Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

218 reviews

eviereadsallthetime's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

alasia_s's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, and Medical trauma

katcass's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

ambersoda's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

whoisskadii's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

chloecc15's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

dkayayay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was equal parts devastatingly fucking brutal yet so painfully enduringly hopeful. Fuck war.

(Also make sure to read the content warnings if you're planning on reading!)

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child death and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide

shotsy15's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail

zreadz's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative tense medium-paced

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

4.5

“I cannot heave my heart into my mouth”

I picked up In Memoriam by Alice Winn on a whim after saving it some time ago. As a self-admitted history buff, the combination of WWI and rarely acknowledged romance stories intrigued me. The novel follows Ellwood, Gaunt, and a group of well-off English boys attending a private school, who find themselves suddenly thrust into the harsh realities of the First World War. We witness their transformation from adolescents fantasizing about battle to young men on the frontlines, growing up in the span of months—or even days. 

The love story between Ellwood and Gaunt is beautifully written, capturing not only the romance but also the complexities of the world they inhabit. Despite the societal constraints of the era in regards to the LGBTQ+ community, at their core, they are just young men figuring out love and their place in a world that doesn’t seem to fit them—both before and after the war. At times, I found myself frustrated with their decisions and dialogue, but then reminded myself that they are not seasoned soldiers but young men grappling with a gut-wrenching reality.

My only critique lies with the portrayal of female characters, who felt underdeveloped and often reduced to being "easy" and overly emotional. This may be more a reflection of Winn’s ability to capture the mindset of young men of that era rather than a flaw in the writing itself. On the other hand, the secondary characters, especially fellow soldiers, were well fleshed out, adding richness to the narrative. 

The vivid descriptions of war were both harrowing and immersive, pulling you deeper into the story. It’s evident that Winn extensively researched the historical backdrop, which brings authenticity to the fictional narrative. This novel played out in my mind like a film. Without giving away too much, I’ll just say that the use of poetry, emotion, and prose was masterfully done. Overall, In Memoriam was a fantastic read, and I would highly recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, War, and Injury/Injury detail