyes" where Amin Maalouf giving the full Name of a victorius prince,and fill a full paragraph!
It was also interresting seem how much french was use in the Russian litterature in those days.

Yes, that's what I mean. It's interesting, but it gets tiring because each person might be called three or four different names depending on the situation. It was't as much as an issue in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky

 

[mehdirza]

Dostoyevsky

Dostoyecsky's The Brothers Karamazov Novel was that novel which drove him famous.

 

[beer good]

Actually, it was his last novel and he'd been well-established as a writer for over 30 years by the time it was published.

I never got why people seem to have such trouble with Russian names. What about it is it that gets so confusing? American and English literary characters have pet names too, don't they?

 

[mehdirza]

Oh, God. I'm sorry, I made a mistake. It was some other novel and I forgot it now.

 

[abecedarian]

Actually, it was his last novel and he'd been well-established as a writer for over 30 years by the time it was published.

I never got why people seem to have such trouble with Russian names. What about it is it that gets so confusing? American and English literary characters have pet names too, don't they?

They do, but we have a clue how to pronounce most of them. It takes more mental effort to keep characters straight when we aren't sure how to pronounce them. I have similar problems with fantasy novels where the names are spelled 'funky' and are similar looking. I'm glad Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series all contained a glossary. But then, I get my own children's names mixed up sometimes, so don't go by me!

 

[Robert]

Actually, it was his last novel and he'd been well-established as a writer for over 30 years by the time it was published.

I never got why people seem to have such trouble with Russian names. What about it is it that gets so confusing? American and English literary characters have pet names too, don't they?

Its confusing because there are so many names and combinations of names to remember. Some of the characters are called by first name, first name & middle name; last name only, a pet name, and by title if they had one. I'm sure I'm missing one or two possibilities, but I think I've made my point. I have difficulties just remembering each character by each possible name or combination of names/titles is what gives me trouble. What I finally did was to print a list of characters from Cliffsnotes.

 

[beer good]

I still don't see why that's any more problematic than how... say, Jay Gatsby is Jay, Mr Gatsby, and Gatz to different people. Or any character who uses some sort of pseudonym or goes by different names in different circumstances (hell, Stephen King gets away with it). But oh well.

 

[abecedarian]

Its confusing because there are so many names and combinations of names to remember. Some of the characters are called by first name, first name & middle name; last name only, a pet name, and by title if they had one. I'm sure I'm missing one or two possibilities, but I think I've made my point. I have difficulties just remembering each character by each possible name or combination of names/titles is what gives me trouble. What I finally did was to print a list of characters from Cliffsnotes.

And now we have Wikipedia to turn to for help as well.

 

[Robert]

I still don't see why that's any more problematic than how... say, Jay Gatsby is Jay, Mr Gatsby, and Gatz to different people. Or any character who uses some sort of pseudonym or goes by different names in different circumstances (hell, Stephen King gets away with it). But oh well.

Perhaps its just a problem for some (me).

 

[chkk]

the french lieutenant's women
entire book is not sad but the ending is very sad and depressing.

 

[Peder]

The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a simple fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, broke me down completely. Plus too many other books to mention, right up to the current Casanova in Bolzano.