Most Depressing Book of All Time (1241 books)

What book do you think is the most depressing book that you have ever read?

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1	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.20 avg rating — 4,146,206 ratings score: 52,732, and 535 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	1984 by George Orwell 4.20 avg rating — 5,374,094 ratings score: 49,183, and 501 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Road by Cormac McCarthy really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,024,513 ratings score: 40,714, and 412 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	A Story of Yesterday by Sergio Cobo 4.53 avg rating — 18,854 ratings score: 36,100, and 361 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.38 avg rating — 1,351,862 ratings score: 35,488, and 361 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 4.06 avg rating — 586,379 ratings score: 35,193, and 356 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3.89 avg rating — 2,802,656 ratings score: 31,179, and 321 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.70 avg rating — 3,168,330 ratings score: 25,335, and 263 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 3.86 avg rating — 2,454,074 ratings score: 23,576, and 242 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 4.24 avg rating — 783,695 ratings score: 22,852, and 237 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls 4.13 avg rating — 438,011 ratings score: 22,319, and 227 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	A Child Called "It" (Dave Pelzer, #1) by Dave Pelzer (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 458,745 ratings score: 22,037, and 225 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,198,013 ratings score: 21,230, and 219 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 4.39 avg rating — 1,226,129 ratings score: 20,492, and 211 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 1,271,086 ratings score: 20,325, and 209 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 955,254 ratings score: 19,540, and 201 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1) by Frank McCourt 4.15 avg rating — 655,813 ratings score: 18,442, and 189 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen 4.10 avg rating — 28,560 ratings score: 18,160, and 186 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.36 avg rating — 3,458,957 ratings score: 17,819, and 184 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 840,835 ratings score: 17,675, and 183 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.03 avg rating — 986,359 ratings score: 16,119, and 168 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 2,849,084 ratings score: 15,596, and 162 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.90 avg rating — 2,011,605 ratings score: 15,485, and 161 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,842,626 ratings score: 15,199, and 160 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 1,020,967 ratings score: 15,093, and 156 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 1,716,981 ratings score: 14,722, and 152 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,858,832 ratings score: 13,793, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Animal Farm by George Orwell 4.01 avg rating — 4,476,785 ratings score: 13,353, and 143 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.99 avg rating — 2,055,699 ratings score: 12,821, and 136 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 2,386,206 ratings score: 12,396, and 132 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy 3.84 avg rating — 301,072 ratings score: 12,307, and 129 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins 4.12 avg rating — 3,673,580 ratings score: 11,912, and 125 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 3.90 avg rating — 1,394,283 ratings score: 11,733, and 125 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Sophie’s Choice by William Styron 4.17 avg rating — 94,221 ratings score: 11,404, and 119 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy 3.83 avg rating — 75,617 ratings score: 11,185, and 115 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 4.21 avg rating — 2,027,055 ratings score: 11,146, and 117 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,852,705 ratings score: 11,020, and 116 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.26 avg rating — 6,806,524 ratings score: 10,715, and 117 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 5,664,853 ratings score: 10,583, and 112 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 3.74 avg rating — 2,801,868 ratings score: 10,484, and 113 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 2,778,728 ratings score: 9,926, and 104 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Stranger by Albert Camus 4.03 avg rating — 1,369,968 ratings score: 9,891, and 107 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 3.59 avg rating — 257,084 ratings score: 9,636, and 103 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 4.11 avg rating — 515,273 ratings score: 9,357, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 3.46 avg rating — 136,714 ratings score: 9,304, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.21 avg rating — 839,443 ratings score: 9,060, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Old Yeller by Fred Gipson 4.11 avg rating — 103,245 ratings score: 8,823, and 95 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco 4.31 avg rating — 271,581 ratings score: 8,267, and 88 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 628,450 ratings score: 7,978, and 84 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates 3.93 avg rating — 93,022 ratings score: 7,363, and 77 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.28 avg rating — 1,060,947 ratings score: 7,330, and 80 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 904,939 ratings score: 7,254, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.44 avg rating — 912,639 ratings score: 7,213, and 81 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 3.78 avg rating — 153,876 ratings score: 6,890, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins 4.35 avg rating — 9,781,769 ratings score: 6,838, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 4.38 avg rating — 159,011 ratings score: 6,579, and 68 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides 3.78 avg rating — 407,481 ratings score: 6,553, and 71 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Hamlet by William Shakespeare 4.03 avg rating — 1,039,341 ratings score: 6,485, and 71 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 722,833 ratings score: 6,444, and 72 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	New Moon (The Twilight Saga, #2) by Stephenie Meyer 3.62 avg rating — 2,111,038 ratings score: 6,312, and 67 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 3.90 avg rating — 1,848,626 ratings score: 6,245, and 71 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 936,529 ratings score: 6,206, and 68 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 764,190 ratings score: 6,181, and 67 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison 3.98 avg rating — 485,999 ratings score: 5,860, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Pearl by John Steinbeck 3.56 avg rating — 267,986 ratings score: 5,831, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 4.24 avg rating — 1,981,034 ratings score: 5,706, and 60 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 210,888 ratings score: 5,437, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	On the Beach by Nevil Shute 3.98 avg rating — 49,166 ratings score: 5,412, and 60 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,252,760 ratings score: 5,319, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 2,791,747 ratings score: 5,176, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks (as "Anonymous") 3.74 avg rating — 290,955 ratings score: 5,153, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) by J.K. Rowling 4.62 avg rating — 4,073,664 ratings score: 4,834, and 52 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 4.10 avg rating — 922,333 ratings score: 4,833, and 57 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 4.13 avg rating — 296,704 ratings score: 4,831, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1) by Chinua Achebe 3.74 avg rating — 409,424 ratings score: 4,594, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.94 avg rating — 388,987 ratings score: 4,566, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	A Separate Peace by John Knowles 3.60 avg rating — 231,308 ratings score: 4,510, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.16 avg rating — 2,299,967 ratings score: 4,494, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 361,138 ratings score: 4,383, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Blindness by José Saramago 4.18 avg rating — 333,725 ratings score: 4,340, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 417,667 ratings score: 4,298, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 3.80 avg rating — 867,997 ratings score: 4,227, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams 3.74 avg rating — 142,569 ratings score: 4,185, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 3.98 avg rating — 332,726 ratings score: 4,046, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 3.98 avg rating — 124,224 ratings score: 3,932, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins 4.35 avg rating — 4,102,122 ratings score: 3,877, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Atonement by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 559,923 ratings score: 3,827, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 4.20 avg rating — 776,078 ratings score: 3,752, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	King Lear by William Shakespeare 3.91 avg rating — 235,914 ratings score: 3,702, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 148,184 ratings score: 3,676, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) by Pearl S. Buck 4.01 avg rating — 259,722 ratings score: 3,672, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	The Pact by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) 4.03 avg rating — 326,265 ratings score: 3,591, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 354,681 ratings score: 3,515, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Animal Farm / 1984 by George Orwell 4.30 avg rating — 214,405 ratings score: 3,462, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.94 avg rating — 1,743,710 ratings score: 3,412, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 3.97 avg rating — 105,208 ratings score: 3,341, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 3.99 avg rating — 118,624 ratings score: 3,289, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Othello by William Shakespeare 3.89 avg rating — 433,660 ratings score: 3,279, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Sybil: The Classic True Story of a Woman Possessed by Sixteen Personalities by Flora Rheta Schreiber 3.99 avg rating — 90,699 ratings score: 3,235, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 3.71 avg rating — 371,399 ratings score: 3,138, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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1,241 books · 3,906 voters · list created November 29th, 2008 by Leila (votes) .

Tags: angst, anxiety, awful, best, death, depressing, depression, depressive, sad, saddest, worst

480 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (3906)

Leila 1131 books
103 friends

Miss Chai 240 books
14 friends

D.L. 995 books
175 friends

Hanna 331 books
7 friends

Wilhelmina 1557 books
323 friends

Neil 691 books
22 friends

Ashley 163 books
36 friends

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3386 books
852 friends

More voters…

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Comments Showing 1-50 of 88 (88 new)

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message 1: by jo (last edited Jan 09, 2009 05:44PM) (new)

Jan 09, 2009 05:42PM

a fine balance wins the prize, hands down.

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message 2: by jo (new)

Jan 09, 2009 07:44PM

oh, mike, you put one book there, and, since it's only one book, it climbs right to the top. that's rigging the system, man.

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message 3: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jul 22, 2009 01:51PM

Oooh, good question!

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message 4: by Leila (new)

Jul 22, 2009 02:03PM

I thought Bridge to Terabithia was a fun childrens book (haven't read it) with all the adventure and stuff. I had no idea that I was so depressing!

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message 5: by Jen (new)

Jul 22, 2009 02:36PM

Ralph and Sarah,

I must know. What is so depressing about the soccer field being empty? Those two guys there on it look like they're doing okay.

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message 6: by Thom (new)

Sep 22, 2009 05:42AM

After putting up several titles and adding a bunch more, I suddenly realized this list of depressing books was nearly identical to my list of favorite books. Shit.

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message 7: by Lobstergirl (new)

Sep 22, 2009 04:21PM

The way the question is framed, aren't we supposed to pick just one book?

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message 8: by Thom (new)

Sep 22, 2009 06:31PM

Yes, Lobs, I think you are probably correct, but I can't decide..."Depressing" books are, for some reason, the ones I come to love the most and to re-read...And I am not a gloomy person, just the opposite. I guess the "dark night of the soul" is the greatest adventure, challenge, or some such. Lucky me: I'm a lover, not a sufferer.

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message 9: by Leila (new)

Sep 23, 2009 03:18AM

It's fine to add several books if you like though if you can pinpoint the most depressing book for you, then do add just one :) If you can't decide however (most books are very different), then it's perfectly okay to add several :)

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message 10: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Sep 23, 2009 09:02AM

I voted for two I find equally depressing, though they are certainly very different books.

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message 11: by Thom (new)

Sep 23, 2009 09:52AM

There is a bottom line to "sad" Beckett's Endgame is so abyssmal it has to be comic.....I remember as a Sophomore being upset with Candide because I had a hard time getting past the "soldiers who ripped the girls' bellies open"....my girlfriend of the time was laughing like hell reading Candide and I just didn't get it. Incidentally, recently saw magnificent production of Bernstein et. al. Candide in the Berkshires. I laughed like hell.

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message 12: by Mandy (new)

Oct 03, 2009 02:07PM

Why isn't Les Miserables by Victor Hugo on this list?! JK, I'm not angry...just...surprised. I mean, it has the word "miserable" in the title. Even if you're not pronouncing it. I don't know, just think about it.

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message 13: by Ally (new)

Oct 05, 2009 07:44AM

I really thought Plath's the Bell jar would make it on this list!

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message 14: by Lobstergirl (new)

Oct 05, 2009 04:46PM

Mandy wrote: "Why isn't Les Miserables by Victor Hugo on this list?! JK, I'm not angry...just...surprised. I mean, it has the word "miserable" in the title. Even if you're not pronouncing it. I don't know, just ..."

Because you didn't add it?

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message 15: by [deleted user] (new)

Oct 05, 2009 05:50PM

Ally wrote: "I really thought Plath's the Bell jar would make it on this list!"

Odd, I had added it along with 7 other depressing books but then deleted it as I was only supposed to chose one. I still have 2 up. I consider that book too depressing to read again altho I bought myself an old paperback of it for NE quiz questions. No wonder she killed herself!

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message 16: by Ally (new)

Oct 05, 2009 11:09PM

Canary wrote: Odd, I had added it along with 7 other depressing books but then deleted it as I was only supposed to chose one. ..."
I had a very ambitious to read list when I was in school, but after The Bell Jar I decided to rather read books I enjoy and not books other people thought I should read. I agree though, I would not read it again

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message 17: by Lynn (new)

Oct 19, 2009 04:57AM

jo wrote: "a fine balance wins the prize, hands down."

Well, I put it second to Angela's Ashes. I read this for a book group and at the end it seemed like nothing, absolutely nothing, had changed. Very depressing!

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message 18: by Lynn (new)

Oct 19, 2009 04:57AM

Ally wrote: "Canary wrote: Odd, I had added it along with 7 other depressing books but then deleted it as I was only supposed to chose one. ..."
I had a very ambitious to read list when I was in school, but aft..."

Actually, I think you can post five, but you have to put them in order of depressingness.

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message 19: by Jessa (new)

Oct 26, 2009 06:05AM

Sybil The True and Extraordinary Story of a Woman Possessed By Sixteen Separate Personalities

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message 20: by Graham (new)

Oct 28, 2009 02:33AM

Last Exit to Brooklyn

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message 21: by Thom (new)

Oct 28, 2009 04:54AM

Lynn wrote: "jo wrote: "a fine balance wins the prize, hands down."

Well, I put it second to Angela's Ashes. I read this for a book group and at the end it seemed like nothing, absolutely nothing,..."

Is "realism" depression ? Doth Reality bite ? I'd like to ask Frank McCourt, but alas ! he's dead--and I find THAT depressing.

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message 22: by Adam (new)

Oct 30, 2009 02:32PM

the giver, the hunger games, anne frank, and bridge to teribithia are the winners for me.
AND WHY THE HECK IS TWILIGHT HERE????
ABSOLUTLY NOT DEPRESSING.

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message 23: by Adam (new)

Oct 30, 2009 02:33PM

Leila wrote: "I thought Bridge to Terabithia was a fun childrens book (haven't read it) with all the adventure and stuff. I had no idea that I was so depressing! "

I havent read it either (i want to) but saw the movie and i was bawling at the end! it is soooo sad! and just to let you know i am a teenage boy.

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message 24: by Mary Ellen (new)

Nov 10, 2009 08:51AM

Whoa... I sure have read a lot of depressing books. When I taught junior high, most every book dealt with a death to either a person, a pet, or a marriage.

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message 25: by Lynn (new)

Nov 10, 2009 09:15AM

My sister once took an adult education class on Modern Women British Writers. She decided it must have been sponsored by Prozac.

Mary Ellen wrote: "Whoa... I sure have read a lot of depressing books. When I taught junior high, most every book dealt with a death to either a person, a pet, or a marriage. "

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message 26: by Adam (new)

Nov 10, 2009 02:22PM

this is actually not a bad list! unlike most of them in goodreads...

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message 27: by Reed (new)

Nov 11, 2009 03:31PM

why are the twilight books on here?

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message 28: by Reed (new)

Nov 11, 2009 03:32PM

hunger games made me cry when someone died(its a spoiler not gonna say!) and im about 14 so yeah, real men do cry.

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message 29: by Reed (new)

Nov 11, 2009 03:33PM

i wonder y its like way down on the list though.

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message 30: by Suzanne (new)

Nov 11, 2009 04:25PM

Fall on Your Knees

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message 31: by Suzanne (new)

Nov 11, 2009 04:26PM

Adam wrote: "this is actually not a bad list! unlike most of them in goodreads..."

I agree. Some of my favorite books are on this list!

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message 32: by Adam (new)

Nov 11, 2009 05:23PM

Reed wrote: "hunger games made me cry when someone died(its a spoiler not gonna say!) and im about 14 so yeah, real men do cry.

"

REED U AINT 14! U R 12.

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message 33: by Rem (new)

Jan 20, 2010 11:22PM

I just realized something...Alot of the books I think are depressing are my favourites, lol that is kinda scaring me.

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message 34: by Jaclyn (new)

Jan 28, 2010 12:43PM

Why is it that we're taught in school that good = sad?
'course I found Candide hilarious, and I thought that The Giver turned its self around so much at the end that I found it uplifting.

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message 35: by Mark (last edited Jan 29, 2010 12:25PM) (new)

Jan 29, 2010 11:52AM

If people think The Road and Bridge to Terebithia are depressing, they have some reading to do (unless they want to remain happy people, which I highly recommend for some people). Tess of the d'Urbervilles has to be like five octillion times as depressing as either of those. Personally, I think there's a huge difference between a depressing book and a sad book.

I wouldn't call The Road a sad book, though. I can see how some people can think it was depressing, but I didn't come away from it feeling that way, personally.

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message 36: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 30, 2010 10:42AM

Yeah, it's hard to argue with Hardy for depressing. (Jude the Obscure was my top choice.)

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message 37: by Alex (new)

Feb 09, 2010 01:05PM

The hollow is most deffinitally the most boring depressing feel bad book ever! i cant believe i had to add it

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message 38: by Will (new)

Mar 13, 2010 05:54PM

Where is "Johnny got his Gun" Hands down most depressing

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message 39: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 14, 2010 12:07PM

The form to add books to the list is over at the right-hand side of the page.

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message 40: by Janal (new)

Apr 28, 2010 08:44AM

The Joy Luck book is the most depressing book i have ever read.

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message 41: by Sara (new)

May 22, 2010 10:05PM

I'm surprised I had to add Giovanni's Room myself! Although I agreed with the other books I've read that made it onto the list. And it was hard to pinpoint the fine line between depressing and intensely sad...

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message 42: by Katie (new)

May 26, 2010 04:40PM

The end of "The Road" made me cry for over 5 minutes. The entire book is pretty bleak.

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message 43: by BMaire (new)

Jul 11, 2010 12:37PM

Go ask Alice never seems to loose relevance in our society.

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message 44: by ɐzzıɹʞ (new)

Jul 14, 2010 12:52AM

Bridge to Terabithia? Depressing?
I can't believe it.

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message 45: by Coralie (new)

Aug 31, 2010 05:46PM

I feel that there is a vast difference between sad and depressing.

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message 46: by Daria (new)

Aug 31, 2010 06:23PM

Coralie wrote: "I feel that there is a vast difference between sad and depressing."

Yes I agree. That's why Wuthering Heights and The Hunger Games should not be on this list.

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message 47: by Namida... (new)

Feb 04, 2011 03:06PM

i don't think books that have a good character dying all of a sudden in them should be called depressing, they're just momentarily sad. That's why i don't think the vampire academy series should be here, nor the hunger games AnD DeFiNaTeLy NOT twilight, why do i find this abominable saga in every list! also to kill a mocking bird is neither sad nor depressing for me. but wuthering heights yeah, it's gothic and freaky sometimes but it is damned depressing. somehow i find virginia woolf's books depressing too, mrs dalloway and the waves had me sobbing all night.
but hey that's just me ^^

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message 48: by Isaac (new)

Jul 24, 2011 07:10PM

brideshead revisited imo

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message 49: by [deleted user] (new)

May 13, 2012 10:21AM

Reed wrote: "why are the twilight books on here?"

In New Moon Bella suffers a major depressive episode so bad that her father thinks about putting her in the hospital. She really needs medication but doesn't get any which is good. After 3 or 4 months she pulls out of it due to Jacob Black helping her. I actually enjoy reading about it which is very odd but cannot bear to read about her death when she gives birth to Renesmee.

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message 50: by Anna (new)

May 13, 2012 02:17PM

Most of the books I've voted are in my favourite shelf... I love them, what can I do? =)

Many of them are about love... that's my favourite genre ^-^

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