Definitely a sad story, and while reading things like this in school definitely didn't make me super happy for my grade 12 English class, I could appreciate the story. 
 Once you get into the story it's hard to stop, and you just can't help hoping that the story will end for the better. Filled with suffering and sadness, this story isn't a pick me up, but it's still a beautiful story. If it hadn't been for school I probably would've liked it even more, since sometimes that ruins books for me, but once I let myself enjoy it, I did. A book worth pursuing if you feel like thinking, if you just wanna escape reality for a little bit...pick another.