Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

61 reviews

breanneporter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is stunning. I generally stay away from anything to do with war, and I only picked this up due to a glowing review by a bookseller I trust, not really believing I would be able to finish it, but boy did it hook me and engage me and devastate me and teach me until the very end… I’m so so glad I gave it a shot. In Memoriam follows two high school best friends, Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood, attending a wealthy public school in England when WW1 breaks out in 1914. Both boys are  secretly in love with the other, but believe it’s unrequited. They each end up at the front of the war and confront the horrifying realities of trench warfare, losing friends and parts of themselves along the way. 

This novel is not for the faint of heart: it is heart wrenching and painful and describes in visceral detail the terrible gore and tragedy of war, as well as the  long term effects, both physical and mental, on those who manage to survive. I listened on audio, which was excellent, but at times very difficult to picture. 

As many other reviewers note, however, there is levity and humor and romance interspersed in the horror. There are triumphs, big and small, and there are beautiful depictions of acceptance and found family. One of my favorite parts of the novel was

the friendship between Gaunt, Pritchett and Devi, the latter two of which demonstrate unflinching devotion and acceptance of Gaunt, despite how criminalized and stigmatized homosexuality was at the time.

Throughout the novel I kept googling WWI history based on Winn’s writing, and I feel like I re-learned so much from this novel that I’d long forgotten, and I’m so grateful for that. I would highly recommend to all historical fiction and LGBTQ fiction fans (even if you’re war-wary like me)!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Grief, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, and Homophobia

raisinreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

a life more devastating than death

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Death, War, Violence, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Gore, and Grief

lpats82's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

An achingly beautiful book. It reminded me of Falkes' Birdsong in many ways - I just couldn't put it down. Winn describes the horrors of war with such accuracy it sends chills. The fondness you grow for the characters makes this WW1 tale all the more poignant. Can't recommend highly enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, and Death

kiwij96's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-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

A harrowing loce story between two young public school boys who find themselves serving their country in World War 1.

The characters were all privileged brats in the best possible way. You can imagine these boys existing and having these conversations, they're so realistic. The history was well-researched and beautifully written - the horror and the brutality of war. The romance was appropriately written for two teenage boys navigating a world where their love is forbidden, it was also age-appropriately awkward as most teenage love is.

This book broke me in more ways than one. By halfway my heart had broken maybe 5 or 6 times, and by the end I was just broken and sobbing.

Great pace, characters, history and plot. Would highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Grief, Homophobia, War, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Classism and Suicide

Minor: Sexual content and Antisemitism

laurennicole98's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Alcoholism, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

kiwialexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, War, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Classism, and Suicide

lc_27's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Cannot stop thinking about this book and the characters. So good. I can't put into words how much I love it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, War, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content

whatnovareads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Oof [hand on chest & deep exhale] ❤️‍🩹

When I started reading In Memoriam, I never thought I would stay up until the early hours of the morning to finish reading it- for me that's a huge deal! This is heartbreaking, harrowing, beautiful and epic.
 

I learnt so much about boys' public schools, conscription (and white feathers), the hierarchy of officers during war (and how unjustly titles were allocated) and the brutalities of the First World War - even poetry. 

I regularly forgot how young the soldiers were. The atrocities of war forced them to grow up quickly, oftentimes i imagined the main characters as grown men but was reminded they were teenagers and the gut punch worsened when i read the Roll of Honour in the Preshutian. These were school boys going to war, lambs to the slaughter. 

I was keen to know how the love story between Gaunt and Ellwood would develop, would they "make it" or not? What can I say? 

I love true love, I love enduring love. 

I usually find a good quote from the book to summarise the main theme but in this instance there are too many. The writing is simply beautiful- elegant. I can’t believe this is a debut novel! I would encourage everyone who reads this book to also read the Author’s Note - it’s fascinating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, and Gore

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Homophobia

msouth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Genocide, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Classism

maritzasolo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Homophobia, War, Gore, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Alcoholism