Emotions about Characters in Books Thread

I love to read. Everyone I know knows it. It fact, you can usually see me carrying around a book. (Currently the Warrior's series.)

I can sometimes get really into said books. I become very empathetic, and sometimes embarrass myself by getting all emotional about the characters.

For example, when I was reading Eragon (around two years ago) I cried when Brom died. I dunno, it just was really touching to me how he died happily, and Saphirra's magic turning the grave to diamond...

Anyway, before I go read another book, have you had any similar experiences? Go ahead, tell about them. We (Or, at least I, promise not to make fun of you.

I nearly cried at the end of The Kite Runner the other day ;;

I get more emotional about characters in books than in movies or TV shows. Especially if it's from a first-person narrative.

Oh man, all the time. My family looks at me funny when ever it happens.

I cry every time I read The Red Tent.

Oh my god.

I cried SO much when I read The Book Thief. D:

Amazing book, I recommend it.

Oh my god.

I cried SO much when I read The Book Thief. D:

Amazing book, I recommend it.

I almost cried at the end of Wicked. And there's so many good books that I got emotional over that I can't list them all...

If you're not getting emotional over a book, then the book's not good enough. Go get another one.

asdfgdf WICKED. OH MAN. Even though you know all the way through that Elphaba's gonna die at the end... somehow it makes it even more heartbreaking. ;~;
(this little doodle pretty much sums it up)

And Glinda, oh God. There are some absolutely heartbreaking lines in Wicked ("If you see her, tell her I miss her still"; "The witch didn't turn; they never saw each other again."), but they're nothing compared to pretty much everything she says in Son of a Witch. "You knew her; you knew my Elphie." I died.

For example, when I was reading Eragon (around two years ago) I cried when Brom died.

Click to expand...

Was this before or after the movie? Because, I mean, I can understand being sad that someone played by Jeremy Irons was going to die, but caring for a piece of cardboard? What?

And to actually answer the question... I haven't cried at a book since I was ten or so, but some books (or short stories, whatever) do make me... not necessarily sad, but melancholy? But in a positive way. So, yes, but probably not the way the poll means it.

Except it hardly ever involves characters. Oh well.

Erindor the Espeon said:

I love to read. Everyone I know knows it. It fact, you can usually see me carrying around a book. (Currently the Warrior's series.)

[...]

For example, when I was reading Eragon (around two years ago) I cried when Brom died. I dunno, it just was really touching to me how he died happily, and Saphirra's magic turning the grave to diamond...

Click to expand...

Wait, wait, wait. You like reading and yet you like the Eragon series? They're crap. No, really, they're crap.



If I'm really emotionally invested in a character for whatever reason - not very common for book characters, unfortunately, unless the series has been on-going for a while, but it's not rare at all for RP characters (loev being audience) or some comic/cartoon characters - then I'll get somewhat affected by stuff happening to them, or more likely, them doing something dumb, but not very much. And even then I like reading their pain.

I get attached to the characters in books. One time I read a fictionalized graphic novel about Lakia, the first dog in space, and I couldn't stop crying.

Remind me never read a book with a dog on the cover again.

And Wicked made me cry too.

"And there the old witch stayed for a long time."
"And has she come out?"
"Not yet."

Click to expand...

Or something like that. >_>

I cried constantly when I read Melanie rawn's Sunrunner series. So many sad deaths. ;;

Depends on the book. First off, I don't cry from books. Doesn't mean they aren't emotional rollercoasters, I'm just not as affected, not surprising, it's awfully hard to wrestle a tear from me for any sort of media.

Anyway... I do get emotionally attached to characters, but usually those in war novels, usually the civilians, but I can get strung up about soldiers too. I dunno, fantasy settings don't quite do it for me.

And no matter what, the author's writing style and ability are the biggest factors for me.

Cried at the end of Brokeback Mountain, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde (shame shame) and parts of Maurice. The films for Brokeback Mountain and Maurice also made me bawl like a maniac but that's not the point of this thread.

Maurice made me tear up about half-way through, when Clive decides to dump Maurice and get marry some girl. I felt really sad for Maurice even though I could sort of empathize with Clive. But he was a dickhole about it so it was a little hard to not hate him.

The Secret Life made me cry at a part where we learn Bosie sent a letter threatning to kill himself if Oscar didn't come to see him and caimed he'd love him forever and a bunch of bullshit I got unecesseraly upset about. Especially because A couple of years after Oscar died, which was indirectly Bosie's fault, the latter became the biggest jerk ever seen and said he hated Oscar; that he was the worst person to exist in the last 250 years, etc.
And I got pissed off because these people were real and Bosie comes off as a huge hypocrite, douchebag and pretentious cock and Oscar deserved way better :v
And I cried at the edn too because I'm a big silly and found Oscar's death sad.

And Brokeback Mountain makes me break down every time I read/watch it because it's just goddamn depressing.
So basically I want to hug Maurice Hall, Jack Twist, Dennis Del Mar, Oscar Wilde and Robbie Ross, which is kind of pathetic but eh.

I really want to read Um Pé de Laranja-Lima because my mum says it's brilliant but horribly depressing at the same time.

ps: this post makes me feel like an even bigger pansy than i already considered myself to be :v

I cried at a lot of deaths in the Warriors series, which is a bit sad, crying over fictional cats. D: Especially Silverstream, Yellowfang & Cinderpelt's. Woe. ;~;

For me, it depends on the book and the character. There were a few in Harry Potter that I was sad about. Dobby, Sirius Black, Fred Plus a few other books that were very sad. Of course, I can't think of them now.

Oh yes, I finished reading the Hobbit and I was so sad when Kili and Fili died. So sad.

surskitty said:

Wait, wait, wait. You like reading and yet you like the Eragon series? They're crap. No, really, they're crap.

Click to expand...

If you need a website to tell you it's crap, you've failed. I haven't read the books, but it just seems like it.

Nah, I don't think I've ever had much sympathy for fiction.

Dannichu said:

asdfgdf WICKED. OH MAN. Even though you know all the way through that Elphaba's gonna die at the end... somehow it makes it even more heartbreaking. ;~;
(this little doodle pretty much sums it up)[/I]

Click to expand...

I didn't. D: I was going to read it, too...

I sometimes do. Not all of the time, and not so much now, because I mainly read books I've already read, and they don't hit me as emotionally after I've already read them. But Harry Potter 7 reduced me to a puddle, as well as many others I can't recall right now. XD

ArtificialFlavour said:

If you need a website to tell you it's crap, you've failed. I haven't read the books, but it just seems like it.

Click to expand...

This is true. However, the website goes on and points at much of its failure because its fanbase is rabid and dumb.

I'm not sure if it's better or worse than Stephanie Meyer's crappy vampire novels.

Wicked made me sad. And Warriors, too.

Warriors... I'm not sure if it's managed to make me cry yet, but I've come very, very close. Especially in the third to ninth books, even when I reread them. If anything, it's harder to bear when you're reading it the second or eighth time. And I know for certain that I'll have broken down sobbing at least once by the time The Fourth Apprentice is finished. (;~; I'll never forgive you when you kill off my Firestar, Vicky...)