Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

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Fast Five: Books That Broke My Heart

20 Comments

Here are five books that have haunted me long after reading them.
God of Small Things The God of Small Things — Arundhati Roy
Sarah's Key Sarah’s Key — Tatiana de Rosnay
Possession  Possession — AS Byatt
A Lesson Before Dying (Oprah's Book Club)  A Lesson Before Dying — Ernest J. Gaines

Silence  Silence — Shusaku Endo

What books have affected you deeply?

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Filed Under: books and reading

Comments

  1. Book Dilettante says

    March 25, 2010 at 9:00 am

    Haven’t read any of these, but thanks for the recommendations. I liked Haruki Murakami’s After Dark, because it was a good story and told well. Can’t think of a book that haunts me. Guess I’ll have to read one of your picks!

    Reply
  2. Katie Ganshert says

    March 25, 2010 at 10:07 am

    The Kite Runner definitely haunted me!

    Havah: The STory of Eve still haunts me, but in a much different way that Kite Runner. That book haunts me because it brought such an important Bible story to life and it just relaly touched my heart.

    Reply
  3. Julie Dao says

    March 25, 2010 at 11:20 am

    I’m reading “Possession” right now!!! It’s absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking.

    Reply
  4. Jen says

    March 25, 2010 at 11:31 am

    I’m dying to read Sarah’s Key! I’m glad you enjoyed it… even though it broke your heart!

    Reply
  5. Michelle says

    March 25, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    We just read A Lesson Before Dying in my book club last month as part of our area’s Big Read. We were fortunate to have a professor who teaches it as a guest speaker to lead the discussion at our meeting.

    BTW, Caroline, congratulations on the offers for your book!

    Reply
  6. Caroline Starr Rose says

    March 25, 2010 at 12:32 pm

    Michelle, A LESSON BEFORE DYING was a Big Read title here, too. I wonder if the titles are rotated around the nation?

    And thanks!

    Reply
  7. HH says

    March 25, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    Hmm. I’ll be adding those to my wish list.

    Reply
  8. TerryLynnJohnson says

    March 25, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    I haven’t heard of any of these so thanks! A book that broke my heart was The Art of Racing in the Rain. So good.

    Reply
  9. Stephanie Cheryl says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    MY SISTER’S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult

    Story of my life, sadly.

    I love that book. So. Much.

    Reply
  10. Talli Roland says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    I loved Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare, and, when I was young, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.

    Funny, both books deal with characters who leave civilisation and run off to the woods! Yikes!

    Reply
  11. Tamika: says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    These look amazing! I haven’t read any of them, but I’m going to check them out.

    The Bible, The Shack, The Wonderful-Spirit Filled Life.

    Reply
  12. Mary Campbell says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    I haven’t heard of any if these books except A lesson before dying – I’ll have to check them out.
    Congrats on your book deal – very awesome.

    Reply
  13. Shannon O'Donnell says

    March 25, 2010 at 6:21 pm

    Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson. I think I’m scarred for life! 🙂

    Also, the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers.

    Reply
  14. Elana Johnson says

    March 25, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    I just read two by Elizabeth Scott that really haunted me.

    Again, I am a loser and haven’t read any of these!

    Reply
  15. Lola Sharp says

    March 26, 2010 at 1:20 am

    A Lesson Before Dying I also loved, it too stayed with me.

    Every single book by Cormac McCarthy haunts for weeks. His mastery of craft alone knocks me to my knees.

    The Time Traveler’s Wife hung around in my grey matter, possibly wanting Henry for myself.

    Really, I could just go on and on…so I’ll shut up now.

    I love your Five posts. :o) I love spreading book love.

    Reply
  16. Jemi Fraser says

    March 26, 2010 at 1:21 am

    Different books haunt me in different ways. Flowers for Algernon will never leave me. Neither will Fahrenheit 451, Anne of Green Gables, LotR, McCaffrey’s Pern series. Lots and lots more.

    Reply
  17. Caroline Starr Rose says

    March 26, 2010 at 1:28 am

    Katie,
    Yes! The Kiterunner belongs on this list.

    Lola,
    I just finished The Road, in the middle of the night, no less. So glad there was hope at the end. And TTW: I love that the book was developed around the idea of waiting. All that yearning worked.

    Jemi,
    Flowers for Algernon and Fahrenheit 451 (one of my favorites, I re-read last year) should also be here.

    Reply
  18. Jade says

    March 26, 2010 at 10:37 am

    The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I wept like a fool at the end of that and I’ve yet to recover.

    The Five People You Meet in Heaven also really got to me.

    Reply
  19. Corey Schwartz says

    March 28, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    Definitely A Thousand Splendid Suns. And also The Time Traveler’s Wife.

    Reply
  20. Schenk Family Blog says

    October 15, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    There’s No Me Without You – I can’t remember the author. About a woman in Ethiopia who fell into starting a home for AIDS orphaned children….really sad and quite unbelievable……

    Reply

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