[OB] Who cried? (It's okay to cry. Admit it. You cried.)

[XenosHg]

I did. For me, that were Teft's and Dalinar's new oaths.

I like spoiling myself a lot of best moments before reading them, thankfully the book has a lot.

But knowing beforehand somehow didn't help at all. They are just awesome.

[charlietk421]

There were so many great moments in this book! I have told my friends several times that one of the best things about a Sanderson book is his ability to truly connect with his readers and make them feel for his characters. My only actual tear was shed when Dalinar found out it was Evi's cries he was hearing. That one hurt. The ones that almost brought me to tears were when Kaladin broke upon seeing his parshmen friends, the afore-mentioned conversation between Shallan and Adolin, when Renarin hugged Dalinar, when Dalinar was betrayed just before slaughtering Rathalas (cause I knew what was coming and what it was going to do to him), when Kaladin found his parents, and I'm sure there were several others too lol This book was just too good. 

[Otto Didact]

I didn't cry, but I did have a really visceral reaction to Dalinar's "you can't have my pain." Like, I wanted to jump up and run around the house! I had suspected for like the whole back half of the book that Odium would succeed in making Dalinar his champion and releasing all that bad anticipation was a really strange and cool cathartic experience.

[bo.montier]

20 hours ago, Matt Snow said:

I almost cried/got some tears when Kaladin couldn't say the Fourth Ideal. It just hit me so hard.

This was the closest I came too. This combined with Dalinar's flashbacks about Evi's death. Good lord those hit me.

For some reason, no tears, and I'm normally a cryer. I bawled during each of the three ends of Wheel of Time, so I know Sanderson can do it to me.

[StrikerEZ]

On my first read through of the book, nothing made my cry, but there were several moments where I whooped, yelled, almost cried, etc. The only time I've ever cried because of a book was in WoK when Tien died. That entire scene got to me because all I could think about was what if my little brother died? I had to actually close the book for a couple minutes in order to recover.

On my reread, even though I knew everything that was gonna happen, all the moments weee even more impactful. I almost cried when Elhokar died, when Evi died, the Taln moment, the Renarin/Jasnah moment, the Wit/Shallan moment, and both times Adolin talked to Shallan about the multiple personalities. This book was so good, I've never almost cried that many times before. 

[cremling3213]

Long time lurker here. I lost it when Dalinar asked for Forgiveness. I still get choked up thinking about that scene. 

[Govir]

I only shed tears in some of the Part 2 stuff.

• When Hobber healed his legs.
• When Rock (Lunamor) is giving everyone advice in his PoV, and eventually meets with his family (who I forgot existed until then).
• When Skar resigns himself to helping others become Squires (like he did with Lyn), but ends up being one himself.

I mentioned it elsewhere, but I definitely cried more during times of healing and helping than in times of deaths. I still like to think that's because healing and helping are not guarantees; and so they require an effort to produce. Dying is easy, and happens to us all eventually. It is sad, but doesn't bring me to tears.

[Khyrindor]

I don't know if I ever full on bawled, but I know I teared up at several parts:

• Kaladin's brother.
• Rock's family, I think there was sniffling when I read his daughter doesn't remember him, and it broke his heart. I swear Rock is the only thing that holds Bridge Four together.
• Hobber healing his legs.
• Bridge Four's last time carrying the bridge.
• Elhokar's untimely demise and Kaladin's freezing in battle had me take a break from the book for a whole day--I was shaking.
• When baby Adolin is born, and then Dalinar doesn't see him for years.
• Adolin helping both Kaladin and Shallan through their problems.
• Kaladin failing to swear the Fourth Ideal.
• Dalinar defying Odium, and Evi forgiving him from the Spiritual Realm. Dalinar did not deserve her.
• Teft swearing his Third Ideal.
• Jasnah sparing Renarin.
• Probably others.

[Naurock]

On November 28, 2017 at 5:10 PM, duladen said:

When Renarin hugs Dalinar in the flashback. 

This was the closest I came to shedding tears. Renarin and Adolin had terrible childhoods, I truly felt for them and how this was a huge turning point in Dalinar's redemption was very touching.

[BrightVoid]

I think I was closest to crying (i actually put the book away for a second) was when Renarin says that they lost Dalinar, and that he would finally lose his battle with the thrill.  That crushed me.  But then i was fine a few pages later

[Nebelskind]

On 11/28/2017 at 4:00 PM, Starla said:

Elhokar dying while holding his son and the picture Shallan drew of him, saying the first ideal (big tears)

Oh nooo I hadn't caught on that that was the picture he was holding...I thought he just randomly took up drawing but this is so much worse now. Especially because he liked the drawing so much, and then that means that he had to use someone else's view of how he could be to try to become a Radiant...and then he gets just killed by Moash.

 

Storm it. 

[Mulk]

I didn't cry, though that's more a reflection of my current emotional state than it is of the book or the scenes.  That said, Teft being found and carried back touched me deeply.

[Aryanath]

I cried during the last hundred pages. Dalinar accepting his pain, Dalinar taking the next step, Dalinar taking responsibility for his actions. I wept at that. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by Aryanath

[Unhinged]

A brighter example than every one else, Jasnah verbally tearing into Amaram had me laughing so hard tears were running down my face. The fact that he so richly deserved it just made it funnier.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Unhinged

[Aleph-Naught]

18 hours ago, axcellence said:

No crying in this book, but red eyed with the Shallan-Adolin scene just before Kaladin starts summoning windspren in Shadesmar.

 

I was expecting (hoping) for Brandon to drop the Rosharan equivalent of kintsugi into that exchange, maybe next time!

[Aleph-Naught]

4 minutes ago, Unhinged said:

A brighter example than every one else Jasnah verbally tearing into Amaram had me laughing so hard tears were running down my face. The fact that he so richly deserved it just made it funnier.

That was the most ribald language I had ever seen (or remember) Brandon use, I was gleefully scandalized by it!

[Julio]

For some reason I  nearly always tear up when someone does something kind that is the opposite of what we assumed(though still, obviously, it has to work.) The only time I distinctly remember crying was when Dalinar stood up to Odium, though I'm certain I cried in other similar parts. I think I did when we met Oredon, too... just so you all know, he's now my second favourite character, after Syl. He BETTER be the main character of the second half. 

Oh, I also cried with the whole "Something improper? Like dividing by zero?" scene. That, however, was because I was laughing.

[Cealque]

I cried when Kaladin didn't want to say his next oath 

[dantlee]

I'm not much of a crier - I've only cried twice in the past 7 years (that's not a "oh look at me how macho", it's just not how I emotionally respond to things). But I will say that SA has given me many "lump in the throat" moments, which is definitely the closest that any piece of literature, film, or television has made me come to crying.

In WoK: Kaladin's speech to Bridge Four in Chapter 53 (Dunny) when he's trying to treat the wounds of a fallen bridgeman was one of the most impactful things I've ever read, and was the moment that Kal became my favorite character in the series. 

Quote

The members of Bridge Four were silent. Kaladin looked up from the confused, wounded man. 

"Kaladin," Rock said. "You know how the other bridge crews have treated us." 

"I don't care," Kaladin said.

"We don't have any money left," Drehy said. "Even pooling our income, we barely have enough for bandages for our own men."

"I don't care."

"If we care for the wounded of other bridges crews," Drehy said, "we'll have to feed them, tend them..."

"I will find a way." 

"I ---" Rock began.

"Storm you!" Kaladin said, standing and sweeping his hand over the plateau. The bodies of bridgemen lay scattered, ignored. "Look at that! Who cares for them? Not Sadeas. Not their fellow bridgemen. I doubt even the Heralds themselves spare a thought for these. I won't stand there and watch while men die behind me. We have to be better than that! We can't look away like the lighteyes, pretending we don't see. This man is one of us. Just like Dunny was. The lighteyes talk about honor. They spout empty claims about their nobility. Well, I've only known one man in my life who was a true man of honor. He was a surgeon who could help anyone, even those who hated him. Especially those who hated him. Well, we're going to show Gaz, and Sadeas, Hashal, and any other sodden fool who cares to watch, what he taught me. Now go to work and stop complaining!"

Bridge Four stared at him with wide, ashamed eyes, then burst into motion. 

In WoR, the final reveal that Shallan's father actually protected her from her murderous mother also hit me really hard. 

In OB, there were a lot of emotional moments, but I actually didn't feel a ton of impact in the last hundred pages - I think while Brandon did a good job of adding moments of levity via Lift and Nightblood, it also reduced the emotional impact of the more serious moments because of how frenetic the pacing was throughout the battle in Thaylen City.

For me, the most impactful moments by far were Rock's reunion with his family (ALL THE FEELS), Kaladin's paralysis as his friends were killing each other in Kholinar, and two of Dalinar's flashbacks after Evi's death (the first, where Renarin comforts him and he breaks down crying, and the second, where he apologizes to Adolin for being a bad father, were just absolutely heartbreaking). All four of those moments made me swallow hard. 

[Rathmaskal]

Taln.  Teared me up.  I hope we get to see him sane for longer periods of time.

[HipsterStick]

I didn't cry, but the emotion was particularly strong at several points, especially at the end- namely, Dalinar's oath/denying Odium, Jasnah not killing Renarin, Teft's oath, and Dalinar sealing the Thrill.

Oh, and Bridge 4's final time carrying the bridge made me a bit misty-eyed.

[Foxx]

The most emotional moment where I cried was definitely the Shallan/Wit interaction. I have a weird relationship with Shallan, her past is too similar to mine for me to be comfortable with sometimes (abusive parents, broken home, never feeling safe, struggling with feelings of shame, etc.) Her flashbacks in WoR were really hard for me to read, and I even had to skip some of them and have a friend tell me what happened. How Shallan has responded to everything drives me up a wall and at times she's one of my least favorite characters. I coped in the opposite direction than she did; I don't put off confronting things, don't repress and can even be a bit too confrontational at times. Despite all of that, the Shallan/Wit interaction hit me square in the gut. Wit telling her "Accept the pain, but don't accept that you deserved it," I sobbed. That's a lesson I struggled to learn for a long, long time.

Other moments:

- Elhokar! Ugh! Holding the picture and saying his oaths! He started becoming a favorite of mine towards the end of WoR and I was so excited to see where he was going to go! The fact that it was Moash just made it worse, because Moash was a favorite of mine up until this book. That was rough...

- When Teft said he would protect those he hates, even if it's himself...my heart, y'all! My heart!

- The Jasnah/Renarin moment. They are two of my top favorite characters and that was such a great moment for Jasnah. <3

- When Rock shot Amaram and saved Kaladin. That was such a powerful character moment for Rock and I just teared up knowing how hard that must have been for Rock, and yet it just cemented his place as a Windrunner and a follower of the oaths. Man, that was a powerful moment.

- When Kaladin finds Skar and Drehy and they say "We will protect those who can't protect themselves." Right in the feels!  

[Duke of Lizards]

Guys, I've really loved reading everyone's replies to this topic, even the painful ones.  The emotion that Brandon can generate in his readers is powerful and I think it makes reading his books all the more rewarding.