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The 101 Most Heartbreaking Novels Ever Written According to Ranker

"This list is about the most heartbreaking novels ever written; it answers the question, 'What are the saddest books of all time?' If you've ever read one of these tear-jerkers, you know that these sad stories will tug on your heart strings in a way that no other novel can. The best sad stories like this will warm even the coldest of hearts! We've all felt the pain of loss, the agony of heartbreak and the joy of falling in love: we all relate to sad stories. These stories mold us into who we are and show us where we came from. Most importantly, these novels teach us that we're not as different as we may think." - ranker.com
1,883 users · 4,970 views
 
from ranker.com · made by SteveAzo
avg. score: 32 of 101 (31%)
required scores: 1, 20, 26, 35, 43 
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Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
Of Mice and Men
1
John Steinbeck
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
2
Markus Zusak
Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls)
Where the Red Fern Grows
3
Wilson Rawls
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
Flowers for Algernon
4
Daniel Keyes
Old Yeller (Fred Gipson)
Old Yeller
5
Fred Gipson
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
6
Harper Lee
Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)
Les Misérables
7
Victor Hugo
The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
The Outsiders
8
S. E. Hinton
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Charlotte's Web
9
E.B. White
Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson)
Bridge to Terabithia
10
Katherine Paterson
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
The Kite Runner
11
Khaled Hosseini
Black Beauty (Anna Sewell)
Black Beauty
12
Anna Sewell
My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult)
My Sister's Keeper
13
Jodi Picoult
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
14
Charles Dickens
Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)
Nineteen Eighty-Four
15
George Orwell
The Little Prince (Antoine De Saint-Exupery)
The Little Prince
16
Antoine De Saint-Exupery
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
17
Ken Kesey
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
The Lovely Bones
18
Alice Sebold
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
Wuthering Heights
19
Emily Bronte
Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
Great Expectations
20
Charles Dickens
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
21
Ian McEwan
The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)
The Fault in Our Stars
22
John Green
Hamlet (William Shakespeare)
Hamlet
23
William Shakespeare
The Giver (Lois Lowry)
The Giver
24
Lois Lowry
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
Animal Farm
25
George Orwell
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
26
Leo Tolstoy
A Walk to Remember (Nicholas Sparks)
A Walk to Remember
27
Nicholas Sparks
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
28
Khaled Hosseini
Tess of the D'urbervilles (Thomas Hardy)
Tess of the D'urbervilles
29
Thomas Hardy
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
Jane Eyre
30
Charlotte Bronte
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
31
William Golding
Tuck Everlasting (Natalie Babbitt)
Tuck Everlasting
32
Natalie Babbitt
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
33
Aldous Huxley
The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
The Time Traveler's Wife
34
Audrey Niffenegger
Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)
Island of the Blue Dolphins
35
Scott O'Dell
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K.Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
36
J.K.Rowling
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
Uncle Tom's Cabin
37
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Never Let Me Go
38
Kazuo Ishiguro
The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
The Notebook
39
Nicholas Sparks
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
40
Stephen Chbosky
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