Today’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is books that generated strong emotions. For me, these are books that had a strong impact on me when I read them and remained with me. They are also books where the story itself is very emotional. I’ll start with two of my favorite childhood reads:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: As I child I loved Mary’s story of discovery and growth. I also love the idea of secret spaces and connecting with nature. I also loved that while Mary became nicer over time, she never lost her strong will. She wasn’t a nice, sweet girl and I loved that.
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle: I loved Meg for a lot of the same reasons I loved Mary. Again, this is a story of growth and discovery, and of Meg finding herself in a world where she doesn’t feel she fits. (That’s an interesting connection between these two books that I don’t think I’d seen before.)
Emma by Jane Austen: Of Austen’s novels, this one tends to generate strong opinions, both positive or negative. Continuing my theme of unlikeable but strong-willed women, I love Emma’s independence and the fact that she doesn’t want or need to marry. Plus I love a good friends-to-lovers story.
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: Eustacia Vye is my other favorite unlikeable female. I read this book in high school and was swept away by the drama and yearning, but also Eustacia’s path to love. Also, as with most of Hardy’s books, there is tragedy.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I don’t need to tell you about this one. It’s terrifying and terrifyingly relevant today.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: I read this one in college and really identified with Plath and her “fictional” main character. Obviously there is a lot of sadness and struggle in this one, and even though our fictional heroine is on a road to recovery, we know how Plath’s story ends.
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver: I just wrote about this book, which I highly recommend. This is a book with strong emotions throughout: a torn-apart family, rediscovering one’s roots, childhood trauma, love, and connecting with nature.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: I’ve always found Christopher McCandless’ story haunting, and as a work of nonfiction, Krakauer explores all that we know about his life and his death (at the time of publication), and all that we don’t know. This book combines two things that I love – nature and psychology, and how they are intertwined (another theme running through a lot of these books on my list). People have criticized McCandless for being arrogant, privileged, unprepared – Krakauer lets you decide. Either way, an incredibly sad story.
Asking For It by Louise O’Neill: This book was haunting, as are most books about rape (and they should be). But something about this book tore me apart. (Know My Name by Chanel Miller is another book I’m adding to this list.)
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: I wanted to end this list with a positive emotion. I expected to find this book corny – adorable children are not exactly my jam. Instead I loved every minute. It’s funny, touching, and yes, heart-warming. I think the fantastic audio narrator had something to do with that.
Those are ten books that I connected with emotionally and that continue to resonate with me. Which ones come to mind for you?
