Scan barcode
sianfh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Publishing for this e-ARC!
I’ve written and rewritten a review of this book a handful of times yet I still can’t quite capture exactly what lies in my chest upon finishing it. In Memoriam, a historical fiction novel that takes place during the First World War, follows Sidney Ellwood and Henry Gaunt from Sixth Form, still bashful teenagers, to wounded soldiers ravaged by war, masquerading as men. You’re told about the War in History classes, gruesome stories about gas masks failing and trench foot, but it all seemed so far removed. Here, Alice Winn manages to put you right in the centre of No Man’s Land, with a heart that beats in fear and a mouth that dries up at the thought of the horrors that a generation of young men were lost to. Through it all, there is Gaunt and Ellwood, an invisible string binding them together, a constant even when they’re apart. At times my breath was taken away by the way their story is told. At a time of censorship their love was bold and loud. Ellwood’s love of poetry is woven through the storyline, even if at one point that seems to disappear, and I loved the references to Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen, poets who lived and experienced the stories we’re hearing here. It is quite plain the level of research that went into the factual element of this novel. This perhaps is an important feat of historical literature as well as queer literature. I’ll be thinking of this for some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Antisemitism
Minor: Suicide and Confinement
kellysbookverse's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Bullying, Homophobia, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Classism, Suicide, Confinement, and Death of parent
More...