Reviews tagging 'Child death'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

32 reviews

basil_touche's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

I can't remember the last time I had to pause during a book in order to comprehend what I had just read. This novel doesn't hide the gruesome aspects of the war, it's shows it all in detail and even I found it difficult to stomach at times. Characters are introduced and dead within a few pages; some you get to know for huge chunks of the book until suddenly there's a part where you see their obituary or their remains. A lot of topics are covered in this (chivalric mindsets of britain to war pre ww1, queer love, colonalisation, duel identities, classim etc) that it feels like it really captures the period.

But this is also a story about love. Gaunt and Ellwood's relationship throughout is touching as you see them pinning for each other in their youth, to their optimism for the war being destroyed once they reach the trenches and then how they slowly start to pick up the pieces after. It's interesting to see how each of their traumas display differently, and surprising too.

I listened to the audiobook and Christian Coulson does a wonderful job throughout. He gives each character a distinct voice, along with pretty accurate accents. I think it truly adds something to the book. 

A haunting and beautiful debut for Winn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexism, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

lindasoderlundd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

elisacarlene's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol

willow_thewisp's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

caitlin_123a's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Antisemitism

cicip'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Homophobia

emilygibbs's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Death of parent

arayo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Sexism, Xenophobia, Excrement, and Vomit

kristynpittman's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

In Memoriam by Alice Winn is absolutely required reading. Our story begins in 1914. The war is in its infancy and our main characters, Gaunt & Ellwood, are among their friends at Preshute boarding school enjoying the last days of boyhood. One by one as they enter the theatre of war their childhood ideals and easy smiles are striped away. Every bullet, every fallen soldier, is another spec of humanity lost to the trenches. 
Against the backdrop of chaos and despair Gaunt and Ellwood are able to have moments of happiness, poetry, and devotion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

elouisewills's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful book. It feels terribly sad, but in a dulled way that seems to reflect how the characters must be feeling: life is much worse than it once was but I am too tired and ruined to care enough about anything or about how sad I am.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, and Antisemitism