Reviews with content warning for Medical content - In Memoriam

If you want the emotional devastation of The Song of Achilles but spread out over a full book, this is for you.

This blew me away and was so much more than I expected it to be. I usually steer clear of World War books, too used to those endless straight romance books you see in charity shops with a random photo of a milkmaid on the cover.

It's an exploration of queer love in the 1910's, yes, but it's also predominantly a criticism of war, war propaganda, UK public school culture and the classism it foments, British imperialism, and more. It does not shy away from the horrors of war, both in the trenches and outside of them, with a large focus as well on the mental strain and PTSD it left in all who survived.

It's incredibly violent and a difficult read at times (and I discovered a new trigger of mine in books!! tw enclosed spaces i guess) but I absolutely recommend it for anyone who feels up to it.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Content Warnings

lenchen25's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

simixfe's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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

3.25

Well, let's just say I expected or at least hoped for a bit more.
I loved the beginning, liked the middle and hated the end.
I mean I should have anticipated that it would not end with

Henry and Sidney moving into the british countryside, going on long walks, reciting poetry and growing old together.
Still, I at least hoped for a conversation about their true feelings. I wanted Gaunt to let his guard down and tell Ellwood that he is scared that Ellwood will grow bored of him eventually and I wanted Elly to be finally able to voice his feelings in his own words and not the words of other poets. In my Imagination, Gaunt would have stopped calling Ellwood Ellwood and finally would have used his christian name and then they would have grown old together (happily). Sadly, none of that happend, except that Gaunt called Ellwood Sidney, bjt only after Ellwood basically pressured him.
It really was not a bad book by any means. I just went into it with the wrong expectations.
To end this on a more positive note: Even though it was all quite sad, there were parts where i laughed out loud. Some scenes were absolutely hilarious and Devi was the sweetest soul. And the book had great writing and beautiful quotes. The quote that touched me most was: "You'll write more poems. They are not lost. You are the poetry."

Content Warnings

arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad slow-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? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

bowl's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-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

I feel nothing and everything at the same time thanks to that ending.

If you love Song of Achilles and All Quiet on the Western Front, this will be your new favorite book (I’m speaking from experience)!

There are literally no flaws with this book and I would give it a 30/5 if I could, but alas. Read this book, you will not regret it.

Gaunt and Ellwood are straight up by new favorite tragic couple. Like, they are so Achilles and Patroclus coded it’s insane, yet they are more tragic than them. I will be thinking about them for a *long time.*

This is also the first time I’ve cried reading a book in a *long* while. Everything about this book seeps of bittersweetness and melancholy, and for good reason! This book is up there with some of the best depictions of WWI I’ve ever read or seen. I found everything incredibly easy to visualize (it was almost too vivid at times,,).

Beware the content warnings though. As said before, it’s set in WWI and it has several incredibly graphic descriptions of death and trench life. And homophobia, for obvious reasons.

Does this make sense? I don’t think it makes sense but I’m writing this at 3 AM through ugly tears so I’ll give myself a pass.

TLDR: This might be my new favorite book. I am going insane and need to talk about this book with someone. Just- read it!!

Content Warnings

srm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

Content Warnings

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