Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

74 reviews

sha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

melanija's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Colonisation

beccss_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, and Medical trauma

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

beate251's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

3.5

This book is about World War I and two privileged gay British soldiers quoting poetry at each other when they are not reading Adam Bede and Thucydides, whoever he is. Weirdly, their whole class somehow seem to be gay or at least experimenting.

We all know the horrors of war, there is nothing new here. It is well-written, and I was interested in the characters, but almost everybody died!

Hated the women who gave white feathers to young men they perceived to be cowards. They had no idea.

This is a heart wrenching and brutal debut novel well worth your time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Classism

rhi_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Xenophobia

nikkicik's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

rachel101's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

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