Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

16 reviews

harlequin79's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

hmatt's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

Starting off 2025 strong with this incredibly powerful read. I won't say I "enjoyed" it as such, because... war novel... graphic, gore-y violence and PTSD, but if you are alright to read on these themes I strongly recommend.

The characters' perspectives and emotions are conveyed in that just-right balance where they are (probably?) historically accurate - some level of repressed, some level of entitled public school boy, etc. Even though the narrative focuses on two privileged men, I thought the author did an alright job of incorporating other diverse voices into the story. The incredible class privilege of the two MCs is definitely consistently acknowledged.

I could "leave" some of the quotations from ancient epics and old poets I haven't read, but I don't feel alienated by their inclusion. In the context of the MCs and their upbringings and personalities, they make sense.

Format note: I really enjoyed this audiobook. The production is exceptionally well thought-through and the narrator does the different character voices impeccably.

I feel that the author did an excellent job acknowledging the not-happy parts of the "happy" ending, e.g. all of Ellwood's friends died, they ended up "in exile" of a sort, PTSD doesn't just disappear, etc.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

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

razialise's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

anj's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Confinement and Death of parent

milliefitz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

hannahduda's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Injury/Injury detail

paulawind's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

To be perfectly honest, I expected more of a

kill your gays type of a situation

, especially considering time period,

but I’m so happy I was wrong! The more I think about it, it was the happiest ending that would be realistic in this situation.

We’ll always have Brazil, fuck the Old World. 
This book was harrowing. I thought I was ready for the horrors of war after reading All Quiet on the Western Front, but this book only awoke my memories. Why do leaders decide to go to war when it is universally acknowledged that it is only bringing pain and suffering? And we do it all over again, for millennia. Maybe the Greeks got it more, when the war was more about man vs man rather than automated machines against civilians. 
Coming to characters, side from them dropping like flies every other chapter, I think the author made us care about every (or almost every) death. The character development for both MCs was absolutely breaking my heart but

I’m so glad they found each other back in the end and are learning to love each other again

An almost complete emotional flip Gaunt and Ellwood did throughout the book hit me like a whiplash, but it was done in a way that it made sense. After all

Gaunt’s prisoners of war camp chapters were the most peaceful and cheerful of the entire book, whereas Elwood was facing bloodbath every day, seeing an orchestrated massacre on a daily basis

One of my favourite moments is when Elwood is screaming poetry at Gaunt, very blatantly professing his love in all meaning but the straightforward one, and Gaunt is so deep in denial that even thought he loved him desperately too, he can’t believe it’s really happening. Those characters in a nutshell. At least for the first part of the book. Later it would be Gaunt being gentle and endlessly patient with Elwood when he struggles to say anything at all and bursting in anger, fighting his ptsd. Gosh, I love those boys so much. Going to pretend that the book ended with “And they lived happily ever after”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

catpolhamus's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail