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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Blending fact and fiction, we follow a handful of patients at Craiglockhart Hospital, recovering from various psychological injuries sustained during the First World War. Brilliant writing, you really feel for the characters and the difficulties they are trying to overcome.
A compelling account of soldiers suffering from shell shock after the first world war. A book that made me think and re-assess what I knew and I will definitely read the next two in the trilogy.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was OK. Not good, not bad, just OK.
To cover the positives, I thought it was an important depiction of WWI and the impact it had on the mental health of so many soldiers. We always hear about the gruesome injuries and acts of heroism, but never the breakdowns and associated shame. I liked that each character had a unique background and response to their war trauma, and found the exploration of wanting to return to war to fight for your country vs. not wanting to go back to such a horrible place really interesting. I much preferred the conversations with Rivers over any of the other parts of the book as that's when we got to learn about the characters and what they'd been through. The inclusion of real-life people as characters was unexpected but also a nice touch; it really helped to bring the book to life and remind the reader that although a work of fiction, these were real experiences.
On the other hand, I found this book quite dull. Nothing really happened, and there were too many characters to follow, with the author only touching the surface of these characters and not going in-depth at all. I would have preferred fewer characters and more depth. I also thought the part at the end when Rivers watches the electric chair treatment felt a random addition. I found the book quite hard to get into as well, and I would often only read 4-5 pages until I was falling asleep!
Overall, the book felt a bit "meh". I didn't hate reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it or read it again.
To cover the positives, I thought it was an important depiction of WWI and the impact it had on the mental health of so many soldiers. We always hear about the gruesome injuries and acts of heroism, but never the breakdowns and associated shame. I liked that each character had a unique background and response to their war trauma, and found the exploration of wanting to return to war to fight for your country vs. not wanting to go back to such a horrible place really interesting. I much preferred the conversations with Rivers over any of the other parts of the book as that's when we got to learn about the characters and what they'd been through. The inclusion of real-life people as characters was unexpected but also a nice touch; it really helped to bring the book to life and remind the reader that although a work of fiction, these were real experiences.
On the other hand, I found this book quite dull. Nothing really happened, and there were too many characters to follow, with the author only touching the surface of these characters and not going in-depth at all. I would have preferred fewer characters and more depth. I also thought the part at the end when Rivers watches the electric chair treatment felt a random addition. I found the book quite hard to get into as well, and I would often only read 4-5 pages until I was falling asleep!
Overall, the book felt a bit "meh". I didn't hate reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it or read it again.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was pretty average. I appreciate some of the comments it makes about society but I also feel like nothing happened in it at the same time. There were some things that were confusing, but it was also very intriguing and kept my interest pretty well. If I had access to the other books I think I would continue the series. It was quite intense at times so I’d recommend being aware of any possible trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, War
Minor: Violence
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes